Oomph-oozers: 20 greatest sex icons of all time

From Marilyn Monroe in Hollywood to Zeenat Aman closer home, we present to you twenty greatest sex icons of all time.

  • Bipasha Basu
    The Bong bombshell Bipasha Basu's debut in Bollywood was with a negative role in the film Ajnabee. After that, she tasted major commercial success with Raaz, where her pairing with Dino Morea was much appreciated. The next year, with the release of Jism, Basu established herself as a sex icon. Along with her then boyfriend, Joh Abraham, Bipasha played the role of the femme fatale to perfection.

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  • Mallika Sherawat
    She entered the Hindi film industry with 17 full-blown kisses in Khwahish, in 2003. Then came 2004, and along with it, brought the film called Murder. Suddenly, Mallika Sherawat became the subject of many men's wet dreams all across the country. Her chemistry with Emraan Hashmi, along with her bare-backed posters, turned her into a sensation last decade.

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  • Urmila Matondkar
    Urmila Matondkar's roles as borderline psychopaths in Pyar Tu Ne Kya Kiya and Kaun caused much rage back in the 90s. The actress' dances in 'Yaai re' and 'Mast' catapulted her to fame, and her sex appeal was hard to ignore.

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  • Mamta Kulkarni
    The sex siren of the 90s, Mamta Kulkarni ruled the screens with her voluptuousness and oomph back then. Her seductive dances, coupled with her gaze, made many a man lust after her. The actress chose to quit acting when her career was at the peak, and has been embroiled in a few controversies thereafter, the most recent among them being her alleged involvement in a drug trafficking case in Kenya.

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  • Mandakini
    Her white-saree clad bath under the waterfall in the film Ram Teri Ganga Maili has survived the test of time, as far as public memory is concerned. Mandakini shot to fame for that scene, and later went on to do several bold roles.

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  • Rekha
    The quintessential femme fatale, Rekha's numerous bold roles are quite unforgettable, when it comes to her viewers. From her seductive-in-every-frame role in the film Utsav, to playing a sex teacher in Mira Nair's Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, to the character of the 'other woman' in Silsila...Rekha has always treated her audience to generous doses of sex appeal through her numerous films. Even today, the beauty is lusted after and loved by many.

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  • Parveen Babi
    Parveen Babi graced the cover of Time Magazine way back in 1976, largely owing to her appeal all across platforms. Apart from her roles in Bollywood, Babi's somewhat-western looks were largely liked by the Indian audience.

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  • Sharmila Tagore
    In 1967, Sharmila Tagore shocked Indian audiences by wearing a bikini in the film An Evening in Paris. Later, she posed for a magazine cover, too, in a two-piece. In addition to her bikini scenes, Tagore's sex appeal makes her apt for a position in the greatest sex icons of all times' list.

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  • Helen
    The sexy cabaret dancer, with her body-hugging dresses, thigh-high slits and the fur scarves... Helen held an entire generation of men asway with her moves on the dance floor.

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  • Zeenat Aman
    In the film Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Zeenat Aman made many a jaw drop to dangerously-low levels with her bra-less act in the wet white saree. Apart from that, were her numerous bikini-clad scenes in numerous films, which came at a point of time when the Indian audience was yet to be exposed to the female skin in a big way. Zeenat Aman was instrumental in breaking many a taboo with her numerous bold roles.

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  • Demi Moore
    The black hair and her lips have given rise to many an indecent (and decent) proposal over the years, or so one would say about Demi Moore. Her roles in the 90s made for much sighs and moans, and the actress carved a niche for herself in the sex icons' list with Indecent Proposal, mostly.

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  • Monica Bellucci
    Who can forget her eponymous role in the film Malena. Monica Bellucci, the age-defying walking-talking-epitome of gracefulness is one who can stir up fantasies in men less than half her age - and women, too.

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  • Penelope Cruz
    Here is a woman who makes sure she commands all the senses to get into the attention-mode the moment she gets to the screen. From Penelope Curz's accent to her eyes to her lips to her skin...one needs to master their senses to be able to tear themselves off this woman, when she is around, virtually or otherwise.

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  • Sharon Stone
    That near-fatal crotch-baring act of hers in Basic Instinct is what Sharon Stone is most famous for. Her unabashed sex appeal is what earns her a place in the list of the greatest sex icons of all time.

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  • Megan Fox
    From that famous interview of hers to GQ, when she said that she was a bisexual, to the sex appeal oozing out of every pore of her body, Megan Fox is the unequivocal fantasy of every man.

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  • Mila Kunis
    The eyes, the dark brows, the seductive laughter...everything screams 'sex' when it comes to Mila Kunis. Her role in Black Swan alone is enough to floor men and women alike. A veritable sex icon, this woman is.

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  • Angelina Jolie
    When Original Sin was released, men limped-crawled-ran to the theatres to have a glimpse of Angelina Jolie's boobs, notwithstanding the fact that the film was largely panned by critics. Apart from that, Jolie has to her credit an aura of extreme mystery. From death-defying stunts in the Tomb Raider films, to comparitively less daring roles like that in The Tourist, Angie has steadily stirred up many imaginations over the years. Oh, and there's that wearing-my-husband's-blood-around-my-neck act of hers, too, when she and Billy Bob Thornton wore each other's blood in vials around their necks.

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  • Brooke Shields
    From under the pair of those dark eyebrows, Brooke Shields' look oozes enough sex to stir up moans of pleasure. Add to that the famous Calvin jeans' ad, where the purring Shields declares that nothing comes between her pair of jeans and her.

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  • Salma Hayek
    A gorgeous face, paired with breasts that are the envy of innumerable women all over the world. Salma Hayek, in addition to her flawless exteriors, is a sex icon when it comes to her acting skills, too.

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  • Earning oneself a position in the list of the greatest sex icons of all time is not a mean feat. It's not always just about the looks alone, but about the entire persona of an actress. So, from Marilyn Monroe in Hollywood to Zeenat Aman closer home, we present to you twenty greatest sex icons of all time...and yes, this list is quite limited, for there are numerous actresses out there, who ooze sex appeal in their own way.

    Marilyn Monroe
    The phrase 'Sex Symbol' and Marilyn Monroe have become synonymous over the years. No one can forget the Hollywood icon's up-skirt moment, nor the blonde soft curls or those full lips. Add to that a voice that held an entire American generation captive. Marilyn Monroe is undoubtedly numero uno when it comes to sex icons.

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