Many raised eyebrows when top stars played the character of a prostitute, however, they brought out the best emotions and the struggles of the ones in the profession successfully through their movies. Here are our picks of the best actresses who eased into the character and left us spellbound.
Vidya Balan in Begum Jaan
The recently released trailer of the upcoming movie,’Begum Jaan’ has left us wondering if there’s anyone else who can play their roles as good as Vidya Balan. The ‘Kahaani’ star has proved her mettle with each movie and she’s one of the most versatile stars of our generation. Vidya plays the role of a former sex worker and a Madame who runs a brothel right at the border of India and Pakistan. It’ll be interesting to see how she would carry the role on her shoulders especially after the huge success of ‘Dirty Picture’.
Tabu in Chandni Bar
As Mumtaz, Tabu struck the chord with the audiences with a powerful role as a young girl who was forced into bar dancing and prostitution. Her struggle as an ageing mother who fights for her family’s survival is gripping. The movie won Tabu the National award for best acting. It’s still one of the most moving performances of the Cheeni Kum star. If you haven’t watched it yet, you’re missing a great movie.
Kareena Kapoor in Talaash and Chameli
Kareena is not known to have taken many risks with her characters on screen and when she decided to play the role of a hooker in Chameli opposite Rahul Bose she broke all the barriers. Kareena won many awards and received accolades for her role as Chameli. Once again in Aamir Khan’s ‘Talaash’ Kareena Kapoor played the role of a missing sex worker and we don’t want to give out spoilers but the climax of the movie is one of the best in Bollywood.
Shabana Azmi in Mandi
Trust Shyam Benegal for bringing out humour, tragedy and thrill in the most entertaining way on the silver screen. The ‘Zubeidaa’ director released ‘Mandi’ in 1983 and to date, the movie is known for its perfect comic timing and brilliant performances. What else would anyone expect when Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Neena Gupta and Soni Razdan are a part of a great script like this one. Shabana Azmi as Rukmini Bai, a Madame who runs a brothel in Hyderabad played a role of an older woman who doesn’t shy away in fighting the patriarchal society. She also has a great sense of humour and delivers some of the most memorable dialogues in the movie.
Sneha in Pudhupettai
It may sound unfair to say that Kollywood was slightly a better place a ago with some of the best movies making the cut on screen. Sneha’s role as Krishnaveni, a sex worker who falls in love with Dhanush and marries him, was quuite a surprise. Sneha was known for her non-risky characters onscreen, however, post the release of Padhupettai she proved she could be versatile and bankable. Her portrayal of a prostitute who wants to lead a normal family life, is heartwarming. Wish we today had more actresses like her in south cinema who brought out emotions the way she did.
Anushka Shetty in Vaanam
Anushka Shetty has faced criticism and has received great reviews for her roles as Arundhati and Sweety. However, the Baahubali star has undoubtedly taken some well planned risks on screen. Though her role as a prostitute in Vaanam didn’t bring in great reviews, she played the role with grace and style. The movie’s leading star Simbu took away all the accolades, however, Anushka’s character was a breath of fresh air.
Madhuri Dixit in Devdas
Yes, we saved our favourite for the last. Madhuri Dixit broke millions of hearts when she announced that she was moving to the United States and marrying a Denver-based doctor Sriram Nene. The Dhak Dhak girl came back onscreen and with a bang. She played the role of Chandramukhi in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas and we can’t forget how amazing her role was. Madhuri’s Kathak moves in ‘Kahe Ched Mohe’ and her dialogues defending her love for Devdas, Shah Rukh Khan are absolutely stunning. We kinda miss her onscreen and wish she comes back with a bang!