Mar 7, 2023
By: Srishti MaganFor the longest time, Bollywood relied on male movie stars for success. But, in the last two decades, women-centric movies have been making money at the box office, changing the dynamics of filmmaking.
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In the cookie-cutter world of Bollywood movies, women are often relegated to stereotypical roles and subsequently paid much lower than male actors. The rising commercial success of women-led movies has served to bump up the pay cheques for the female leads. However, there’s still a way to go before the pay gap is completely closed.
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With audiences lapping up women-centric films, producers – be it new-age production houses like Clean Slate Filmz or established industry stalwarts like Bhansali Productions – are enthusiastically backing women-led cinema. Here is a list of Bollywood films where the female lead shoulders the entire film:
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Fashion was a women-led drama starring Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and Mugdha Godse in lead roles. Similar to director Madhur Bhandarkar’s earlier ventures, it turned the lens on the inner workings of the industry. It was one of the few films where women played characters with moral ambiguity and ruthless ambition - traits rarely seen in onscreen female characters.
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Alia Bhatt nailed the depiction of a covert spy in a film that expertly balanced the line between nationalism and patriotism. Bhatt’s performance and director Meghna Gulzar’s treatment of the topic led to Raazi entering the ₹100-crore club - a rare achievement for a woman-led film in Bollywood.
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After a series of movies with “macho” male cops “saving” women, we had Mardaani - a crime thriller starring Rani Mukherjee as an officer of the Mumbai Crime Branch. Mukherjee lent a vulnerability to her performance that’s often missing from such roles and went on to deliver a hit.
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One of Bollywood’s original female superstars Sridevi returned to the silver screen as a demure housewife looking for respect in Gauri Shinde’s directorial debut, English Vinglish. The story struck a chord with women everywhere and reminded the audience why Sridevi was the woman for a role in any genre - from comedy to drama.
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Anushka Sharma turned producer with this gritty crime drama where she also played the protagonist, Meera - a young woman fighting to survive the goons she meets on a highway. Sharma transitioned from a victim to an attacker when playing Meera and her intense performance is unforgettable.
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A jilted bride-to-be embarks alone on her honeymoon as an escape but builds confidence along the way - it’s a story that never fails to bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart. And Kangana Ranaut was delightful as Rani - the naive girl from Rajouri who goes on to explore the world.
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Even rarer than dramas with female leads are thrillers with leading ladies who’re pregnant- but Kahaani, starring Vidya Balan in the lead role, was exactly that. A cut above the rest, the film expertly played on society’s perception of women to deliver one of Bollywood’s finest thrillers.
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In just her second film, Alia Bhatt left the audience visibly impressed with her portrayal of a woman who was the victim of child sexual abuse and found ‘freedom’ with her kidnapper. Certainly not an easy watch, the film had its flaws - but Bhatt’s performance wasn’t one of them.
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Bollywood churns out biopics by the minute but Ram Madhvani’s Neerja, starring Sonam Kapoor, was unlike most. In 1986, air hostess Neeraj Bhanot died while saving the crew and passengers of the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73. It was a story meant for the silver screen and Kapoor did complete justice to the role.
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Yet another film based on a real-life incident, No One Killed Jessica starred Rani Mukherjee and Vidya Balan in lead roles. Both actors played characters diametrically opposite in nature, but similar in intent - to seek justice over the callous death of Jessica Lal, an aspiring model moonlighting as a waitress.
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One of the films in Anubhav Sinha’s series of movies on social issues, Thappad starred Taapsee Pannu in the lead role. It took on the issue of domestic abuse and highlighted how it permeates across economic classes to impact women - because it’s rooted in misogyny and patriarchy.
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Despite belonging to a genre as cluttered as biopics, Gangubai Kathiawadi left the audience impressed - thanks to Alia Bhatt’s scintillating performance that surpassed the monotonic portrayal of both sex workers and crime lords in Bollywood.
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Like with any other business, not all women-led movies work. The reasons range from negative public sentiment (Chhapaak) to a weak storyline (Dhaakad) to the perception that it’s an indie film (Margarita with a Straw). Irrespective of hits or flops, the existence of such movies is integral in promoting women-led cinema.
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Though the trend for women-led dramas has become more popular recently, especially with the advent of OTT, it’s not an entirely new phenomenon. Classics like Khoon Bhari Maang (starring Rekha), Mirch Masala (starring Smita Patil), Arth (starring Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi) and Chandni (Sridevi) are some stirring examples of women-led dramas in Bollywood’s rich past.
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