Year 2015 was a stellar one for many an Indian actress and sportswoman. The world’s largest film industry – Bollywood –seemed to have come of age with a string of female-oriented movies, many of which were runaway Box Office hits.
The year also saw several bright female stars speaking their mind on gender bias, pay parity, politics, social issues, and more. The fact that the industry is more than a 100 years old, this has been a long time coming.
Don’t forget to take the quiz at the end of the article
1. Deepika Padukone: Deepika might very well be the star that shone the brightest in 2015.
She has had an incredible run these last three years, but none better than 2015. Her terrific portrayals in ‘Piku’,‘Tamasha’ and ‘Bajirao Mastani’ have catapulted her to the top of the heap in Bollywood, and indeed in the field where women have held sway.
No more just a pretty face as she was once dubbed, Deepika, daughter of badminton ace Prakash Padukone, the actress has received rave reviews for her roles by fans and critics alike.
Not only did she set the silver screen afire, she also displayed her business acumen and her duty to society during2015.
It is now learnt that she might be soon featuring in a Hollywood movie opposite Vin Diesel.
She launched ‘The Live Love Laugh’Foundation, a non-profit organisation, which will look at addressing the issue of depression and mental health in the country. Earlier in the year she revealed that she too had been afflicted with depression.
She also launched her own fashion label, called ‘All About You’.
2. Katrina Kaif: The graceful and gorgeous Katrina Kaif has been more in the news for her personal than her professional life.
In 2015, ‘Phantom’ was the only film she featured in opposite Saif Ali Khan. The film was a counter-terrorism thriller but did not do too well at the Box Office.
This year she has four more films on the floor: a comedy-cum-mystery with her love Ranbir Kapoor in 'Jagga Jasoos', a love story named ‘Baar Baar Dekho’ with Sidharth Malhotra, and ‘Fitoor’ which is said to be based on Charles Dickens’ classic Great Expectations. She’s also working on the sequel to Raajneeti.
This year also saw her set the red carpet aflame in Cannes and had her wax figurine installed at Madame Tussauds in London.
The British-Indian actress also helps outwith her family’s charity organisation.
However, she was most in the news for her relationship with Ranbir Kapoor. Very recently, it was rumoured that their association was on the rocks, but it appears that this could have been done as a promotional gimmick for Ranbir’s film ‘Tamasha’.
While the rumours of their split could have worked for ‘Tamasha’, it certainly has not hurt their relationship. In fact, they are said to be taking a much-desired vacation.
3. Priyanka Chopra: Piggy Chops, as she is fondly referred to, had two big releases this year: ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ and ‘Bajirao Mastani’. But her biggest win has been the American TV show ‘Quantico’ which she is the lead in.
Her fan base has suddenly shot up from being merely Indian to also include American. In the US show she plays an FBI recruit who has been implicated for a horrific terrorist attack.
The feisty actress has also been on the forefront when it comes to speaking about pay disparity.
Her upcoming films to look forward to include Prakash Jha’s ‘Jai Gangaajal’ and Reema Kagti’s ‘Mr Chaalu’.
4. Kangana Ranaut: Kangana, film critics and fans feel, is perhaps the best actress of her time. Her double role as Tanu/Datto in ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ in 2015 set her apart as the brightest star in the Bollywood firmament. Not only did she essay a role with incredible finesse and élan, but also set the cash registers ringing.
If that is not all, she also won the National award this year (her second, by the way) in 2015.
Her stupendous success has almost heralded an era where female actresses can drive Box Office success all on their own. Her powerful portrayals have won her a tremendous fan following and this has brought to the fore the sensitive issue of salary-parity with their male counterparts in Bollywood.
Her carefree attitude and candid remarks have not really won her many friends in the industry, but -goers love her, andthat’s what matters.
5. Kareena Kapoor: Kareena is perhaps one of the most beautiful and gifted actresses in Bollywood today. Perfectly chiselled features, terrific cheekbones, fantastic poise, a legendary family, and a superb actress: all these elements fuse with each other to give her a superstar status that is fully deserved.
She is married to Saif Ali Khan and is one of the Indian film industry’s most popular and highest-paid actresses.
In 2015, Kareena was seen in the gargantuan hit, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, in which she befriends a simple villager. A thriller on drug abuse that she is working on, ‘Udta Punjab’, also stars Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. She is also filming for R Balki’s ‘Ki and Ka’.
6. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: For Ash, who has been widely considered to be the world’s most beautiful woman, made a comeback to cinema after an almost 5-year-long hiatus following the birth of her daughter, Aaradhya.
Her comeback vehicle, ‘Jazbaa’, which was a thriller and also starred Irrfan Khan, however did not too well.
Yet, the former Miss World and architecture student has been one of the bright stars of this year. Being married into the Bachchan family has kept her profile high.
She is currently shooting for ‘Sarabjit’,which is based on the life of Sarabjit Singh, the Indian prisoner in Pakistan who was brutally murdered by fellow inmates. Aishwarya portrays the role of Sarabjit’s sister, Dalbir Kaur, in a deglamourized role where she dresses in salwar kameez, wears spectacles and sports grey hair.
7. Sania Mirza: The Hyderabad girl had a year that many a sportsperson would kill for. She is currently the world No. 1 women’s doubles tennis player. She began the year at number 6, but went on to win almost every tennis title in 2015, along with her partner ‘Swiss Miss’ Martina Hingis.
She is India’s most successful female Indian tennis player ever and one of the highest-paid sportswomen of the country.
In recognition of her superb performances throughout 2015, the Indian government conferred upon her the nation’s highest sports award: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.
The tennis ace has won ten big women’s doubles tennis titles in 2015, including Wimbledon and US Open.
8. Anushka Sharma: Throughout 2015, Bollywood beauty Anushka Sharma has been in the news mostly for her relationship with Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli.
However, she also had some notable films to her credit during the year: ‘NH10’, which she produced and starred in. It was a road thriller about a couple who is terrorised by some goons who murder her husband. Then it was ‘Bombay Velvet’ along with Ranbir Kapoor, and ‘Dil Dhadkane Do’.
While ‘Bombay Velvet’ sank without much of a ripple on the Box Office, ‘Dil Dhadkane Do’ won her critical acclaim. It also fared quite well.
Photo: AFP
9. Kalki Koechlin: Her performance as a girl with cerebral palsy in the movie ‘Margarita with a Straw’ was one of the highlights of the year in Bollywood. The versatile actress was also in the news for her frank views on women’s issues, her own divorce with film director Anurag Kashyap and for standing up for rape victims.
Earlier in 2015, she confessed to having been sexually abused when she was just nine years old. Apart from this, she has also been actively involved with several awareness campaigns on gender issues.
A sports enthusiast who loves trekking, she is also working on the films ‘Mantra’ and ‘Love Affair’ currently.
Photo by Yogen Shah/India Today Group/Getty Images
10. Saina Nehwal: Saina, India’s greatest women’s badminton player, held the World No. 1 ranking for a while in 2015.
She won the 2015 India Open Grand Prix Gold by defeating Spain’s Carolina Marin in the final. She also was the first Indian woman badminton player to reach the finals of All England Open Badminton Championships. She also won the silver medal at 2015 BWF World Championship. She also won her maiden women’s singles title at the India Open BWF Super Series in2015. The year was a superb one for Saina who has established herself as one of the best sportspersons of the nation.
0 blogger-facebook:
Post a Comment