Inspirational Women-centric Movies in Bollywood

                                       By Vaishnavi Srivastava

Time has changed and we have also seen a major difference in Indian cinema and its rituals. Where women were once used as arm candy or an eye-pleaser, actresses are now coming on the front foot and are bearing the flag of heroism all by themselves leaving the audience flabbergasted. 

This empowerment of the women leads in Indian cinema has not taken place overnight but has taken more than a decade to shine through. Better late than never, the upliftment of women from being portrayed as an abala naari to a hero of her own life has been welcomed with applause and appreciation. 

As it is said, Indian cinema is a reflection of our society and has its effects on our people, both positive and negative. From showing the abuse of women for dowry in “Mehndi” to demonstrating strong and independent women in “Thappad”, Indian cinema has come a long way and has sowed the seed of change in our society as well. 

We have collated a list of these amazing and inspirational women-centric movies of Indian cinema that show the reincarnation of women as the heroes of their own life! 

1. Queen 

Source: Rottentomatoes

Talking about the female-centric movies, how can we not talk about Kangna Ranaut’s phenomenal work in Queen. Breaking the stereotypes surrounding marriage and honeymoons, this movie became a flag bearer of solo honeymoon plans and independence of women from all the societal norms revolving around marriages and customs. 

The movie starred Kangana in a role of a timid girl named Rani who found the love of her life named Vijay, played by Rajkumar Rao. She gradually became completely dependent on him for all her needs, wants and happiness. After the guy calls off their marriage, Rani decides to go on a solo honeymoon trip to her dream destination Paris. There she meets new people, struggles, and explores the confident girl hiding in her. 

Queen is a movie that gives a loud and clear message that women do not have to be dependent on men or anyone in that matter for their happiness. They are the real queens of their lives irrespective of the presence of any king. 

2. Mary Kom

Source: Pinterest

From beginning her journey in a local gym to paving the path to a national championship, Mary Kom is not only an epitome of power but exuberance and determination as well. 2014 was the year when Mr. Omung Kumar directed the terrific biography of Mary Kom starring Priyanka Chopra. 

From showing her struggles, relationship, responsibilities and the societal pressure to the procurements, laurels and accomplishments, Priyanka Chopra gave a flabbergasting performance in the movie completely owning the role of Mary Kom. 

The movie not only brought up and depicted the journey of Mary Kom but also ignited a fire of hope in a lot of women who do not work on their dreams because of their other commitments.  

3. Pink 

Source: Pinterest

With Tapsee Pannu and Amitabh Bachhan in the same frame, Pink is an outstanding story that revolves around the lines of “No means No”. In the time when the MeToo movement gained gravity, this movie is a loud and clear message for society about sexual assaults and consent. 

With Tapsee Pannu playing the lead in the movie and standing against sexual violence and non-consensual acts, we saw a beginning of the era where women gathered the courage to call out the accused. 

The movie keeps the viewers clutched throughout and portrays all the hardships and struggles of women who try to stand against sexual violence and assaults. An amazing work done by Tapsee leaves the audience shook and sets a benchmark. 

4. Lipstick Under My Burkha 

Source: IMDB

From being a victim of a rigidly patriarchal society, suppressing one’s sexual desires to battling her way out to strike a balance in professional and personal life, Lipstick Under My Burkha by Alankrita Shrivastava is a movie revolving around the lives of four women. The women-led movie is a story of four women and how they deal with all the wrath and judgment of society for being a woman. 

This movie created a buzz on misogyny as it was not given certification by the censor board. This also got people to question the state of women in our country and the biased prejudices on them. 

A total banger starring phenomenal actresses namely Ratna Pathak Shah, Disha Arora, Aahana Kumra, Namita Dubey and Plabita Borthakur set the stage on fire with their amazing work in this all-women drama depicting the bitter truths of our society. 

5. Mardaani

Source: Pinterest

A story of a female police officer named Shivani Roy who fights against all the odds to free her city of all the shades of crimes especially drugs and child and women trafficking. This role is played by the ravishing Rani Mukherjee who left no stone unturned to make this movie a super hit in the true sense. 

It shows how a female cop is scared of nothing and performs her duties and responsibilities in the best possible way she can. 

A female-centric movie starring a female lead received all the love and applause from the audience. 

These were the 5 sensational women-centric movies of Bollywood that changed the game for Indian cinema. With female actors taking the front seat and being the hero of their films, there’s also a very strong message to our society that women are nowhere behind men in any field of life. 

Do let us know which one’s your favourite in the comments section below!