Five Hindi Films That Celebrates Brave Women

Indian history is filled with examples of brave women who faced challenges at home, outside and even on the battlefield. They are an inspiration for many in this male-dominated society. Bollywood has often picked up these stories and portrayed them beautifully on the big screen. From being a warrior to a sportswoman to being a part of the military force, women have done it all with grace on the silver screen and driven the box office numbers too. 

So, here is the list of five movies on brave women from Bollywood that salutes their feisty spirit. 

Five Hindi Films On Brave Women:

Manikarnika

The story is dedicated to the brave-heart queen Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, who stood alone to face the British. She was trained in martial arts and horse riding. This was not typical of every other girl in those times. When her husband (king of Jhansi) died and she was left without a natural heir, the Britishers tried to capture the kingdom and ousted her.

However, she gave them a tough challenge. She raised a women's army and trained many to fight in a battle. She lost her life in battle. It is for her that India boasts of the line- "khoob ladi mardaani wo to jhansi wali rani thi"

The 2019 movie starred Kangana Ranaut in the titular role. The role of Lakshmi Bai won her a National Film Award for Best Actress at the National Film Awards.

Mary Kom

Mary Kom is one of those women of India whom every girl looks up to, not only to make a start in sports but to fight challenges and excel in life. Being a girl from a village in Manipur, it was tough for her to get all the latest coaching in sports. But, she was determined to be the best. She used to walk for miles to get the sports training in boxing with her mentor. Her sports life was given a reignition after her pregnancy, due to her husband who supported her by taking care of their children at home and encouraged her to pursue sports.

The "Magnificent Mary" won the 2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships even though her son was going through medical surgery at home. The role of Mary Kom was essayed by Priyanka ">Chopra in the movie by the same name. Directed by Omung Kumar, the movie won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the National Film Awards.

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Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl

The story of this woman helicopter pilot who was part of the Kargil War of 1999 is really inspirational. During the 1990s, when it was not so common to find many women pilots, she proved her mettle. Her father was a part of the military and always supported her in every endeavour. 

With Jahnvi Kapoor in the main role, the movie casts Angad Bed and Pankaj Tripathi, as well. Directed by Sharan Sharma, the movie was released on the OTT platform Netflix and celebrated the life of Kargil Girl- Gunjan Saxena.

Saina

Dedicated to the life of badminton champion and former world champion Saina Nehwal, the movie shows the story of the sportswoman from her childhood. She was encouraged by her parents, to delve more into sports. Her mother used to go to lengths to make sure that her training was always on point. Saina Nehwal's journey from being the under-19 national champion becoming world # 1 has been well portrayed in the movie.  

The titular role in the 2021 movie was essayed by Parineeti Chopra and it won her great appreciation for resembling the same playing style as of Saina Nehwal. Directed by Amole Gupte, the movie was produced by Bhushan Kumar, Sujay Jairaj, Krishan Kumar, and Rashesh Shah under the banner of T-Series and Front Foot Pictures.

Screengrab from trailer

Shakuntala Devi

The biographical movie portrays the story of one of the greatest Indian mathematicians Shakuntala Devi. She has been called a "human computer" all her life due to her ability to solve huge mathematical problems without using pen and paper. The story looks on to the part of Shakuntala Devi's life, where she was stuck with a difficult choice of looking after her child (typically expected of every Indian woman) and her career. She went with the latter, as she believed that it was the only way she could be happy. 

Vidya Balan in Shakuntala Devi

With Vidya Balan in the main role, the movie released on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video and was much appreciated. The movie was directed by Anu Menon. Besides Balan, Sanya Malhotra, Amit Sadh, Jisshu Sengupta formed the main cast of the movie.