10 powerful female characters in Hindi movies and shows
Bollywood has traditionally been making movies that revolve around men and their journeys in life. More often than not, women would either play the role of the damsel in distress, who would be saved by the hero by bashing up goons, or they would play the romantic interest of the leading man. However, with the evolution of Hindi cinema, and society as a whole, we got to witness some unique and powerful female protagonists which were portrayed brilliantly by actresses on screen. In this article, I list 10 of my favorite movies which showcased incredible performances by actresses in rather unconventional roles.
1. Sushmita Sen in and as Aarya
Most of us remember Sushmita Sen as the incredibly attractive teacher “Miss Chandni” from Main Hoon Na whom we all fell in love with. After a long hiatus from acting, she finally made a smashing comeback last year in the Ram Madhvani directed web series “Aarya”. She played the wife of a man who is involved in the business of illegal pharmaceuticals, who gets shot one day. The drama that ensues thereafter, when people who her husband owed money start threatening her, and how she takes charge of the business while trying to keep her 3 children away from danger is the main premise of Aarya. Sushmita Sen incredibly portrayed a plethora of emotions, from being an emotional mother who is always worried about the well-being of her children, to being a fearless woman who has to deal with both criminals and the police tactfully. Aarya is available on Disney+Hotstar VIP in case you haven’t watched it yet.
2. Urmila Matondkar in Ek Hasina Thi
Ek Hasina Thi is an underrated crime thriller directed by the one and only Sriram Raghavan which released in the year 2004. I’m amazed at how many people have not even heard of this movie. Urmila Matondkar plays a working woman based in Pune, who meets a man (played by Saif Ali Khan) one day in her office. He keeps popping up in her life from time to time thereafter. Whether these encounters are just by coincidence or is everything just a setup makes for a compelling watch. This movie has a number of twists and turns that will keep you hooked till the end. I can’t reveal much about the movie without giving away the plot, but let me just say that Urmila Matondkar’s performance in this movie is probably one of the best acting performances ever by a leading lady. Ek Hasina Thi is available on Amazon Prime Video.
3. Taapsee Pannu in Thappad
“Just a slap. Par, nahi maar sakta” was the line from the trailer of Thappad that hit hard. This Anubhav Sinha-directed movie is about a housewife who decides to divorce her husband when he slaps her in front of everyone at a house party. This film effectively portrays how patriarchy is deep-rooted in our society and is inadvertently practiced today even in urban homes. It was heartbreaking to witness what a woman has to go through when she decides that she will not suffer. With the resounding success of Thappad, Taapsee Pannu cemented her place in the industry as one of the top leading actresses of our generation and bagged all major awards. Compelling performances by her other female co-stars such as Ratna Pathak Shah, Tanvi Azmi, and Dia Mirza added to the brilliance of this film. This film boasts of some amazing music as well. Thappad is available on Amazon Prime Video.
4. Tabu in Andhadhun
Another Sriram Raghavan film to make this list is the 2018 Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Andhadhun. In this movie, Ayushmann plays a pianist who pretends to be visually impaired for enhancing his craft. He lands up in trouble due to this weird approach of his when he witnesses a crime but cannot talk about it since everyone thinks he’s blind. This movie has some incredible scenes which will make you marvel at the genius of Sriram Raghavan. While Ayushmann simply hit it out of the park with his role, Tabu’s character was amazingly portrayed by her. This was one of her best performances after Haider and Drishyam. Again, I can’t reveal much about her character, but you should definitely watch this film if you haven’t yet. Andhadhun is available on Netflix.
5. Neena Gupta in Badhaai Ho
One of the best films of 2018 was Badhaai Ho. An amazing, completely unique script powered by incredible performances from the lead cast catapulted this Amit Sharma directorial into fame. This film revolves around a middle-aged woman with grown-up kids who gets pregnant and decides not to abort her baby. The unique situations that arise due to her decision make for a hilarious watch. Gajraj Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana, Sanya Malhotra, and Surekha Sikri put forth great performances but it was Neena Gupta who was the real star of the movie. She bagged the role after she unabashedly posted on social media that she was out of work and needed good parts to play. She effortlessly slipped into the character and her performance felt genuine. This movie has some great social commentary as well and will leave you teary-eyed in the end. Badhaai Ho is available to watch for free on Disney+Hotstar. You simply shouldn’t miss this one.
