Heroine kaun hai?

In Hindi cinema, the center stage has traditionally been the domain of the male protagonist. Think acting and the first few names that come to mind are Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, Aamir Khan. In spite of the presence of popular, loved, huge female stars a movie still sells in the name of the hero – right from securing finance to its promotion. Where in this kitschy, crazy, addictive world of Hindi cinema have our heroines always fit in? Just as the portrayal of the male protagonist has changed in sync with the changing society, so has that of their female counterpart, albeit a little less prominent and certainly, a lot more deserving.

Here, we look at changing face of the Hindi film heroine through the decades and acknowledge them, who have always been the silent yet solid contributors to our much beloved movies.

Pre-Independence (The Pioneers)

When movies first came to India, the female characters were portrayed by men, as the taboo and stigma attached to acting (especially for a new medium like films) was huge. It was only by late 1920s that women had started appearing in movies– most notably the Anglo-Indian Patience Cooper, Ruby Meyers (better known as Sulochana) and Miss Gohar. Most of the movies made at this time were mythologies and historical, where women have traditionally had important roles. In 1930s, though, the themes started shifting towards social issues. Devika Rani (universally acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema) along with her film maker husband Himanshu Rai, pioneered such films. Many movies that shestarred in, such as Karma (1933), Jeevan Naiya (1936) and Achhut Kanya (1936) dealt with social issues like ostracization of women on the basis of class or heritage. Other top actresses like Noorjehan (Khandaan, Anmol Ghadi), Durga Khote (Amar Jyoti, Rajrani Meera), Khursheed (Bhakt Surdas, Tansen), Suraiya (Pyaar Ki Jeet, Mirza Ghalib) too have done some beautiful women-centric movies and were big stars who could draw the audience to the theaters on their own strength.

1950s (Mother India)

If I were an actress, this is probably the period I would want to act in! Fifties has given Hindi cinema some of the most respected and talented actresses to ever grace the silver screen. Nargis (Mother India, Awaara, Shree 420), Madhubala (Half Ticket, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi), Meena Kumari (Baiju Bawra, Parineeta) were stars in their own right. In terms of screen time, popularity, roles and even paychecks (in the peak of her career Nargis was reportedly paid more than both Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar) these actresses commanded an equal status as the actors. Movies were reflective of the socialist mood of the country at that time. Duty towards one’s country or community or family was always more important than one’s personal gains. Maybe because of this trend, we often saw strong female characters that would typically sacrifice their desires for the sake of duty. Interestingly, fifties also saw the emergence of the modern Indian woman – someone who dresses in western attire, drives a car, has a career and is still traditional at heart.

1960s (Perfect Indian Girl)

These were simple times. Love stories were the order of the day and melodious songs a must in every movie. The heroines were pristine, beautiful, coy, and virginal – they were women every man dreams of taking home to his mom. The top actresses of that time – Sadhna, Saira Bano, Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh, Nanda, Mala Sinha – have done a number of roles that fit into this mold. The lead couple was almost always good looking and often found singing love duets in the heavenly valleys of Kashmir. “Basket” hairdos, nylon sarees, elaborate eye make-up gave the heroines an ethereal quality but hardly any depth. A special mention, though, must be made of two movies that broke the stereotypes and gave us characters that are remembered even now for their depth and various dimensions – Bimal Roy’s Bandini (1963) and Vijay Anand’s Guide (1965). Actually, it would be fair to say that Nutan, Meena Kumari and Waheeda Rahman were some actresses who managed to stay within the conventional boundary and yet push the envelope with their stunning performances and knack of picking roles that were real and mature.

1970s (The Prop)

This decade saw the emergence of two kinds of roles for the females – the heroine and the actress - a trend that would further solidify in the next decade. Even though the look of heroine changed dramatically (with the advent of ‘glamour dolls’ like Zeenat Aman, Praveen Babi, Neetu Singh et al), her role in a movie reduced significantly. While the hero fought mightily against the villain or led a revolution against the system and mouthed some heavy-duty dramatic dialogues, the heroine just got a few scenes and a bevy of song and dance routines in her kitty. Also, the advent of the angry young man, which became the symbol of angst against the system and anything unjust, overpowered everyone. This trend is clearly reflected in the most popular and successful films of that era – Sholay (1975), Deewar (1973), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Don (1978) etc. Of course there were notable exceptions like the movies made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee (Abhimaan, Milli, Chupke Chupke), Shyam Benegal (Ankur, Bhumika, Nishaant) and Basu Chatterjee (Chotti Si Baat, Swami) where these directors had well etched characters for their actresses but these movies can hardly be termed as a mainstream blockbuster!

