Talking of women in Bollywood, the first picture that comes to your mind is that of a sensuous woman trying to seduce the hero, but, there are some Bollywood movies in which women have played the lead role and have claimed accolades for their performances. Some of the famous female-centric movies of Bollywood are listed below:
10. The Dirty Picture
At the tenth spot is the extremely popular movie, ‘The Dirty Picture’, directed by Milan Luthra. Vidya delivered an outstanding performance in the movie, which was based on the life of South star Silk Smitha.
9. Kahaani
Kahaani, the much-acclaimed Sujoy Ghosh film, has found the ninth spot on this list. This movie shows how the female lead, played by Vidya Balan, fights hard to complete her mission despite being pregnant.
8. Fashion
Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Fashion’, was an extremely bold woman-centric film with actresses Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut as its highlights, who have delivered outstanding performances in the movie. This film focusses on the life of a model in the fashion industry.
7. Dor
Next up on this list is Nagesh Kukunoor’s ‘Dor’. The movie revolves around the lives of two women, played by Gul Panag and Ayesha Takia.
6. Lajja
At the sixth spot is Rajkumar Santoshi’s movie, Lajja, which featured actresses – Rekha, Manisha Koirala and Madhuri Dixit. The movie focusses on the contrast in a village in which women who are worshipped as a symbol of power are tortured and killed for being women.
5. Astitva
Mahesh Manjrekar’s much acclaimed movie, ‘Astitva’, which was made in Hindi and Marathi, comes at the fifth spot on this list. The character, played by Tabu in this movie, frees herself from the claws of her male chauvinist husband and decides to lead an independent life.
4. Mirch Masala
The fourth position is secured by Ketan Mehta’s movie, ‘Mirch Masala’, which had Smita Patil as its female lead. In this movie, she played the role of Son bai, a character with a lot of guts.
3. Arth
An extremely bold movie, Arth, directed by Mahesh Bhatt, comes at the next spot on this list. The two actresses who delivered amazing performances in this movie are Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. The movie highlights the internal struggle of two women who make one man the basis of their existence.
2. Bhumika
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=QgT-F4-I8fY
The movie which has found the second spot on this list is Shyam Benegal’s ‘Bhumika’, which featured the amazing actress, Smita Patil. The movie, which was supposedly, based on the life of Marathi actress, Hansa Wadekar, is about a strong feminist who is trying to discover her true self.
1. Mother India
The first on this list is none other than Mehboob Khan’s ‘Mother India’, which was India’s official nomination at the Oscars. This movie, in which Nargis played the lead role, highlighted the inner strength of a woman who faces difficult situations.
Women are no longer considered to be only a sex symbol in Bollywood. The roles offered to them are of strong characters, which are a source of inspiration to all the women in the world. In fact, with the rising of this new era of women-centric movies in Bollywood, various talented female actors, who have till date acclaimed fame only for their sensuous looks, have been acknowledged for their acting skills as well. More power to women.
Top 10 Bollywood Movies Dominated By Women
- Mother India
- Bhumika
- Arth
- Mirch Masala
- Astitva
- Lajja
- Dor
- Fashion
- Kahaani
- The Dirty Picture