There was a time when female leads in Bollywood movies were often seen only as a hero’s love interest and the damsel in distress. But it was Sanjay Leela Bhansali who gave us leading ladies’ that were masters of their fate. A great body of work has turned Sanjay Leela Bhansali into one of the most successful filmmakers of the modern era.
From Aishwarya Rai’s Paro and Madhuri Dixit’s Chandramukhi from Devdas to Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai in Gangubai Kathiawadi, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has always presented strong female heroines in all his films. His ladies in particular receive notable attention and are shown as intelligent, bold, strong, and smart women. Today, we bring you the leading ladies of Sanjay Leela Bansali’s movies. Read below!
Manisha Koirala: The caring daughter of a deaf-mute couple, Manisha Koirala gave one of her best performances to date as Annie. Although it was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first, his representation of the characters and particular attention to Annie’s part made it popular among viewers.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Miss World 1994 gave stellar performances in Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002). She went on to win two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress in these two movies and gained even more popularity among the Indian audience. Her roles of Nandini and Paro still have separate fan bases.
Madhuri Dixit: The diva as Chandramukhi in Devdas killed us with her poised appearance on the big screen. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress. The movie won 11 Filmfare and five National Film Awards. The total earnings of the film were over $13 million, including in India and overseas.
Rani Mukherjee: The Bollywood beauty played the role of a woman blind and deaf from birth. She received the utmost praise for her acting. Though she found the part ‘challenging’, she prepared for the role by meeting several children with physical disabilities. The film won three national awards, and it was included in the list of Best Feature Film in Hindi.
Deepika Padukone: The actress has worked in many films with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Two of her most renowned roles include Mastani from Bajirao Mastani and Rani Padmavati from Padmaavat. The actress won the Critics Award for Best Actor – Female for Bajirao Mastani and Zee Cine Awards for Best Actress in Padmaavat.
Priyanka Chopra: One of the most memorable roles that Priyanka Chopra played is Kashibai in Bajirao Mastani. As Kashi suffers in silence, Priyanka’s eyes and body language beautifully express a lot of these emotions with hardly any dialogue.
Alia Bhatt: In Bhansali’s latest Gangubai Kathiawadi, the new mom gave an astounding performance. It was her first film with the director, and it became a hit at the box office. The actress played the role of a courtesan in a red-light area of Mumbai. Among many controversies, the film crossed the ₹100 crore mark. The woman-centric film also has 7 out of 10 ratings on IMDb.
Now, Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal, and Sanjeeda Shaikh are among the excellent ensemble cast in Heeramandi which is all set to release on Netflix.
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