International Women’s Day 2023: Powerful Women Portrayed By Actress Vidya Balan In Indian Films

Add as a preferred source on Google

When it comes to Indian films, the roles of women, especially in the 80s era were coated with patriarchal beliefs. Women were shown to be dutiful, a powerhouse of endurance, strength and sacrifice, submissive and naive. She is the one who will know that her place is in the kitchen and attending to all the needs of her family members is what her life is about.

Then came the 90s, when male characters were shown doing fighting scenes, winning the lady's love heart, and living happily ever after. And women roles were reduced to 'love interest of hero' and being damsels-in-distress.

However, thanks to women who are handling the camera and narratives of the films now, they are finally given equal space, where they can show their emotional complexities and unique personalities to address feminine struggles, strengths and more. And what we have now is hard-hitting and authentic performances that touch the hearts of millions and linger in the minds of audiences for years.

One such woman is versatile actress Vidya Balan, who never shies away from experimenting with her looks and has often been applauded for her superlative acting skills, especially the biopics that she portrayed on screen. Stepping into the shoes of powerful and extraordinary women and blending it perfectly with her grace, and elegance, she makes everything looks flawless on screen.

In the spirit of International Women's Day, let us look at powerful women roles that were portrayed by Actress Vidya Balan in Indian films.

1. Shakuntala Devi - Mathematician Shakuntala Devi

Released on 08 May 2020, Shakuntala Devi was a biographical movie about the life of gifted Mathematician Shakuntala Devi, who was known as the 'human computer'. The role was played by Vidya Balan who carried it out with so much subtlety and ease. Shakuntala Devi could carry out complex mathematical equations at a speed faster than computers of her time. She was a true genius, she is a writer too and from the age of 3, due to her multifaceted personality, she has impressed many people. She was born on 04 November 1929 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. In the 1980s, she also contested the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from Medhak in Andhra Pradesh and Mumbai South. She made an entry in the Guinness Book Of World Records in 1982, when in less than a minute she calculate the product of two random 13-digit numbers, demonstrated at the Imperial College, London.

2. No One Killed Jessica- Sabrina Lall (Jessica Lall's sister)

Jessica Lall's murder made headlines in 1999 and the story was adapted on the big screen by filmmaker Raj Kumar Gupta in his 2011 film No One Killed Jessica, where the role of Sabrina Lall was portrayed by Vidya Balan and Myra Karn played the role of Jessica. Sabrina, Jessica's sister was someone who was never afraid to fight for justice no matter who or how powerful the opposition was and this is what Vidya Balan showed through her powerful performance. It was Sabrina who made us believe that not everything can be bought with power and money. She was the one who fought her own battles and won them against all odds.

3. Dirty Picture - Silk Smitha

This film was released in 2011 and was a biographical film on a south Indian film actress Silk Smitha. She became popular due to her glamorous roles in softcore films and is considered one of the most controversial stars till date. She was born as Vijayalakshimi into a very poor family in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh and left school after the fourth standard, to become a film star. It was her sponsor who renamed her as Silk Smitha. She was the queen of sensuality and in her career of 17 years, she appeared in 450 films. She was way ahead of her time and lived life on her own terms. However, on 23 September, 1996, at the age of 35, she ended her life.