Women-Centric Bollywood Movies That One Must Have Seen By 2021!

For years, Bollywood actresses have been objectified to the point of being cast only for serving the purpose of being the lead characters- love interest or significant other. We bring to you some of these amazing top women-centric films that completely changed this outlook on the talented female actors of Bollywood.

Women-Centric Bollywood Movies That One Must Have Seen By 2021! The past decade has seen the rise of several female-centric Bollywood films. It’s a welcome change from the 90s. Bollywood movies also have always been inspiring our country and the audience. Women no doubt are elated that they are getting better and bigger roles. They are not just ‘succumbed’ to play only the male lead’s girlfriend, sister or mother. The audience also wants to see movies starring women in movies they can relate to. Not typical action or fantasy fare, where these actresses are merely eye-candy for male movie-goers.

Bollywood actresses also have been breaking out the typical mode of leading heroines in films. They are experimenting with vivid characters and stories in various genres. Given the success of the emerging genre (where women feature prominently), film studios appear to be more confident about producing female-oriented movies. Part of the change also reflects the greater spending power of Indian women.

Every year, we witness some of the other best performances by these actresses. They are also carrying on huge responsibilities to fulfil their parts thereby wooing their audience.

 Women-Centric Bollywood Movies That One Must Have Seen By 2021! Have a look at these amazing women-centric Bollywood movies that have ruled your hearts and at the box office as well.

The Dirty Picture

Released in 2011, the movie starred Vidya Balan who nailed it through her character. Inspired by the life and times of Silk Smitha, the movie was appreciated for celebrating female sexuality. Vidya’s character also portrayed an empowered woman who does whatever it requires to find her shining in a male-dominated industry.

Queen

Made on a small budget, this was Kangana’s first solo-centric movie that was massively successful at the box office. More than the script, it was Rani’s character that gained popularity and appreciation from the audience. Released in 2014, Kangana’s character also goes from a quiet woman to a confident assertive one.

Kahaani

Released in 2012, Vidya Balan plays the role of a pregnant woman who searches for her missing husband in the city of Kolkata. Sujoy Ghosh through ‘Kahaani’ portrays an engaging story and immersive imagery. The movie also celebrates the strength, power and courage of women. Kahaani had a small budget but this women-centric story ruled over the people’s hearts successfully.

English Vinglish

This movie marks one of Sridevi’s commercially and critically successful films. She also plays the role of a simple middle-class housewife who tries to regain her lost confidence by attending English language classes in New York. The movie is also a huge inspiration for people who often let down  by their family and friends.

Mary Kom

Women-Centric Bollywood Movies: The film starred Priyanka Chopra in the titular role. Mary Kom was also released in 2014, the movie shows her journey from training in a local gym to becoming a national champion. Though, Priyanka was criticised for her accent in the movie, yet she portrayed Mary’s character through her empowering journey of life.

Pink

A women-centric film released in 2016 revolves around a courtroom drama. The story narrates when three young women are implicated in a crime, a retired lawyer steps forward to help them clear their names. The movie was also made on a budget of 29 Crore and was really successful in the box office with a gross collection of 118 Crore. The film was well-received by both the critics and audience and it gained immense popularity since then.

Lipstick Under My Burkha

Released in 2017, this women-centric movie was also a massive hit at the box office. Four Indian women try to balance their personal and professional lives while dealing with patriarchy. The one thing common in their stories is: how women and men are judged differently by our society. Even since the movie was denied certification by the Censor board. It also stirred up a convo on misogyny and the state of women in India.

Mardaani

Women-Centric Bollywood Movies: Rani Mukherji also performs her best in the first and the second sequel if Mardaani. Released in 2014, this is again one of those women-centric movies which won a lot of hearts. This movie deals with Human trafficking and child abduction & exploitation (especially girls) issue. Rani plays ‘Shivani Shivaji Roy’, a senior inspector of the crime branch and drives all her fans super proud with her performance. In ‘Mardaani 2’, Rani also vows to catch Sunny, a psychopath working for a politician who brutally rapes and also murders innocent women leaving a trail of battered bodies in his wake.

Neerja

‘Neerja’ is a hindi biopic thriller film (released in 2016) featuring Sonam Kapoor who plays the lead role of Neerja Bhanot. This women-centric movie features her life where she valiantly saves 359 out of 397 passengers during the hijack attempt of PanAM flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan. Ram Madvani, the director of the film who narrates it from Neerja’s point of view and also highlights the trauma faced by a family during the whole incident.

Mom

This woman centric movie and especially Sri Devi’s character was well received and appreciated by the audience. ‘Mom’ (released in 2017) is a story of a mother who revenges her daughters’ rape and death after being denied justice by the law. Sri Devi plays a simple mother who transform into a smart woman to avenge her daughter’s death. In the climax of the movie, we also see a mother and her daughter having a happy ending which highly makes it worthy to watch the movie.

