In a patriarchal society as ours and a largely male-dominated industry as Bollywood, rarely do you find some great roles written for women. And respect for the ladies? Even rarer! Yet time and again, there have been some Bollywood actresses who have gradually tried to break the stereotypes and carve a niche of their own. Right away from Nargis to Anushka Sharma, here we list 9 of the strongest Bollywood female characters ever created.
Nargis as Radha (Mother India)
Putting an end to the domination of male-centric films, Mother India had Nargis playing Radha, the loving mother who wouldn't think twice before sacrificing her own child for good. A classic battle of good versus evil, Nargis' strong role turned out to be a trendsetter for years to follow.
Rekha as Aarti (Khoon Bhari Maang)
A story of vengeance and vendetta, Rekha nailed her act in Khoon Bhari Maang. While she played her part as the sweet, docile mother Aarti in the first half, she turned heads with her powerful mode on in the second half. Towards the climax, you start cheering for her! That, in itself is a winner.
Shabana Azmi as Pooja Inder Malhotra (Arth)
Strong-willed and independent, Shabana Azmi's Pooja stands as a testament to the true-blue modern woman that every girl aspires to be today. Battling against all odds, it's Pooja's determination that gives her the inner strength to move on.
Sridevi as Shashi Gorbole (English Vinglish)
One of the most well-written roles in the last decade, Gauri Shinde's Shashi Gorbole evokes every kind of emotion from its audiences. While her little jigs with her son will make you smile, the insults she goes through will moisten your eyes and the way she triumphs over the fear of the language will make you proud. Sridevi pumped in a stellar performance and made the regular housewife Shashi stand out as the woman of today!
Madhuri as Ketki (Mrityudand)
Ask her about her favourite role and this will definitely rank quite high on her list. Madhuri has consistently played strong women characters in her career but with Mrityudand, she scored a home run. The pain, the anguish and the revenge- everything worked for Ketki and how!
Kajol as Isha (Gupt)
Wondering why we listed a villainous character in this list of strong women characters? Possibly because this role gave other actresses the confidence to step out of their comfort zone and try something absolutely new and out-of-the-box much like Kajol did. It's almost twenty years since Gupt released, but there has hardly been a female negative character as strong as her!
Rani Mukherjee as Meera (No One Killed Jessica)
She's played out a lot of strong characters on celluloid, but my personal pick would be Meera Gaiti from No One Killed Jessica. Why? Not even once in the film do you see Rani's character be weak. Not even once does she shed a tear. Instead, she makes sure justice is meted out to Sabrina Lal (Vidya Balan).
Vidya Balan as VidyaBagchi (Kahaani)
This is undoubtedly the best woman-centric film made in the last decade. Vidya's powerful run continued as she played Vidya Bagchi with effortless elan. From the moves to the emotions to the power, Vidya scored a 10/10 in every department. While her character was modelled on Debi Durga - the goddess who possesses the power of four Gods - it was the brilliant climax that brought in the loudest cheers!
Anushka Sharma as Meera (NH10)
Think women are weak? Never mind that's what the average global population thinks. Yet there are few faces and some great films made to change this notion. NH10 is definitely one of them. Powerfully scripted and aimed at destroying the ills that still plague the Indian society at large, it is Anushka's Meera that calls for a change within. Iconic and memorable, this is unarguably Anushka's best work till date!
This is a Zee Digital Convergence initiative.
Watch Anushka Sharma’s NH10 on October 31, only on &Pictures.
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