Despite the fact that songs pk bollywood exceeds Hollywood in film output, songs pk bollywood has a much smaller star system, which means Indian actors appear in far more films than their American counterparts-some doing as many as five movies a year. Luckily, that makes it easier for new fans to figure out who's who. The following, while by no means comprehensive, is a rundown of the biggest and brightest female stars in the songs pkbollywood  universe.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Often called "the most beautiful woman in the world," Aishwarya, also known as "Ash," is a former Miss World. She appeared in Tamil-language films before making her songs pk bollywood debut in 1999 in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, opposite Salman Khan, for which she won the Filmfare Best Actress Award. In 2002, she appeared in Devdas, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, and she became the first Indian actress to serve as a Cannes jury member. She went on to appear in such hits as Dhoom 2 (2006) and Jodhaa Akbar (2008). She is the first Indian actor to significantly crossover in the West, appearing in The Mistress of Spices (2005) with Dylan McDermott, The Last Legion (2007) with Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley, and Pink Panther 2 (2009) with Steve Martin. She has also garnered more high-profile publicity in the West than any other songs pk bollywood  actor, having appeared on Oprah, the Late Show with David Letterman, and 60 Minutes. Following turbulent relationships with actors Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi, Aishwarya married into Bollywood royalty in 2007 when she wed India's most eligible bachelor, Abhishek Bachchan, son of screen legend Amitabh Bachchan.

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena, or Bebo as she's known, comes from a storied film family. She's the granddaughter of legendary actor Raj Kapoor and the niece of actor Rishi Kapoor. Both of her parents were actors as well, but her father didn't believe acting was a seemly profession for women and he disapproved of Kareena and her older sister Karisma carrying on the family tradition, so her mother left him and the two girls became stars (Karisma is now retired). Kareena made her acting debut in 2000 in Refugee, alongside then-newcomer Abhishek Bachchan (who was once engaged to Karisma), which she followed up with roles in Asoka, with Shahrukh Khan, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, opposite Hrithik Roshan-both in 2001. After a string of unremarkable films, she delivered acclaimed performances in Dev (2004) and Omkara (2006). She won a Filmfare Best Actress Award in 2007 for her role in the blockbuster Jab We Met (2007), in which she was paired with her then-boyfriend Shahid Kapoor. She's currently dating Saif Ali Khan, her co-star in Tashan (2008).

Katrina Kaif

One of India's top stars doesn't even hail from India. Katrina, who has a Kashmiri father and a British mother, was born in Hong Kong and raised in Hawaii and London, where her family currently lives (she is one of eight children). She was modeling in London when she was discovered by a songs pk bollywood filmmaker who cast her in Boom in 2003. She moved to Mumbai to pursue a film career, even though she couldn't speak Hindi (she learned it on the fly). She had a small role in the Godfather-remake Sarkar (2005) and then appeared as the lead in Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005), opposite Salman Khan, with whom she has a rocky romantic relationship. She has since appeared with Akshay Kumar in Namastey London (2007) and Singh is Kinng (2008), Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna in Race (2008), John Abraham in New York (2009), and boyfriend Salman Khan in Partner (2007) and Yuvvraaj (2008). She is the model for Mattel's songs pk bollywood Barbie.

Priyanka Chopra

The year 2000 was a big one for Indian beauty pageant contestants-Lara Dutta and Dia Mirza won Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific respectively (and both went on to become songs pk bollywood  actresses) and Priyanka won Miss World, becoming the fifth Indian ever to win the title, and it's easy to see why-she's the picture of perfection. She debuted in 2003, and for her performance in Aitraaz the following year, she won the Filmfare Best Villain Award (don't you wish the Oscars had categories like that?)-and she's only the second woman ever to win that award. She appeared with Shahrukh Khan in the hit remake of the Hindi classic Don (2006), played the ambitious starlet in the wonderful Salaam-E-Ishq (2007) opposite Salman Khan, and won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her turn as a troubled model in Fashion (2008). She will undoubtedly win more awards for her performance as an unglamorous spitfire in her 2009 film, the edgy drama Kaminey. She has been romantically linked with her Kaminey co-star Shahid Kapoor.

Deepika Padukone

Deepika exploded on the scene in 2007 with her debut in Om Shanti Om, playing opposite Shahrukh Khan. She has since appeared in Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) with her offscreen boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor, and Love Aaj Kal (2009), alongside Saif Ali Khan. She is one of songs pk bollywood  top "it" girls at the moment. Her father is a famous badminton player, and in her teens, Deepika was a tough competitor in the sport, which she abandoned for a career in modeling that then led to acting.

Sonam Kapoor

Sonam is the daughter of veteran actor Anil Kapoor. The fledgling actress has only appeared in two films so far-Saawariya (2007) and Delhi-6 (2009)-but her promising potential is already apparent. She was recently chosen as the face of cosmetic giant L'Oreal in India, replacing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, whom Sonam has ruffled by referring to her in the press as "aunty-ji"-an Indian term of respect for one's elders.