Indian women are well known for their natural beauty, with larger and dark exotic eyes, and hair that seems to sparkle lusciously in the sun. It’s hardly any wonder that they are considered some of the most beautiful women in the world, and that’s definitely something proven with the top 20 most beautiful Indian women of 2023 that we are about to bring you. A perfect mix of both traditional and modern, be prepared to go bonkers for all things Bollywood. We hope you’re sitting comfortably …

1 – Sushmita Sen

If you’re a fan of Bengali movies, you may already know who Sushmita Sen is. Also, if you cast your mind back to 1994, the Miss Universe beauty pageant to be exact, you will remember that she not only won the crown, but also became the first Indian, and first Bengali, to ever do it. (Congrats, girl!)

It was after she became a Miss Universe legend that she decided to make the switch into acting, and it was only a couple of years before she found herself bagging large roles in hit movies. In 2000, and then again in 2010, she took a slightly different life turn, choosing to adopt two baby girls.

2 – Priyanka Chopra

In 2000, Priyanka Chopra won Miss World, and she has since gone on to become not just a model, but a philanthropist, a film producer, a singer, an actress, and an all-around beautiful Indian force to be reckoned with!

She’s won five Filmfare Awards alone, and she was even classed as one of the ‘Top 100 Most Influential People in the World’ by Time just last year, in 2016. Not bad for the girl who originally didn’t want to become a model or an actress at all, studying criminal psychology or aeronautical engineering.

3 – Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Born November 1st, 1973, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, also known as just Aishwarya, is 43 years old, a model, actress and beauty pageant winner from India. It was back in 1994 that she won Miss World, and it wasn’t long after that the move roles started flooding in. In 1997, she made her debut, with commercial success following just a year later.

She has since gone on to become an award-winning Indian actress, as well as one of the contenders for the top 20 most beautiful Indian women of 2023, winning two Film fare awards for ‘Best Actress’.

4 – Deepika Padukone

Deepika is now regarded as one of India’s most-paid actresses, aged just 31 years of age. She wasn’t actually born in India, but in Canada, moving to Bangalore to be raised. Her father was a badminton player, something carved her early life, and before becoming one of the most well-known Indian actresses across the globe, and one of the most beautiful, she was actually a national level badminton player, even taking part in the championships.

During her teenage years, she decided against being a badminton player, choosing to take a modeling path instead, and it was just a little while after that the movie roles came. It was in 2006 that she made her movie debut, and a year later saw her starring in the Bollywood blockbuster, Om Shanti Om. It won her a Fanfare Award for ‘Best Female Debut’.

5 – Lisa Haydon

31-year-old Lisa Haydon has made quite the name for herself in the Hindi film industry, but that’s not all she’s known for, also working as a supermodel, and a designer of fashion too. It was back in 2010 that she made her movie debut, but she has gone on to grace the covers of a string of magazines, including Vogue India, Cosmopolitan, and more.

In fact, she’s doing so well in the modeling world that she won the Vogue Beauty Award for ‘Best Breakthrough’ back in 2014, and that’s alongside appearing in Hindi movies, getting married, and having a baby boy too. Busy woman!

6 – Sonam Kapoor

With close to eleven million followers on Instagram, if you don’t know who Sonam Kapoor is, we predict it won’t be long before you do. The actress is well known for her roles in Bollywood movies, and as well as bagging herself a string of awards, she’s also become one of the highest-paid actresses in her industry. A keen endorser of a number of products, she also proudly campaigns for LGBT rights, as well as breast cancer charities, and she’s also very well known for being rather … outspoken!

7 – Alia Bhatt

The daughter of both an actress and a filmmaker, it was almost inevitable that Alia Bhatt would follow in her parents’ footsteps and head into the film industry herself. One of the youngest top 20 most beautiful Indian women of 2023, aged just 24 years old, she’s a well-established Bollywood actress and has appeared in a number of movies, many of which were commercially successful.

Alongside starring in the movies herself, Alia Bhatt is also a singer and has had her voice featured in six movie songs, and as if that wasn’t good enough, she has also raised a female clothing line. There’s a running trend here – these women are not only all very beautiful, but also very busy!

8 – Zoya Afroz

She’s only 23 years old but Zoya Afroz has already created quite the stir with her work in the modeling and film world. As a youngster, it was in TV commercial that she first had a touch of fame, and she has since gone on to become a film actress as well as beauty pageant winner. There are a couple of movies coming out this year and next starring Zoya too.

9 – Shilpa Shetty

If you ever watched the British version of Celebrity Big Brother, you might remember who Shilpa Shetty is. There was a very loud, public and quite awful to watch race row, and one that well and truly put her on the map both sides of the pond. Not just appearing in the fifth season of Celebrity Big Brother, she won the show. Of course, the reason she went on there in the first place is that she is a celebrity — a producer and former model, as well as an actress and shrewd businesswoman.