6. Sanya Malhotra in Pagglait
This movie quietly released on Netflix recently and came as a pleasant surprise to all movie lovers. Directed by Umesh Bisht, Pagglait is the story of a woman whose husband dies shortly after marriage and the events that happen thereafter. She is relatively unaffected by her husband’s death until she makes a startling discovery about him. This film boasts of a stellar supporting cast in Raghubir Yadav, Sheeba Chadda, Ashutosh Rana, Rajesh Tailang, Sayani Gupta, and many more. Arijit Singh for the first time has composed some beautiful music for this film. The climax is unexpected and will surprise you. Sanya Malhotra beautifully played the journey of the character. People are finally realizing her potential after she went relatively unnoticed in the Aamir Khan starrer Dangal. Pagglait has some light humor as well which will make you smile. This film is an ode to women empowerment and definitely deserves a watch.
7. Vidya Balan in Kahaani
Kahaani is one of the best suspense thrillers Bollywood has ever produced. Vidya Balan plays the role of a pregnant woman who travels to Kolkata from London in search of her missing husband. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, this film shows the amazingly beautiful culture of Bengal. Vidya Balan is simply outstanding in what is probably her career-best role. The character of Bob Biswas played by Saswata Chatterjee is one character you’ll never forget. We simply can’t wait for the Bob Biswas spin-off starring Abhishek Bachchan to release! The climax of Kahaani will shock you like no other film ever will. If you’re living under a rock and still haven’t seen this film, it is available on Netflix.
8. Deepika Padukone in and as Piku
One of the most heartwarming stories ever showed on screen was the 2015 Shoojit Sircar directorial Piku. In this film which starred legendary actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan, Deepika Padukone stood out with her performance as the dutiful daughter who has a hard time dealing with her father (played by Amitabh Bachchan) who suffers from chronic constipation. This film is hilarious in moments and has beautiful soul-soothing music. Needless to say, Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan showed why they are considered some of the best actors of Hindi cinema. There were scenes in which Irrfan had no dialogues, but he spoke to us with his eyes. Strangely enough, this movie is currently not available on any streaming platform, but you should catch it whenever it comes on TV, in case you haven’t seen it yet. We miss you Irrfan!
9. Taapsee Pannu in Badla
Another mystery/suspense thriller on this list is the 2019 movie Badla. Produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and starring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu in lead roles, this movie keeps you guessing at every turn. Once you think you have figured it all out, it will throw another curveball at you, making you question your own assumptions. Taapsee plays the role of Naina Sethi, a successful entrepreneur and married woman who has a secret affair with a man, who is found dead one day. She then hires a lawyer (played by Amitabh Bachchan) to discover the mystery behind his death. What follows thereafter is so incredible to watch that I won’t spoil it for you. References from the Mahabharata elevated this movie to new heights. You can catch this no-nonsense Sujoy Ghosh directorial on Netflix.
10. Shreya Dhanwanthary in Scam 1992
Should I say anything more? Scam 1992 captivated all our hearts when it released last year and is still fresh in our minds. Pratik Gandhi became an overnight star with his absolutely marvelous performance as Harshad Mehta. While each and every character of the show was played amazingly well by their respective actors, one character that stood out was that of Sucheta Dalal played by Shreya Dhanwanthary. Shreya effectively portrayed India’s first female financial journalist’s struggle to unearth the scam that wreaked havoc in the stock market. She emerged as the only strong female character in a world full of men. This Hansal Mehta-directed masterpiece is available on Sony Liv if you haven’t watched it yet, but you obviously have watched it, haven’t you?
Some other performances which I enjoyed watching were those of Alia Bhatt in Raazi, Kangana Ranaut in Queen and Panga, Richa Chadda in Section 375 and Masaan, Sridevi in English Vinglish, Rani Mukerji in Mardaani, Shefali Shah in Delhi Crime, and many more. Do mention in the comments some of your favorite performances by Bollywood actresses in lead roles. Thanks for reading!
