But is doing roles that she believes in, even if she has to play the waiting game
'You want us bad, then pay us well,’ this is the latest mantra of Bollywood film heroines. No longer content with just playing the love interest of a testosterone hunk or an ageing superstar, Hindi film heroines (at least the ones who matter) are spending more time off the set than on it because they are waiting for films that will give them their rightful due, either by way of a fat pay cheque or a memorable role.
Deepika Padukone is usually thought of as the Number One Bollywood heroine. How did she get there? Films like Piku and Padmavat (where she is the first among equals) put her on that pedestal. She comes at a price which is more than that of many of her equally popular male counterparts. And most importantly, she refuses to just be an arm candy to a Khan, Kapoor or Kumar.
She reportedly refused Aanand L Rai’s Zero opposite Shah Rukh Khan because she wanted to get paid a Rs 10 cr-plus remuneration. Her next outing after Padmavat is Vishal Bhardwaj’s film in which she plays a mafia queen. She is the hero of the movie like she was in Piku.
Kangana Ranaut is popular for her no-nonsense avatar. Not only is she known for constantly bringing an erring male co-star to his knees, but she also has the guts to occasionally take on media houses with her confrontations. This year, the actress, who believes in doing quality work and demanding a hefty pay cheque, will be seen in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, in which she will essay the titular role.
Alia Bhatt, the sweetheart of Gen-Now, has as much gumption as Deepika, if not more. She reportedly refused Thugs of Hindostan opposite Aamir Khan because she didn’t think she needed a Khan to take her career forward. She will just have one release, Raazi, in May 2018. And the only films she has green-lit are the ones that have Godfather Karan Johar’s approval. So, she has Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy with Ranveer Singh, Abhishek Varman’s Shiddat with Varun Dhawan and Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra with Ranbir Kapoor. Please note, the second and third films are produced by KJo.
Anushka Sharma showed she was made of firmer mettle than most by choosing marriage over her career despite being on top of her game. Sultan and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil made her the number one star of 2016. She knew that ‘tying the knot may dent her popularity,’ so to speak, but that didn’t stop her from following her heart. After producing NH10 and Phillauri, she plays the protagonist in her home production, Pari. She also has Zero in her kitty.
Priyanka Chopra, who has a foot planted firmly in the West, is back in the bay. She is busy scouting for a project to suit her new-found international star status. However, her asking price is allegedly Rs 10-cr plus, which is something Bollywood producers are finding hard to digest. But PC is in no hurry. She has decided to wait it out.
(Left to Right) Katrina Kaif, Sonam Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vidya Balan
Katrina Kaif chose Ranbir Kapoor over her career at one point. However, when that chapter ended, she didn’t exactly shatter and let her career fall apart. Instead, she rose like a phoenix from the ashes and is back to ruling the roost with projects like Tiger Zinda Hai with Salman, Thugs of Hindostan with Aamir and of course, Zero with SRK.
Sonam Kapoor will not speak of her beau Anand Ahuja but she doesn’t believe in hiding him in her closet either. She wears her love on her sleeve and goes about her career with determination. Not content with just doing a big-hero project occasionally, Sonam has now made it a point to get her sister to produce movies. And she remains the pièce de résistance in them. She is choosy enough to just have two releases — Pad Man and Veere Di Wedding in 2018. Of course, she also has a cameo in the Dutt biopic but then anyone would give an arm and leg to act in a film made by Rajkumar Hirani.
Kareena Kapoor Khan may let her one-year-old son Taimur Ali Khan steal headlines from her on a daily basis. However, marriage and motherhood haven’t stopped her from being ambitious to a fault. Besides the chick flick Veere Di Wedding that releases in May this year, Bebo hasn’t signed any other project because she hasn’t found anything good enough. She chooses to play the waiting game rather than compromise.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan chose Fanne Khan after a lot of deliberation. She even got a younger and much-in-the-news Rajkummar Rao to play her love interest, who didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share screen space with her. Now, the light-eyed beauty will do a double role in an old classic clearly because she feels she has the star power to carry a film and doesn’t want the hero to lend a shine to her movies.
Vidya Balan was vindicated when Tumhari Sulu was declared a hit. Of course, she lost ground with some of her previous outings like Hamari Adhuri Kahani and Begum Jaan that had atrocious scripts. But even the best can lose their assessing powers at some point. Though she doesn’t fit into the typical Bollywood glam-brigade because of obvious reasons, Vidya has still managed to steal a march over many of the glam dolls because she is a power-packed performer. In her case, people say you can’t tempt her with the zeroes on a cheque, but you need to check the script twice over before taking it to her because she will not compromise on content.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "B-Town Beauties")
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}