Raazi 

The success of ‘Raazi’ has also assured a new face in the so-called women-centric film in Hindi cinema. Raazi is one of those films where women also get to play organic characters in films that weren’t treated as non-main-stream or art-house fare. The gripping tale of ‘Raazi’ starring Alia Bhatt and playing the character Sehmat Khan was a very hard-hitting performance. It is one of those few movies to become a part of the 100-crore club.

Thappad

Women-Centric Bollywood Movies: This movie was also one of those which literally broke stereotypes after its release. Released in 2020, this movie features Taapsee Pannu in the lead role. The film focuses on the critical issue of domestic abuse and male entitlement. This movie is also a tight slap on the face of a society that raises entitled men who believe they are superior to women. ‘Thappad’ attempts to showcase how our entitled men treat their wives and mothers as second-class citizens. It is a beautiful story that shows how domestic abuse is never okay, even if it is one slap.

Chhapaak

Released in 2020, this powerful woman-centric movie showcased why boys need to accept ‘No’, The movie focuses on how Malti falls victim to an acid attack after she refuses the advances of a boy. Deepika Padukone plays the role of Malti in ‘Chhappak’. The movie revolves around her ordeal of a court procedure while trying to heal both physically and mentally. 

Hichki

Rani Mukherjee starrer ‘Hichki’ made its way to the theatres with a very positive buzz. This woman-centric movie revolves around an aspiring teacher having Tourette syndrome who proves herself by educating a group of underprivileged children. This movie did great after Rani’s comeback on the big screen.

Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl

Released in 2020 this woman-centric movie features Janhvi Kapoor as an Indian air force pilot. The movie also celebrates her journey as she’s one of the first Indian female air force pilots in combat. Janhvi received appreciation for her role in the movie.

Shakuntala Devi

This woman-centric movie also traces the life of a mathematician who is a Human-Computer. The film stars Vidya Balan in the lead role. She performs her best in woman-centric films. Be it, ‘Tumhari Sulu’ or ‘Begum Jaan’. She has created a niche for herself in the industry.

Tribhanga : Tedhi Medhi Crazy

Women-Centric Bollywood Movies: ‘Tribhanga’ released in 2021 is a Netflix drama based on social issues. It stars Kajol, Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar in the lead roles and this marks Kajol’s web debut. The movie also revolves around the lives of these three women belonging to different generations. The movie received high appreciation as the content is highly captivating to the audience.

Pagglait

Released in March 2021, ‘Pagglait’ is a comedy-drama film that revolves around a housewife who is widowed recently but can’t grief over her loss. It is a women-centric movie where Sania Malhotra also plays the lead character of the widow and earns great appreciation from the audience.

Panga

Released in 2020, ‘Panga’ features Kangana Ranaut as the lead character. This is also a story of a woman who wants to restart her career after being a mother. This movie shows her struggle between her passion for sports and family responsibilities. This motivates woman who quit their careers for kids to come back and fight for their passion.

The Girl on the Train

This Netflix drama, released in 2021 is a novel adaptation. This is a story of Rachel Vaston’s life after divorce. Every day she takes the train to work and every day the train passer-by her former house. Parineeti Chopra also plays the lead character in the movie. Her character Mira Kapoor seems to be a confusing character but, in the end, the truth unveils at last. Parineeti also received high appreciation for her role.

Gangubai Kathiawadi

Women-Centric Bollywood Movies: Alia Bhatt roped in for this woman-centric movie which will narrate the life of ‘Gangubai Kothewali’, the famous madam of a brother in Kamathipura. Her boyfriend sells her off to prostitution. The movie also revolves around her tremendous struggle in her life and how she grew up to be the mafia queen of Mumbai. The film will release on 30th July 2021.

Saina

Based on the life of India’s first shuttler to win an Olympic medal. Parineeti Chopra portrays Saina Nehwal in this woman-centric biopic. Earlier the project had Shraddha Kapoor but later Parineeti Chopra replaced her who added colours to the movie. The story also narrates the inspiring journey of a youngster’s mastery to the pinnacle of her badminton career through her passion and hard work. This woman-centric movie also inspires the whole nation incredibly.

The Hindi film actresses also have graduated from being the innocent to the woman of substance and strengths that stands for her rights, raises her voice against injustice and fights for her dignity and self-respect. She also rebels when she has to. The woman today in Hindi cinema also has been pivotal in bringing across the transformation the country has been through. We also take a look at some of these most eagerly awaited films where women will pack the punch and set the screen ablaze in 2021.

Women-Centric Bollywood Movies That One Must Have Seen By 2021! Some of the upcoming woman-centric Bollywood films where the B-town actresses take on their experimental roles will surely amaze you. Movies like ‘Sherni’, ‘Rashmi Rocket’, ‘Dhaakad’, ‘Shabaash Mithu’, ‘Thalaivi’, ‘Tejas’. ‘Haseen Dilruba’ and much more are all set to the screens on fire. 

Drop your favorite women- centric movie in the comment section!

Also Read: Haseen Dillruba Trailer Out Now: New Shades of Love? Seduction an.. (rbollywood.com)

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