BOLLYWOOD’S
POWER GIRLS BY MRINALINI SUNDAR
There are a few bold and gutsy actresses today, who are defying the stereotypes and proving to be more than just props in the Bollywood films.
F
or years now, Bollywood has been considered a male-dominated industry, consistently using women as ornamental pieces in films. However, one can’t also refute the fact that time and again, in its varied spectrum there always have been a bunch of
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Reflecting The South-Asian Lifestyle
actresses who flouted the gender stereotypes with a flourish and made their mark not just with the powerful depiction of the characters they played on the screen but also with their off-screen lives. With women’s day around the corner, we take a look at some of the more recent stand-out actresses, who not only struck a chord with their audiences but also showed us there is much more they can do than dance around the heroes and play eye-candy. Defying the judgmental glances, which are often thrown at them, these gutsy actresses stand as an inspiration to every other woman out there. Read on…
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The Gehraiyaan actress is the perfect example of what a woman can do simply with sheer determination. Named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018, by Time magazine, Deepika Padukone is one of the highest-paid actresses in India today. She has not only proved her mettle as a versatile actress by essaying stand-out female characters in films like Cocktail, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express, Piku, Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat, and Chhapaak but has also boldly spoken on the subject of mental health, which is often considered as a taboo topic in India. The pretty actress has come out and spoken about her battle with depression and has even founded a non-profit organization — Live Love Laugh Foundation, which creates awareness about mental health in India. Never to shy away from calling a spade a spade, Deepika has often been vocal about issues such as feminism. She once said in an interview, “New feminism isn’t about being aggressive; it’s about reaching the top yet being soft. It’s about being you – feminine, strong and full of willpower.” What’s more, while most artists from the entertainment industry are known to refrain from making political statements to avoid backlash towards their films, in 2020, despite having a film release in the pipeline (Chhapaak), the gutsy gal threw caution to the wind and attended a protest for students who were brutalised during the 2020 JNU Attack due to their protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Now that’s a bold move which deserves to be noted. What’s more, Deepika is also an entrepreneur and a producer. Well, this diva successfully wears many hats, take a bow girl!
Photo: Deepika Padukone/ Gehrayiyaan, Viral Bhayani
DARPAN FEATURE
Deepika Padukone
