Younger sisters fail to blossom in Bollywood

They had a launch pad in their elder sisters who are stars in Bollywood. But actresses like Amrita Arora, Shamita Shetty and Tanisha Mukherjee have failed to come out of the glittering shadow of their siblings despite seeking to carve out their own destiny.

Although they claim to have avoided sibling rivalry, comparisons have been inevitable.

Ever since Amrita stepped into Bollywood in 2002 with Kitne Door Kitne Paas opposite Fardeen Khan, parallels have been drawn with her elder sibling Malaika Arora Khan. And every time, she has fallen short of matching the latter in terms of sensuality, looks, physique, dancing ability as well as her overall on screen persona.

But Amrita says this has not affected their relationship.

"I am extremely close to Malaika and the bond we share is unexplainable. We depend on each other and feel happy for each other's success. I just can't do without her. We are always there to help and motivate each other. Like success, we share our failures as well," she has often said.

Ditto is the case for Shamita, whose sister Shilpa Shetty's popularity skyrocketed after she won the British reality show Celebrity Big Brother in 2007.

Though Shamita made her debut with a role in Aditya Chopra's big-budget film Mohabbatein in 2000, she has failed to deliver a single hit in her career spanning seven years. However, her acting skills were noticed when she essayed the role of a police officer in Zeher opposite Emraan Hashmi.

Lookwise and fitness-wise also, Shilpa's sharp features, slender frame, slim waist and overall attitude have always overshadowed Shamita. Shilpa and Shamita had once shared screen space in Deepak Tijori's thriller Fareb, but they did not play sisters in it.

"Though I'd love to be my sister's sister on screen, I think it would be slightly awkward to play real-life roles. It's far more challenging to come together and play against one another as rivals in love, as we did in Fareb," Shilpa had said.