Five Hindi films in which lead actress played a widow; one was sent to Oscars, one became blockbuster, one flopped at box office

An official remake of the 2004 Malayalam film Perumazhakkalam, the 2006 drama Dor featured Ayesha Takia, Gul Panag and Shreyas Talpade. Ayesha plays a widow in the Nagesh Kukunoor film. Despite receiving extremely positive reviews, Dor failed to recover its budget of Rs 3 crore and only earned Rs 2.7 crore in India.

Directed by Raj Kapoor, the 1982 musical romantic drama Prem Rog had his son Rishi Kapoor falling in love with a widow played by Padmini Kolhapure. Made in Rs 1.5 crore, the film was blockbuster success and grossed Rs 6.5 crore in India. Prem Rog also starred Shammi Kapoor, Tanuja, Nanda, Sushma Seth, and Om Prakash.

After the 2003 successful film Baghban; filmmaker Ravi Chopra reunited with Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, and Salman Khan for Baabul. Focusing on widow remarriage, the 2006 drama film also starred Rani Mukerji and John Abraham. Made in Rs 22 crore, it flopped at the box office as it earned only Rs 18 crore net in India.

Starring Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, and John Abraham, Water shows the stories of rural Indian widows in the 1940s. It was the third and final installment in Deepa Mehta's Elements trilogy after Fire and Earth. Water was Canada's submission for the 79th Oscars, was nominted among the final five, but failed to win the Academy Award.

Produced and directed by the famous celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, The Last Color addresses the age-old taboo surrounding widows in Vrindavan and in Varanasi, who are prohibited from taking part in any festivities, especially Holi. Neena Gupta headlines the drama, which has been screened at multiple international film festivals.