QUOTE(simplefable @ Mar 30 2008, 07:48 AM)

Nasir Bhai...Undoubtedly women do look good in thirties..the flab goes away and an elegance comes into their demeanour...You can watch how Mumtaz, Rekha, Sri devi et al.
For those who put on lot of weight in between those years, from twenty to thirty, they look old and kind of strained in later films..Vyjayantimala for instance..She was weighing a tonne in Madhumati..Still carried the role with aplomb..which is a different matter altogether.
For the likes of Waheeda Rehman or Mala sinha, who havent put on any weight all through their career..Age never touched them..By the way, i will upload the photos of Waheeda Rehman from the first film of hers..where she did a wonderful Skit dance in local folklore, telugu. After seeing this Guru dutt picked her up...and the rest is history.

Well said simplefable.
But we need to distinguish another factor. For instance you speak of Vyjayantimala in MADHUMATI. I think she looked her best in this movie. Not to forget that this was a 1958 movie. What to say of her later movies such as Pyar Hi Pyar and Prince. She still looked good for her age. At the same time watch other aging heroines too. They ruled the roost. What this indicates? Simply that the taste of the cinegoers of yore included heroines who were busty or even a little stout (I wont use the term "fat"). That was okay then.
Today, the same set of bodies are rejected even for a mother's role. Not to speak of a heroine's roles. In short, the taste of the cinegoers and critics has changed drastically. Today they desire nymphets. Yesterday it was "real women".
By the way thanks for those lovely pictures.