Uncovering the feminist stories hidden in the letters of Indian Actresses' Names!

International Women’s Day week is in full throttle, and an excited SheThePeople team is singling out its favorite power women in Bollywood. Here's our pick of the five Bollywood actresses that best played the role of a feminist in their real lives- and their stories told through in the letters of their name!

Kalki Koechlin:

Kalki Koechlin

Picture By: Firstpost

- Knows how to convince you about being the modern day Chandramukhi and the Girl In Yellow Boots like no other.

- Art is in her Feminism, and Feminism is her art.

- Looks are unconventional, yet her success is unparalleled.

- Keen to perform feminist pieces on stage- that always induce chills.

- It’s your Fault- AIB’s satirical short film about sexual violence -which Kalki offered to act in, in a heartbeat.

Malika Sherawat:

Mallika Sherawat

Picture By: Topnews.in

-  Media’s favorite controversy child, for her bold roles and bolder attitude.

- Aesthetically sexual - when art demands it to make a point.

- Likened to a sex symbol, an image she accepts with unbelievable confidence.

- Lies to none, tells it like it is. She has a reputation for being outspoken.

- Internationally upholds the feminist flag, by shedding light on India’s women’s issues.

- Kissed on-screen in her debut- unabashedly striving to make women equals in the worldview of sexuality.

- All the way to Los Angeles: she made it to Hollywood inspite being a highly underrated Indian actress.

Shabana Azmi:

Shabana Azmi

Picture By: Women Pla.net

- Spoke about Feminism when the world was still grappling with Sati and Infanticide.

- Heralded women’s issues at the policy level, by joining Rajya Sabha.

- Ambassador of the United Nations Goodwill Fund

- Brought up so incredibly her two children, they went on to be feminists themselves.

- Actively involved in Social Work, directed towards securing equal rights for women.

- Not approving of Item Numbers, a pet cause she wants to make some amends to.

-“Aurat”, her favorite poem by her father Kaifi Azmi, that never fails to

Huma Qureshi:

Huma Qureshi

Picture By: Youth Ki awaaz

- Hatred and Hostility: two words that have no place in Huma’s dictionary. Not even when a paparazzi resorts to trivialities like bashing her wardrobe.

-Unlikely figure for an actress, that she has no qualms about- championing beauty in various moulds, through a cover story shoot with Femina Magazine's revamped edition.

-Most Promising Newcomer, she was called, because of her ventures into parallel cinema, women centric documentaries as well as mainstream cinema- with equal flair.

-Arvind Kejriwal’s clean-sweep’s one prominent critic: she openly questioned the lack of women in his cabinet.

Gul Panag:

Gul Panag

Picture By: ABP Live

-Gyrated to politics to drive social change at the policy level, by joining the AAP.

-Used her acting skills to work in films that hold a message: like Dor.

-Leaves no stone unturned in her struggle for women – vociferously supporting causes like the Pinkathon for breast cancer awareness, amongst many others.

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