By Omair Alavi Gone are the days when films used to have a man as the leading characters; there have been many flicks in the last decade that have had a woman at the help – as a protagonist – and on this Women’s Day, we bring to you Top 10 films of the last…
SAMAA | Omair Alavi – Posted: Mar 8, 2017 | Last Updated: 4 years ago
By Omair Alavi
Gone are the days when films used to have a man as the leading characters; there have been many flicks in the last decade that have had a woman at the help – as a protagonist – and on this Women’s Day, we bring to you Top 10 films of the last 10 years so that you can celebrate the day, in style!
Fashion (2008)
Madhur Bhandarkar’s film was one of the first few to use women as protagonist in recent years. It not only showed the ugly side of the Fashion world to the audience but gave the career of Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut the push it required. Priyanka was amazing throughout the film as she essayed the role of a model on the rise just the way it should have been portrayed. Even today, whenever a fashion show clip is aired on TV, the song JALWA makes its way as the background of that clip.
Bol (2011)
Director Shoaib Mansoor wrote Bol as a way to thank Naseeruddin Shah who had played a cameo in his earlier flick Khuda Kay Liye. Unfortunately, he had to cast someone else in the role of the Maulvi however it was the role of Zainab (Humaima Malick) that caught everyone’s attention. Humaima Malick was at her best in the role of a daughter who murdered his father for hiding behind religion and killing their only brother for being a transgender.
The Dirty Picture (2011)
Vidya Balan cruised to the top with her performance as Silk loosely based on the life of Silk Smitha, the South Indian actress of the 70s who made a name for herself by working in ‘dirty pictures’. All the actors including Naseeruddin Shah, Emran Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor played their parts well but their characters revolved around that played by Vidya Balan who did nothing wrong in the movie.
Kahaani (2012)
And the very next year, Vidya Balan managed to convince the audience that she was a pregnant woman roaming around Kolkata, looking for her missing husband. The plot involves terrorists, corrupt police and honest cops and together, they make a story worth following.
Highway (2014)
Although this Imtiaz Ali film reminds one of Clint Eastwood’s The Perfect World, it was made with the Indian audience in mind. Veera Tripathi (Alia Bhatt) is kidnapped by a gang of kidnappers led by Mahabir (Randeep Hooda) and while she is being held hostage, she develops feelings for the gang leader because he gives her the respect she deserves. Both the actors did a wonderful job and won most of the awards the following year for their brilliant performances.
Queen (2014)
They don’t make films like these anymore; Vikas Bahl’s Queen established Kangana Ranaut as the ‘Zara Hat Kay’ heroine of Bollywood; here she plays an under-confident Punjabi girl who after being ditched by her fiancé decides to go to Europe alone – on what would have been her honeymoon. She makes new friends on her trip, transforms into an irresistible woman and lives her life just as she wants.
Mary Kom (2014)
Sports biographies are a rarity in this part of the world, through Mary Kom, Bollywood made its presence felt in this genre. It must have been released after Paan Singh Tomar and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag but it remains the first sports film revolving around a female. How Mary Kom became a world champion is shown in this film where the hardships she faces and the trauma she goes through is depicted well.
Dance Kahani (2016)
British import Madeleine Hanna plays Nizzy in this Omar Hassan venture, which is also the first Pakistani film to revolve around dancing. There is a dance competition, some mean looking guys, action on the street, selection of a dance team and an array of interesting characters led by Nizzy that makes Dance Kahani a film to remember.
Janaan (2016)
Armeena Rana Khan not only looked beautiful in this flick but also convinced the audience with her acting that she was a Pathan girl from the Northern Areas of Pakistan, not some girl from abroad who pays visit to her ancestral home. In the presence of Ali Rehman Khan and Bilal Ashraf, she held her ground which doesn’t usually happen in films made in that area where woman are shown as damsels in distress. Here the woman gets a chance to slap his man as well as say the magic words first, since the guy was extremely shy. This Azfar Jafri film did well in Pakistan and even better abroad and with projects likes these, one can safely say that the future of films in Pakistan is safe.
Dangal (2016)
Although it was promoted as an Aamir Khan film, Dangal revolved around a father who trained his daughters to Olympic glory; Aamir Khan played the role of Mahavir Singh Phogat who in real life was an amateur wrestler who couldn’t go beyond national level. This coming of age movie shows how one sister Geeta (Fatima Sanaa Shaikh) manages to qualify for the Indian team and how her life changes when she leaves home. The other sister Babita (Sanya Malhotra) also follows her Didi’s footsteps but unlike the elder sis, she stays loyal to her father’s teachings and makes a mark on the national circuit.
