WAS it a mere decade ago when buxom curvaceous babes like Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi were prancing across Bollywood's silver screens?

Days when a bit of excess flesh meant you were sexy, not fat.

Fast-forward to 2008 and Kareena Kapoor's new size zero frame, according to the Indian media, has sent Mumbai's glitterati into a fitness tizzy.

The 28-year-old actress, who was once described in the media as having chunky thighs, has shrunk from 60kg to 48kg in eight months.

The reasons? To prepare for her March cover shoot for Vogue India and to slip into the skimpy costumes in her film Tashan, released last month.

The movie demanded a 'lean, mean look', said Kareena.

She had to wear tight hot pants and a tiny yellow-green bikini for a song-and-dance scene.

Kareena denied that she went on a crash diet, and said it was all due to power yoga and a special diet.

She also denied, in The Hindustan Times, that she has dropped to a size zero. 'I'm sick of these reports,' she said.

'I had to get this look for Tashan because the makers wanted me to get into character.

'I'm proud of my sculpted body. Why should I want to be like anyone else?'

Size zero, according to the BBC website, is an adult 81cm bust, 56cm waist and 84-86cm hips. In clothing sizes, it would be extra, extra small.

Her new skinny look has caused such a media sensation that Bollywood has been gushing non-stop about the slimmer Kareena.

Mumbai advertising guru Prahlad Kakkar had high praise, telling The Hindustan Times that Kareena was more attractive and 'now looks like a woman'.

'She doesn't need to put on weight, or else she will again look motu (Hindi for fat).'

Celebrity photographer Daboo Ratnani, who has shot Kareena for more than 10 years, said: 'The weight loss suits her because her features come out really well.'

The enthusiastic praise for Kareena's new figure has sent other Bollywood actresses running to the gym and hiring personal trainers and yoga instructors.

FITNESS REGIME

The Hindustan Times reported that starlet Amrita Arora, 30, has started a strict exercise and diet routine before her next film.

The already-svelte actress, who weighs between 50 and 55kg, said: 'It's true that I am losing weight but am not going on a crash diet.

'This time I am doing a lot of yoga and toning up.'

Another actress taking the thinner route is Kangana Ranaut.

The 21-year-old, who reportedly weighs about 53kg, now relies on a six-small-meal diet and takes kickboxing, martial arts and yoga classes.

She is said to have shed 3kg in amonth.

Bosomy actress Ayesha Takia, 22, has reportedly undergone liposuction, although she denied it in an interview with Mumbai newspaper Daily News & Analysis.

She said she lost 9kg running on the treadmill to prepare for a role and has no plans to go size zero.

NOT A COMPETITION

'I am not here to compete with anybody. I don't even know what size zero is.

'I have lost 9kg which was required and I am not in a mood to lose any more weight,' she claimed.

Even veteran actresses like Aishwarya Rai and Rani Mukerhjee are feeling the heat.

Aishwarya, 34, has been asked by her producer to go back to her svelte form in her 2006 film Dhoom 2 where she pranced around in tight sexy outfits.

Rani, 30, reportedly hired Kareena's fitness instructor Payal Gidwani to shrink her down too.

Ms Payal told The Times of India that the 50kg-actress is a 'challenge' and plans to help her drop to 45kg.

But the slimming frenzy in Bollywood has also caused some concern that the actresses are becoming anorexic.

Indian beauty and nutrition experts have said this obsession is 'un-Indian' and are afraid that young women might follow suit.

Dietician Parul Chudhary told The Hindustan Times: 'Indian women must understand that no matter how flattering thin bodies of actresses and models may seem to be, their general body frame is not genetically designed to suit such a structure.'

Actress Bipasha Basu, 29, who is known as the sexiest woman in Bollywood, was quoted as saying in report carried by Indo-Asian News Service: 'I am really concerned about all this unhealthy weight loss in our entertainment industry.

'For god's sake, don't starve yourself to stay in shape. It gives you a prematurely aged look. Eat, sleep and live well and avoid getting obsessive about losing weight.'

Shilpa Shetty, 32, also criticised the 'size zero' craze at a recent press conference in New Delhi when she was, ironically, launching her new yoga video.

'Size zero is something very unhealthy. I'm a size eight.

'My idea of fitness is to be healthy. Even if I am slightly bulky, I am well-toned, I am happy.'

What do Singapore fans think about their favourite Bollywood stars shrinking?

Peter Chandran, a 20-year-old NSman, said: 'I think Kareena looks really hot. And if Bollywood actresses want to make it in Hollywood, they have to look skinny, won't they?'

Nur Khairiyah Ramli also agreed it was a sign of the times.

The 21-year-old La Salle drama graduate, who runs a Bollywood blog called Tinsel Gurus, said: 'People just don't want to see 'fat' actresses on screen any more.

'Most Bollywood films have them dressing in skimpy outfits and being a size zero is their golden ticket to getting more roles.'