As Kangana Ranaut’s Thalaivii Releases We Take A Look At Bollywood Actresses Who’ve Played Politicians In Movies!

Kangana's Thalaivii is based on late politician Jayalalithaa. From Katrina to Juhi we look at 10 Bollywood actresses who've played politicians.

Kangana’s Thalaivii is based on late politician Jayalalithaa. From Katrina to Juhi we look at 10 Bollywood actresses who’ve played politicians.

Films on politicians and politics are not short in number. But it is not often that we see female characters taking the lead and shining the light on the lives of politicians.

Here are 10 talented  Bollywood actresses who have stepped into politician roles and made us applaud them for their performances.

Kangana Ranaut in Thalaivii & Revolver Raani

In Thalaivi, Kangana Ranaut essays the role of actress-turned-politician Jayalalithaa, who was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for more than 14 years.

In Revolver Raani, Ranaut plays the role of a raging politician Alka Singh, also known as Revolver Raani. The story revolves around Alka’s struggles in dealing with political rivalry and betrayal from the men she trusted.

Lara Dutta in Bell Bottom

Normally seen in glamorous roles, it took everyone by surprise to see the former beauty queen cast for this serious role. Inspired by real life events, Lara Dutta plays the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She was widely appreciated for her commendable performance and unbelievable transformation into the role. The film follows the hijacking of an Indian airline by terrorists and how India’s first covert mission was conducted to rescue the people.

Suchitra Sen in Aandhi

Released in 1975 and directed by Gulzar, Aandhi marks Suchitra Sen’s last Hindi film wherein she plays the character, Aarti Devi. The film follows the life of Aarti, a woman who makes personal sacrifices in order to become a politician. It was rumoured that the role was inspired by Indira Gandhi and Tarkeshwari Sinha. Director Gulzar denied these rumours.

Katrina Kaif in Rajneeti

Rajneeti, which was released in 2010, saw Katrina Kaif as Indu Pratap, a woman who enters politics after her husband’s demise. Katrina Kaif was subject to a bit of mocking for her acting and lack of fluency in Hindi. Still, this is one of the best roles of her career, especially her speech in the climax. The film was also appreciated by critics.

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Sonam Kapoor in Raanjhanaa

In Raanjhanaa we see Sonam Kapoor Ahuja as Zoya Heider. She’s a strong woman who rises from being a student leader to becoming the leader of the All India Citizen Party. She was much appreciated for her effortless and realistic portrayal as Zoya, making her performance quite memorable

Juhi Chawla in Gulaab Gang

Always seen in love-interest or in bubbly roles, Juhi Chawla surprised everyone with her performance as the scheming politician in Gulaab Gang.

Released in 2014 and directed by Soumik Sen, Gulaab Gang is an interesting film that has two female leaders as its main characters. In the movie, Juhi Chawala marks her comeback to cinema as the wily and power-hungry politician role Sumitra Devi.

The crux of the story lies in the battle between Rajjo (Madhuri Dixit) the leader of the  Gulaab Gang which fights for all forms of social injustice against women and Sumitra Devi.

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Raveena Tandon in Satta

National Award winner Raveena Tandon plays the role of Anuradha Sehgal who finds her life change dramatically when she marries Vivek Chauhan, a politician.

When the true nature of her husband and his family is revealed, a turn of events lead her to contest the elections in her husband’s place and witness politics in all its depth. The film received good critical reception.

Richa Chadha in Madam Chief Minister

Richa Chadha in Madam Chief Minister stars as Tara Roopram, who goes on to become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Inspired by Masterji’s (Saurabh Shukla)  fight for improvement in lives of the backward class, she sets foot on a political career. She faces challenges in the form of political battles and betrayal along the way. This film was released on January 2021.

Divya Dutta in Irada

In Irada, we see Divya Dutta as Ramandeep Braitch, a power-hungry and commanding Chief Minister of Punjab. The film’s story deals with a bomb blast in a plant, owned by a businessman. This later prompts an NIA to investigate and find out the actual truth behind the incident. Actress Divya Dutta bagged the National Film Award for The Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.

Supriya Pathak in Shanghai

Directed by Dibakar Banerjee, Shanghai was a film was appreciated by critics for its screenplay, direction, editing and performances. Supriya Pathak played the role of the Chief Minister called ‘Madamji’ in Shanghai. Despite the fact that it was not the main role, she still managed to score with her performance. Her performance of a sweet-talking but manipulative politician was indeed memorable.

Image source: Stills from movies 

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