Again I will say that Bollywood is not an easy place to survive in. It is a platform for talent but still there are a number of examples of people who are super talented, made a great debut, had a caliber to portray roles which are quite difficult to do but even after all these qualities they were not accepted well by B-town. There are many such actors who are flawlessly talented but still they are not the brand name. Let’s have a look at the list of 19 actresses who tried to break the stereotypes of society with their strong roles in the movies and managed to hit headlines but still they didn’t get that fame which they actually deserved
1. Richa Chadda:
Richa Chadda is a name which has gathered much recognition but still she is away from mainstream cinema. She stepped in Bollywood with the movie ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’ She entertained the audience with a jaw-dropping performance in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ She was awarded Filmfare critics award for Best Actress for the same movie. Recently she showcased her talent into the hit movie ‘Goliyon ki Rasleela Ram-Leela.’ Despite her short role in the movie, she managed to get praised by critics. In another movie ‘Masan’ she performed so well that she received a standing ovation at the Film festival for it. Even after working in a project which is quite difficult to work on she has not reached the position of the leading ladies of Bollywood like Kareena and Deepika.
2. Radhika Apte:
Radhika Apte is a film and stage actress. She has worked in different movies like Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam. She is a super talented actress who began her career with the movie ‘Vah! Life ho to Aisi’ She worked in different projects like ‘Badlapur’ ‘Hunter’ which brought her into the limelight. She made headlines when she worked with Nawazuddin in ‘Manjhi’ and gathered appreciation from the critics. This dusky beauty is known for her ability to portray an unconventional character with great ease. Though she has proved herself as a talented actress but still she is not a brand name.
3. Nandita Das:
Nandita Das is known to accept the controversial issues and unconventional roles. She has always been a part of stories that she felt a need to be told. She has acted in a number of features films in different languages. Her contribution to Indian cinema has won her many awards and lots of appreciation from critics. She has done so much hard work but still she is not on the list of top actresses.
4. Shweta Tripathi:
Shweta Tripathi was first seen in the serial ‘Kya Mast Hai Life’ where she played the role of a tomboy. She entered Bollywood with a strong role in the movie ‘Masan’ directed by Neeraj Ghaywan. She gave a stupefying performance in that movie still is unknown in the lanes of Bollywood.
5. Seema Biswas:
She is a theater actress from Assam. She is known for performing strong character roles. She revived lots of appreciations from audience and critics for her role of Phoolan Devi in ‘Bandit Queen’ She also won a National Film award for the same movie but never got that kind of popularity which can justify her talent.
6. Swara Bhaskar:
Swara Bhaskar is another name in this list. She gathered bundles of appreciation from critics for her role in ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ Her performance in the movie was well received by the audience and she managed to get a nomination for Best supporting Actress , Filmfare award. Earlier she was seen in ‘Rajhaana’ and her role as an aggressive lover was praised by the critics. Recently she shared the screen with Salman in the movie ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ Despite of being a talented actress she was never cast as a lead in any movie.
7. Divya Dutta:
Divya Dutta needs no introduction. She is a famous name in Bollywood. She is known for playing a wide variety of roles in film genres and has proved herself as a female protagonist. It has been more than a decade that she is in B-town and there are only the supporting roles that she could grab. She has worked in many famous movies like ‘Veer Zara’ ‘Delhi -6’ ‘Badlapur’ etc. The reason for her not being a brand name is still unknown.
8. Nimrat Kaur:
Nimrat Kaur is a self-made star. She began her career as a print model and she has worked in the theatre too. Her role in the movie ‘Lunchbox’ opposite Irfan khan received appreciation. Recently she was seen in Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Airlift’. The movie was a major critical and commercial success in Nimrat Kaur’s career. Though Nimrat is a talented actress but her little fame is quite unfair to her talent.
9. Huma Qureshi:
‘Ek Thi Dayan’ star Huma Qureshi has received three Filmfare award nominations. She made her acting debut with the popular movie ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’. Her performance was appreciated in the movie and she further appeared as a lead actress in ‘Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana’. She managed to turn heads with her performance in ‘Ek Thi Dayan’ Dedh Ishqiya’ ‘Badlapur’. Even after all these jaw-dropping performances she hasn’t joined the superstar list.
10. Sandhya Mridul:
Sandhya Mridul is most known for her roles in ‘Sathiya’ and ‘Page 3’. She has not done many movies but she is famous for her unconventional roles. The actress herself said in one of her interviews that she is open to playing all kinds of roles. Even after her great acting skills she is still unnoticed.
