As we celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema, here's a list of path-breaking roles in Bollywood
In B'wood, actresses are mostly used as a eye-candy or props. However, time and again, there have been films which breaks the mould of the perfect Indian woman and experimenting. She was no longer coy about her choices in life and not afraid to try out the extreme. We celebrate the women in roles that broke new grounds in Bollywood.
Aandhi: Directed by Gulzar, this film was banned by Indira Gandhi during the emergency as it was rumoured to be loosely based on her life. But Suchitra Sen's Indira Gandhi-sque pace (one hand on her saree pleats and another waving at the people), white hair-strands with oversized shades had too much in common with the Iron lady of India. Her steller performance as Aarti Devi is undoubtedly her career best.
Aastha: The film exploring the subject of women’s sexuality outside marriage is deftly handled by Rekha. Her controversial role as a housewife moonlighting as a prostitute received commercial and critical acclaim.
Astitva: The film is about a woman’s search for her own identity and deals with sensitive subjects like adultery and male chauvinism.
Mother India: This Mehboob Khan magnum-opus was actually a remake of his earlier 1940 film Aurat. Mother India was India’s official nomination at the Oscars and was a socially relevant much ahead of its times. The plot revolves around Radha and her struggle to rise above her circumstances by the sheer strength of her willpower. The film made a powerful impact with its representation of the post-independence era.
Bhoomika: This film, broadly based on the memoirs of the well-known Marathi stage and screen actress of the 1940s, Hansa Wadkar tells the story of a Bollywood actress Usha and her journey to find self-fulfillment and identity. The film is a landmark with the way it traces the acting styles of three decades through Usha’s acting career. Smita Patil won her first National Award for the film.
Damini: Meenakshi Shehasri plays a woman married to a rich family who refuses to cover up the rape of her maid servant by her brother-in-law. The film is mostly remembered for Sunny Deol’s ‘dhai kilo ka haath’, Meenakshi’s performance as a woman seeking justice also stands out.
Dirty Picture: Based on the life of the South Indian dancing diva and actress, Silk Smita's lustful life, 'The Dirty Picture' paints a concupiscent portrait, complete with bouncing love handles, blouses received a thumbs up from both the audience and the critics. Vidya is scrumptious as the imperfect and unrestrained Silk.
Dor: The film is about two women who come from different backgrounds and how fate brings them together. A young woman who becomes a widow shortly after marriage, is trapped by tradition where as another faces the daunting task of saving the life of her husband. Gul Panag and Ayesha Takia were commendable in their respective performances.
Mirch Masala: Ketan Mehta’s classic 1987 film ‘Mirch Masala’ is based in a village where the men decide that handing a woman over to her tormentator is the best solution and how women stand up against the mighty and defend the honour.
Arth: This semi-autobiographical film is written by Mahesh Bhatt and is based on his extra-maritial relationship with Parveen Babi. Though the subject was not a new one, the triumph of the film lies in the portrayal of the complexities of relationships by Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, arch rivals of the time. Gossip magazines were abuzz about their rivalry and whose performance was better in the film. Though both shone in their respective performance, it was Shabana Azmi’s role as a rejected wife trying to seek her own identity which stood out.