1980s (Dutifully Yours)

The eighties are considered by many to be the dark period of Indian cinema. The emergence of VCRs and advent of television saw a decline in the box office collections and consequently, the production quality of films suffered. Every second movie depicted the same old boy-meet-girl-and-fight-the-villain storyline interspersed with senseless violence and some pelvic thrust laden dances. The female anatomy started getting highlighted with increasing coarseness as they provided the titillation quotient in the emerging ‘sex and violence’ quick-fix formula. However, some big film makers like Yash Chopra (Silsila, Chandni), Shekhar Kapur (Masoom, Mr. India), Gulzar (Ijaazat, Namak) and Mahesh Bhatt (Arth, Daddy, Kaash) who had a bigger canvas and budget, targeted their movies at the ‘classes’. Actresses like Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Sridevi and Rekha regularly collaborated with these directors and explored themes and stories that did justice to their talents. But although the characters often deviated from the norm, somehow in the end they would fit into the traditional middle class belief in convention. So we have a Shabana Azmi accepting her husband (along with his illegitimate child) back into her life in Masoom (1983) or Rekha leaving the love her life to go back to her husband in Sisila (1981). It would take another time and age (Rani Mukherjee in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna) for a leading lady to break stereotypes and choose love over duty.

1990s (Eye Candy)

Nineties witnessed the birth of screen goddesses Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi, who commanded an equal devotion and fan following as any major actor of that time. They had roles that were specifically written for them and had equal screen time and meaty dialogues as the heroes in their movies – Lamhe (1991), Khuda Gawah (1992), Khalnayak (1993), Beta (1992), Saajan (1991) – to name just a few. But not everyone was that lucky. Even a movie like Damini (1993) (which raised some relevant women issues and had an author-backed role for its lead actress Meenakshi Sheshadari) relied heavily on the unabashed verbal diatribe from Punjab da puttar Sunny Deol. Actresses like Raveena Tandon, Shipa Shetty, Sonali Bendre, Karishma Kapoor have been part of some very big hits of the nineties but they were hardly anything more than sex kittens. They weren’t shy of exposing and dancing in the scenic Alps but in order to do a meaty role they started looking at the ‘parallel cinema’ for opportunities. Globalization exposed the country to the western world and its cinema. The emphasis on style, special effects, and death defying stunts became the staple of many movies. The heroine either became a comic relief or the damsel in distress waiting to be rescued by her man.

2000s (21st Century Woman?)

What Shahrukh Khan did for the actors in the nineties - treading into the grey area of ‘anti-hero’ (Baazigar, Darr, Anjaam) - Bipasha Basu did for the actresses. Her no-holds barred turn as the gold-digging ambitious seductress in Jism (2002) not only catapulted her into the big league, it also set the cash registers ringing. It probably wouldn’t be wrong to say that the line between the heroine and the vamp has thinned down considerably. Almost all top actresses (Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor, Kajol, Priyanka Chopra) have done the so called ‘negative’ roles and many an item numbers. Women on screen now have careers (Bipasha is a cop in Dhoom 2, Preity Zinta is a doctor having a live-in relationship in Salaam Namaste, Rani Mukherjee is a fashion designer in Chalte Chalte), they dress sexy but not vulgar, they drink along with their male pals, they are not a one-man woman and they are definitely more open to pre-marital sex! But is it too early to say that the Hindi film heroine has finally come of age? After all, we still don’t have mainstream movies that explore the female psyche, their depth, their complexities, their spirit and also ensure box-office success. But at a time when Kareena Kapoor has emerged as the true ‘hero’ of the movie Jab We Met (2007) and is reportedly getting a fee of Rs. 3.5 crores for her next biggie, the heroines’ day in the sun is probably not too far away.