Actresses who depend on their beauty are china dolls who will never succeed in the film business, former screen legend Sophia Loren had remarked at the Cannes film festival last year. While that is subject to debate, Bollywood has, of late, been graciously welcoming heroines who are not the typical pin-up beauties. As new narratives, experimentation with unexplored genres and content-driven cinema emphasise more on acting talent than glamour, the doors for “unconventional” leading ladies have opened wide.

Bhumi Pednekar