Shilpa is definitely one of the most high-profile people ever to come from India and is definitely a hot contender in the top 20 most beautiful Indian women of 2023 too. That’s before we talk about her work with AIDS and HIV charities in India, as well as joining PETA too …

10 – Angela Jonsson

At just 27 years of age, Angela Jonsson is another of the youngest ladies on this fabulous list but is not one to be underestimated. She is both an actress and a model, and her career all started back in 2011, modeling for the Kingfisher Calendar after winning the hunt. Just the next year, she judged the competition herself and has been working hard to establish her name in the world of Bollywood movies. She’s definitely one that we think you should be keeping your eyes peeled for!

11 – Sonarika Bhadoria

She has over 435,000 followers on Instagram and it’s hardly any wonder. Sonarika Bhadoria is a true, classic Indian beauty, known for being a social activist, dancer, singer, model, and actress, particularly in Indian movies. Born in Mumbai, she’s only been in the limelight for a few years, but we predict big things for her future, especially with stunningly exotic looks like that!

12 – Sonal Chauhan

Appearing in Bollywood and Telugu movies, 30-year-old Sonal Chauhan has made quite the name for herself. As well as being an actress, she’s also a singer and a fashion model and has won a number of beauty contests. To be fair, it’s not hard to see why. She is beautiful.

In 2005, Sonal competed in Miss World Tourism and was crowned the winner, and she was the first Indian woman ever to hold that title. she then had a brief spell working with the cell phone brand, Nokia, appearing in their ads, and has also popped up on the British “lad’s mag” FHM.

13 – Kareena Kapoor Khan

Her parents were actors, and her sister is an actor too. It just made perfect sense that Kareena Kapoor would follow in their footsteps, carving herself a career in Hindi movies. One of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, and one of the most popular too, Kareena has won a string of prestigious awards, including 6 Filmfare Awards, and all from a movie career that started in 2002.

Of course, Kareena isn’t just known for being an actress now and has made a name for herself in the book world too, becoming an author, and then releasing her own line of clothes. There were other collaborations too, including working with a nutritionist for a weight loss and healthy eating book, and it sold fast — over ten thousand copies in the first couple of days!

14 – Dia Mirza

35-year-old Dia Mirza is another of the top 20 most beautiful Indian women of 2023 who also comes from a beauty pageant background, competing in 2000’s Miss Asia Pacific and coming in as the winner. She has a social media following of 1.4 million, making her rather influential in social media terms, and she’s also an actress and a producer, alongside model.

15 – Radhika Apte

Radhika Apte is perhaps better known for her stage work, rather than her film work, but she has accomplished a lot in both fields. The 32-year-old Indian actress had small roles to start with when she first made the leap from stage to film, and that was back in 2005. She has since gone on to star in a string of movies, at least two or three per year, and that’s a cycle that shows no signs of slowing down. There are five or six further films coming out in the next couple of years alone. This girl is both beautiful and extremely busy, it would seem.

16 – Madhuri Dixit

You may also know Madhuri Dixit as Madhuri Dixit Nene, her married name. Born in Maharashtra, India on May 15th, 1967, she’s now 50 years old and has packed a lot into her life, not just making her way onto the top 20 most beautiful Indian women of 2023 list, but also for making a massive name for herself in the world of Hindi movies. As well as acting, she’s a keen dancer, and is also well known for these skills, even bagging a string of awards for her work. These include no fewer than 6 Filmfare Awards, and she’s been nominated a whopping 14 times!

17 – Zareen Khan

Appearing in Punjabi, Tamil and Hindi movies, Zareen Khan is a well-known name, as you can probably imagine. In 2010, she made her movie debut. She then appeared in one of the hugest-grossing movies of the following year (2011), and things went from strength to strength from there. Believe it or not, acting wasn’t actually her first career choice, instead preferring to go down the route of becoming a doctor. She even had to PUT ON weight in order to be accepted for certain roles too, showing true dedication to the cause.

18 – Kritika Kamra

28-year-old Kritika Kamra is well known on Indian television and has also started to make a name for herself in web movies. Oh, and that’s before we mention the fact that she appeared in a music video that currently has over eight million likes on Youtube. In other words, you should follow her. She’s talented, great to watch, and beautiful!

19 – Hema Malini

68-year-old Hema Malini is a woman not to be messed with, becoming not just a politician, producer, and director in her time, but also a dancer and actress too. It was back in 1963 that she first appeared on the silver screen, but only as a supporting actress and dancer. It was five years later that she had her first main role, and it wasn’t long before Bollywood was featuring her as one of their main actresses, racking up an impressive total of more than 150 movies in her career.

20 – Rani Mukherjee

Whether you know her as Rani Mukherjee or Rani Mukerji, one thing remains true – she is one of the top most beautiful Indian women of 2023 and, in fact, of all time. She’s a very high-profile Bollywood actress, and there have been a number of prestigious awards throughout her career too. These included Filmfare Awards (seven).

Rani likes to keep her private life exactly that — private, but she actively involves herself in various humanitarian projects, and just one of these is working with issues faced by women and children.