e it Meena Kumari in `Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam` or Tabu in `Astitva` - the Hindi film industry has witnessed a range of actresses essaying women-oriented roles powerfully.
|Last Updated: Mar 08, 2014, 04:30 PM IST|Source: IANS
Mumbai: Be it Meena Kumari in `Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam` or Tabu in `Astitva` - the Hindi film industry has witnessed a range of actresses essaying women-oriented roles powerfully. Here`s a look at the top 10 such portrayals, on the occasion of International Women`s Day Saturday.
* Nargis’ Radha in Mehboob Khan’s "Mother India" (1957): Nargis played Radha, the deserted wife who brings up her two sons on her own and kills one of them when he turns into an outlaw. For the first time in a Hindi film, the female protagonist was portrayed as strong and resilient, conscientious and doughty without losing her femininity.
* Meena Kumari’s Choti Bahu in Guru Dutt’s "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" (1962): In the feudal household where women were content wearing expensive sarees and jewellery and never mind what their husbands did with other women, this wife dared to raise her voice. If her husband liked to drink, no problem. Choti Bahu hit the bottle to have him stay at home. The portrait of a woman as the rebellious seductress opened up new doors in the way the woman was portrayed in our cinema.
* Mala Sinha’s Meena in Yash Chopra’s "Dhool Ka Phool" (1959): The `unwed mother` was an unsung entity until this film came along to shatter every myth about ideal motherhood. Mala Sinha, who was scared of what the film would do to her career, became a counsellor and guide to hundreds of girl students who wanted to know more about pre-marital sex.
* Nutan’s Kalyani in Bimal Roy’s "Bandini" (1963): She can do anything for love. Even kill her beloved’s nagging wife and go to jail. And when a chance to rebuild her life offers itself to Kalyani, she shuns it and runs back to the same man who unintentionally ruined her life. Love has never been blinder and the on-screen heroine never more resolute and passionate.
* Waheeda Rehman’s Rosy in Vijay Anand’s "Guide" (1965): Rosy is so seductive in her whimsicality, such a non-conformist that she dumps her husband for the love of dancing and then dumps her lover when he turns out less than what she had hoped. This film gave the Indian heroine the right to defy stereotypical gender rules.
* Durga Khote’s Parvati in L.V. Prasad’s "Bidaai" (1974): One after the other she sees her sons migrating to the city leaving her alone and defenceless to die in the village. The portrait of the matriarch as an undefeated figure of strength and sustenance was indomitably inspiring. At 65, Durga Khote was cast as the central character.
* Shabana Azmi’s Pooja in Mahesh Bhatt’s "Arth" (1982): Another turning point for the heroine...Mahesh Bhatt’s "Arth" gave us a deserted wife who rebuilds her life piece by piece. Finally at the end she says no to the man who wants to support her. This was the heroine’s first chance to say no to love when it knocked on her door.
* Tabu’s Aditi in Mahesh Manjrekar’s "Astitva"(2000): She dared to tell her husband that she had an affair in his absence and was willing to suffer the consequences. Tabu’s performance as the repressed Maharashtrian housewife who finds her identity after being ostracized by her son and family, was a dazzling display of femininity.
* Smita Patil’s Sonbai in Ketan Mehta’s "Mirch Masala" (1987): The `woman as prey` when under attack had no choice but to pray - until Smita Patil in this film, who refuses to give in to the powerful subedar’s lurid leering advances. The metaphor of the chilli factory as the fortress for female protection showcased Patil’s powerful performance.
* Madhuri Dixit’s Ketaki in Prakash Jha’s "Mrityudand" (1997): Quickly she gets sucked into the patriarchal tyranny of her newly married husband’s village. And when he is killed, she takes to the gun to avenge his death. Madhuri as `Murder India` set the screen on fire.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.