11. Perizaad Zorabain:
This super cute actress made her debut in the entertainment industry with Nagesh Kukunoor’s ‘Bollywood Calling’ Her role in Subhash Ghai’s ‘Jogger’s Park’ gave her international recognition. Even after all this recognition she was never counted on the list of popular actresses.
12. Mahi Gill:
Mahi Gill made her Bollywood debut with the movie ‘DevD’ which was a modern version of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Bengali novella Devdas. She played the role of Paro in the movie and won Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. She further gained recognition after playing the role of Madhavi Devi, in ‘Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster’ and in ‘Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 2’ but remained unrecognized.
13. Shahana Goswami:
Another name in this list is of Shahana Goswami. She had a single-minded focus on acting since childhood. She moved Mumbai to pursue her childhood dream of ‘Acting’ She joined theater there and worked in many productions. Her theater circle helped her to make a debut in Bollywood with Naseeruddin Shah’s ‘Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota’. Further on she worked in ‘Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.’ ‘RuBaru came in her way after that. ‘Rock On’ gave her lots of attention. She even worked in an international project Deepa Mehta’s ‘Midnight Children’ which was an adaption of Salman Rushdie’s Booker Prize winner novel. She was also seen in Madhur Bhandarkar’s movie ‘Heroine’ She has a list of contributions that she made to the industry but she is away from the fame that she deserves.
14. Kalki Koechlin:
Kalki Koechlin in a known face of B-town. She is an Indian actress of French descent. She is the recipient of National film award and a Filmfare award. Koechlin is popular for her role that defies stereotypical portrayal of women in Indian society. She made her debut in Bollywood with romantic drama Dev D and received a Filmfare Award for best-supporting actress for her role of Chandramukhi in the movie. She further worked in ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ and ‘Ye Jawani Hai Diwani’ and was nominated as Best supporting actress for both the projects. She received many awards for her role of a disabled girl in ‘Margareta with a Straw’. She attracted the attention of the audience in crime thriller ‘Shaitan’ and the political thriller ‘Shanghai’. Kalki is a famous name in the industry but not the brand name yet.
15. Lisa ray:
This Indo-Canadian actress is quite famous. She became famous with Canadian movie ‘Water’ She stepped in the Hindi film industry with Aftab Starrer movie ‘Kasoor’ She even worked in a few Tamil films and this year in 2016, she will appear in Ram Gopal Verma’s biographic ‘Veerappan’ This Canadian beauty is still not that famous what she actually deserves.
16. Konkana Sen Sharma:
This dusky yet super talented actress has made a contribution to parallel cinema. Though she has given phenomenal performances in her movies still is not been counted in the list of top actresses. She grabbed attention in the film ‘Mr. And Mrs. Iyer’ and received the National Film award for Best Actress for the same. She further gained attention with her role in ‘Page 3’. Also, she has won Filmfare Best Supporting actress for her performance in ‘Omkara’
17. Tillotama Shome:
Versatile Tillotama Shome, an award-winning actress is best known for her acclaimed portrayal of Alice in Mira Nair’s feature film ‘Monsoon Wedding’ and as Deepa in ‘Shadows of Time.’ She is one of those actresses who believe in powerful roles although not the lead ones. She has also worked in many feature films. Her performance in the movie ‘Qissa’ won her praises and appreciation. Tillotama is still not a very famous face in b- town as compared to top actresses of these days.
18. Tisca Chopra:
Tisca Zareen Arora popularly known as Tisca Chopra. She has a vibrant personality and is known for her works in Hindi cinema. She entered Bollywood with a burning passion for excelling. She made her debut with the movie ‘Platform’ and acted in Nandita Das’ directorial debut ‘Federal’ .Other moves of Tisca are ‘Dil To Baccha Hai Ji’ ‘Qissa’ etc
19. Tannishtha Chatterjee:
She is popular for her performance in the British Film ‘Brick Lane’ which is an adaptation of Monica Ali’s novel of the same name. Her worth praising performance in the movie gets her a nomination for the British Independent Film awards as the Best Actresses. Her performance in the movie ‘Shadows Of Time’ earned her critical acclaim. She is known for her strong roles in movies like ‘Gulabi Gang’ ‘Road’ ‘ Chauranga’ etc. She is part of Bollywood but not a brand value.
