They may not be paid as much as their male counterpart, they may not draw as many people to the theaters like the men do- but 2015 still could easily be called the year where women outshined men in the world of cinema.
From newcomers like Bhumi Pednekar and Shweta Tripathi choosing off beat stories for their debut films, to mainstream actresses like Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra trying out character roles to Kangana Ranaut trying to break away from conventional characters within the realm of a commercial film- the year saw actresses and female directors taking centre stage and spearheading a new movement of sorts giving substance high priority.
Here is a look back at the women who stood out in Bollywood this year
Deepika Padukone: If 2013 established Deepika Padukone as the numero uno, 2015 cemented her spot in the top rank. With several Rs 100 crore commercial films neatly tucked under her belt, Padukone braved to be a part of a content driven film like ‘Piku’-a film which did not demand her to look sexy or do an item number but just play ordinary urban women. ‘Piku’ was a simple story of a working 30 year old woman and her father played by the mighty Amitabh Bachchan. Without a proper romance track, a conventional hero, Padukone managed to shine and matached up to Bachchan and Irrfan Khan’s skills in almost every frame making the film and her character one of the most loved this year. She had two other films this year, ‘Tamasha’ and ‘Bajirao Mastani’- each different from the other. And the actress proved that given a good script, she can excel. Read the review of 'Piku' here.
Anushka Sharma: How many 27 year olds do you know who happen to start their own production company and back films which most would reject? How many actresses do you know who do not have the qualms of acting in a film with ensemble cast? How many actresses do you know who speak out openly about the gender disparity that exists in Bollywood- especially when she is at the peak of her career? That’s Anushka Sharma for you and we have to thank her for turning producer for a film like ‘NH10’ which most people would shy away from taking up, considering it has a heroine playing the main lead and fighting patriarchy in her own bada** way.
Priyanka Chopra: Our latest import to the west, Priyanka Chopra is making heads turn with her super series ‘Quantico’ where she plays an FBI agent suspected for carrying out a terrorist attack. A powerful actress, Chopra by now has established herself well in Bollywood and now setting an all new trend by saying ‘no’ to play any caricature character that most Indian actors succumb to playing in the west. While the west was going ga-ga over her peroformance, she nicely stole the limelight from the lead cast in ‘Bajirao Mastani’ where she played Bajirao’s first wife ‘Kashibai’. She may have got less of screen time, but the actress managed to overpower Padukone in their scenes together with her superb acting.
Zoya Akhtar: Thank god someone made a film on brother-sister relationship in Bollywood minus all the melodrama. With dry humour running throughout the narrative, Zoya Akhtar for ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ was such a fun ride! A film on a dysfunctional family, the film struck a chord with everyone for its characters and the problems that they had seemed all too real to the audience. Akhtar also managed to drive home a relevant point, that if the story is good, one can manage to cast a gamut of stars in an ensemble film without any of them complaining of screen time.
Kangana Ranaut: The wonder woman of Bollywood may not have had that great a year as she had in 2014, but Kangana’s performace as Kusum Sangwan in Anand L Rai’s ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ will stay in the minds of Indian audience for a long time. From getting the right diction to having a different body language for the two distinct characters she played, Kangana outshined everyone in the film. Such a delight to watch her play the Haryanvi athlete in the film!
Kalki Koechlin: Filmmaker Shonali Bose should be given credit for making a film like 'Margarita, With A Straw' which had the most unconventional central character. Laila, suffered from cerebral palsy and was bisexual and wanted to live her life, in her own terms. How often do you a see a heroine playing such a role in hindi cinema? Kalki Koechlin owned Laila and made it her own. The path breaking film also tried to show that even people with special needs have certain sexual desires, just like any of us.
The actresses of ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’: India needed female buddy film. And Pan Nalin gave us fun, spunky ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ which people loved, despite all the horrendous cuts imposed by the censor board. Seven girls re discover themselves as they bond on a bachelor trip to Goa. Featuring Sandhya Mridul, Anushka Manchanda, Sarah Jane Dias, Tannishtha Chatterjee and others, the film struck a chord mainly because of the unassuming, real camaraderie that the actresses shared, making the film a real, relatable and enjoyable.
Meghna Gulzar for ‘Talvar’: Arushi Talwar murder case was perhaps one of the most talked about case in recent times. It was a story that everyone knew and almost everyone had their own theory about it. Making a film on something so controversial surely wasn’t an easy task for Meghna Gulzar but the filmmaker delivered a gripping tale. With a stellar star cast comprising of Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi, the film made us sit up and take notice of other possibilities of the case. The film’s climax scene where two opposing teams of CBI are sitting and dismissing each other’s theories is perhaps one of the best scenes that we have seen in any film in recent times.
Honourable mentions: The two new comers Bhumi Pednekar and Shweta Tripathi for taking up films like ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ and ‘Masaan’ as their debut films. And Richa Chadda for ‘Masaan’ because she is always awesome in any role that you give her.
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