International Womens Day: 6 Misunderstood Women Of Bollywood

Women have time and again been forced into rigid categories - they are either the ideal woman who sacrifices everything or the 'fallen' one if they dare to have ambitions and break societal norms. Many legendary actresses in Indian cinema have fallen victim to this as the industry has long been a male dominated field. The ones who deviated from the traditional path were deemed problematic. Their work and contributions were often overshadowed by these controversies surrounding them. While their male counterparts were given a second chance to recover from scandals, these women weren't. Media was also not forgiving back then. We, as a society, have also loved the idea of a 'tragic' or 'suffering' woman and not been kind to the ones who rose above their pain. On this Women's Day, we take a look at some of the most misunderstood actresses of Indian cinema. 

Parveen Babi

Parveen Babi was a woman ahead of her time - a true star. Media labelled her a 'sex symbol' but she was more than that. She was glamorous, a t par with her male counterparts and broke the mould of the conventional heroine. In 1982, Parveen Babi also appeared in the erotic drama Yeh Nazdeekiyan. Babi was not afraid to smoke or drink on screen and also portrayed a character in Deewaar, who is okay with premarital sex. Some might say, it was too brave a move for those days. And not to forget she was the first Indian actress to feature on the cover of TIME magazine in 1976. However, her personal life was always a source of intrigue. Parveen Babi remained unmarried and was linked with several men in the industry including Danny Denzongpa, Kabir Bedi and Mahesh Bhatt. She was also scrutinized for her mental health issues instead of being understood. She died a painful and lonely death on January 20, 2005 at the age of 50. She starved to death as per the autopsy reports. Parveen Babi was instrumental in changing the definition of a heroine in Bollywood but was ridiculed and dismissed. However, her legacy continues to live on.

Rekha

Rekha remains an enigma. To judgmental minds, she is the femme fatale. Born as Bhanurekha Ganesan, she began her career as a child artiste in films such as Imti Guttu and Rangula Ratnam. In her early days, her success was overshadowed by her looks and weight. However, she went through a complete makeover and put immense hard work and effort in perfecting herself. She eventually became one of the leading stars of Hindi cinema and was as impactful as her male co-stars. However, once again, the personal life of an actress took the spotlight, overshadowing her professional success. In 1990, she got married to industrialist Mukesh Aggarwal, who was believed to be suffering from depression. When he died by suicide, she was vilified by the media and called a witch and a murderess. Furthermore, her alleged relationship with Amitabh Bachchan became the defining story of her life despite her strong body of work. People overlooked her hard work and how she kept reinventing herself. Despite all the naysayers, Rekha refused to let anything stop her from achieving perfection and greatness.

Smita Patil

Actress Smita Patil is considered the face of parallel cinema of the 70s and 80s. Describing her, late filmmaker Shyam Benegal once told Filmfare, "She was simple in her tastes and never hankered after anything." The actor-director duo is known for providing a new definition of parallel cinema in India, with classics like Bhumika, Manthan, Nishant, and Kondura. Despite being a National Award winner, Smita could not escape scrutiny for her personal life and choices. Her relationship with Raj Babbar was always a point of conversation. The actor-turned-politician left his wife Nadira Babbar to marry Smita, making her the villain in the eyes of the media. She was also an active feminist. Despite her groundbreaking contribution to Indian parallel cinema, her personal life was the one thing that was most talked about. Smita tragically lost her life in 1986 after childbirth.

Meena Kumari

An actress, playback singer and poet, Meena Kumari was popularly known as The Tragedy Queen for her portrayal of melancholic roles on-screen. Tragedy struck her off screen as well. She got addicted to alcohol in the 1960s and died at the young age of 38. Besides her alcoholism, her failed marriage with filmmaker Kamal Amrohi was also sensationalized by the media. He was already married and had three children when he tied the knot to Kumari in a secret wedding. It was kept under wraps, but the news of their marriage was leaked eventually. Meena Kumari's biography states that she was subjected to physical abuse in her marriage. Despite the tragedies of her life, she is remembered as one of the iconic women of Indian cinema.

Mandakini

Ram Teri Ganga Maili, her debut film, put Mandakini under the spotlight and made her a household name overnight. She was bold and brave enough to do risqué scenes in the 1985 film. Her career was short-lived and she did her last film Zardaar in 1996. However, her success was marred by her alleged link to gangster Dawood Ibrahim when she was seen with him in Dubai. She admitted to meeting him but denied having any relationship with him. But that was enough to shift focus from her work and talent. She left the industry and converted to Buddhism.

Rhea Chakraborty

One of the most misunderstood women in Bollywood in recent times, Rhea Chakraborty was the victim of misogyny, witch-hunt and media trial. She was under public scrutiny after the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, whom she dated at the time. Social media users and sections of the media took things in their hands and declared her a criminal overnight. She was held responsible for SRS's tragic death even before the court could give its verdict. She was accused of taking his money and leading him astray. Rhea was the villain. She was made to be the 'fallen woman' who took the life of a good man. While she is slowly returning to the public eye and trying to leave the past harassment behind, people are yet to fully accept her back. In modern times, she remains a high-profile example of how women are disproportionally judged in scandals.

Also Read: Female-Centric OTT Shows that are a must-watch this International Women's Day

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