Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Kangana Ranaut – 5 actresses who proved to be box office QUEENS!

The girls have established themselves as bankable stars time and again…

Gone are those days when men and women were treated differently in the Bollywood industry and you see proof in the movies itself. Earlier, women used to be stereotyped in films, but now-a-days they are being shown as modern and outgoing people. Directors and script writers were afraid of writing strong women-centric scripts before, but now such scripts are being welcomed by filmmakers with open arms. But how, has this change come about?

There are many factors. One is education that men and women are equal. Second is the success of films based on women. Third is the risk that makers are readily taking by investing money on these hard-hitting films and lastly, the audience spending their hard earned money, watching such women-oriented films and accepting them.

However, there is another factor that has changed in Bollywood As exhibitor and distributor, Akshaye Rathi reveals, “Whether it is a film with the Khans, Kumars, Kapoors, Devgans, whoever, what works at the end of the day is Entertainment. An entertaining and engaging film works better than an non-engaging one. If Kangana has had a Tanu Weds Manu Returns, she has also had a Revolver Rani. In fact, if Salman Khan has had a Bajrangi Bhaijaan, he has also had a Jai Ho. Ultimately, at the end of the day a film’s success depends upon the content. But having said that, it is really heartening to see that movies are being made around female protagonists and they have entertaining and engaging content. Whether it is a Piku, Neerja, Mary Kom or a Tanu Weds Manu Returns, the film-makers have shown more faith in women oriented films and taken what used to be called risky projects. Also, rather than looking at which actors are actresses being paired with, the audience have started accepting such films and started paying money to see a Piku or a Neerja.”

Now-a-days a film with a Khan is not what women want! Obviously they would love to work with the Khans and Kapoor, but a strong role is what actresses desire these days. And armed with such strong roles and amazing scripts, these 5 actresses have proved their worth. Here is their tale below:

Anushka Sharma

Movie: NH 10

Weekly collection: Rs 13.30 crore

Anushka Sharma still from NH10

Many thought Anushka Sharma was crazy to take up such a hard-hitting subject for her first production venture. The film was made fabulously and in a tight budget of just Rs 13 crore. But, the best part was that the film opened well and earned Rs 13.30 crore in the first three days itself, making the film very profitable by the end of its run. Expecting an Anushka to give your money’s worth was hard to believe till then, however she proved everyone wrong. As Akshaye adds, “The content of the film helped it rake in the audience. The film was relevant to the audience, especially for the people in the North, because they live in the same insecurity that the film reflected. The makers made the film engaging and thought provoking and that helped the film perform well.”

Sonam Kapoor

Movie: Neerja

Opening weekend collection: Rs 22.01 crore

Sonam Kapoor still from Neerja

People thought that Sonam Kapoor couldn’t act, but she silenced everyone with her stunning performance in Neerja. The film was based on the life of a brave heart air hostess who helped save the lives of 359 people from a hijacked plane. Such a film always appeals to a person and the way it was shot and the story was told, helped its cause. As Akshaye mentions, “The human drama involved in Neerja catered to the audience. It was a story waiting to be told and the way it was told was phenomenal. The performances were amazing, especially by Sonam Kapoor and Shabana Azmi.”

Deepika Padukone

Movie: Piku

Opening weekend collection: Rs 25.22 crore

Deepika Padukone still from Piku

Deepika Padukone has been reigning at the box office since a while now. She has been on the top spot since two years now and with several hits to her credit, she was the go-to actress for all top directors.  Piku, that released last year touched one and all. Piku was a film riding completely on her shoulders and she did her job quite well. Though the film started of slowly, it earned Rs 25.22 crore in three days! Akshaye Rathi suggests, “The humour was the highlight of the film. The relevance of the story in our life along with some lovely songs helped the film’s cause. But being a light-hearted family film, amidst the many dark and edgy dramas that were releasing last year was always a plus point and Deepika’s phenomenal performance took it to another level.”

Priyanka Chopra

Movie: Mary Kom

Opening weekend collection: Rs 30.60 crore

Priyanka Chopra still from Mary Kom

Mary Kom was the story of five times Boxing Champion and Olympic bronze medal winner who did her best to make India proud on the global map. Priyanka not only portrayed the part, but also lived the role. The film as a huge hit and it earned a whopping Rs 104 crore (gross) worldwide. As Akshaye explains, “The entire nation associated with that film coz Mary Kom is still an Indian boxer who is still participating in events such as Commonwealth and the Olympics. So people have seen her in the ring fighting and to associate an underdog story to cinema, it is a delightful experience and the numbers prove how well it has done,”

Kangana Ranaut

Movie: Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Queen

Opening weekend collection: Rs 38.10 crore (TWMR), Rs 9.55 crore (Queen)

Kangana Ranaut still from Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Kangana Ranaut was perhaps the most underrated actress of Bollywood, but post Tanu Weds Manu, every one saw her potential. She won a lot of critical acclaim and since then she has been one of the top actresses. Her next few films, Queen and Tanu Weds Manu Returns were also HITS at the box office and while they might have started off slow, they went on to earn a lot of money through word of mouth publicity. Her film – TWMR earned more than Rs 150 crore at the domestic box office and was one of the top films of last year, proving that if the film is good, the audience will appreciate it, “Both the films were engaging stories about relationships, drama and the youth and hence people loved it. It also had the phenomenal music and performances, which helped the films rake in the money,” remarks Akshaye Rathi.

These women have proved that though they don’t earn money at par to their contemporaries, they can out do them with strong roles and amazing scripts. They have established themselves now and will not back down. They will keep fighting for such role and while they have won our hearts already, we want to know if have they won your heart?