Shakeela and Reshma: Stars and Stereotypes Actresses such as Shakeela became emblematic of South Indian soft‑porn cinema in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Their on-screen personas—hypersexualized, accessible, and unpretentious—attracted massive audiences, disrupting star hierarchies and box-office expectations. For many viewers, these actresses offered an alternative to mainstream heroines, providing visibility and commercial viability outside normative film stardom.