From Rani Mukherjee’s Black to Vidya Balan’s Kahaani or most recently Subhashree Ganguly’s Indubala Bhaater Hotel or Bhumi Pednekar’s Bhakshak, there have been several leading ladies across genres and industries who have delivered some power-packed performances. This International Women’s Day, we recount some of the performances that should not be missed.
Marvel’s Wastelanders: Black Widow
This podcast on Audible has been helmed by not one but two wonderful women. While Kareena Kapoor Khan lends voice to Helen Black, Masaba Gupta is the voice of Lisa Cartwright. Both the ladies take the narrative forward by being independent, feisty, and charming at the same time. The narration allows the audience to have a sensory experience of the tale and gives them the freedom of imagination to visualise.
Thappad
Amrita Sabharwal, the powerful protagonist essayed by Taapsee Pannu brings to the forefront several questions related to domestic violence and marital rights. She bravely refuses to stay quiet when her husband crosses the line by slapping her at a party in front of an audience. Her strength to fight for herself and seek justice for the actions makes it a power-packed watch on Amazon Prime.
Bhakshak
A recently released movie, Bhakshak, has Bhumi Pednekar in a fearless role where she plays a journalist Vaishali Singh who enters the enemy’s den to uncover the truth. She faces several obstacles on her journey and still makes progress in trying to unmask the criminals behind a girls’ shelter home. The movie is available for viewing on Netflix and throws light on the resilient nature of women.
Chokher Bali
There have been numerous adaptations of Rabindranath Tagore’s classic tale Chokher Bali and the latest to be aired today. Tagore’s writing have always had a strong feminine touch making the female protagonists fierce and independent women albeit within the limits of the era. Watch the re-narration of the free-spirited widow Binodini and her relationship with Mahendra, a married man. Chokher Bali bravely positions the narrative between defining desire and love. Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay, it stars Parno Mitra, Vijay Varma, Chandon Roy Sanyal and others and will be aired on Airtel Spotlight.
Sampurna
The web series helmed by Sohini Sarkar and Rajnandini Paul in its two seasons traverses from the themes of marital rape and domestic violence to molestation and pedophilia and how two women stand up against the wrongs, challenging society and even fighting with their families for securing justice. It can be viewed on hoichoi.