In Bollywood, there aren’t many films made with a political backdrop. There was a time when Prakash Jha was making quite a few films on these lines but of late there are hardly such stories being told. With Thalaivi coming though, one waits to see how does the genre pick up again.
Kangana Ranaut – Thalaivii
Kangana Ranaut is being seen in Thalaivii which has been in news ever since it was announced. As expected, Kangana has rocked the show in her portrayal of Late Jayalalithaa. Though a web series Queen has already been made on the life and times of the late actress turned politician with with Ramya Krishnan, this Hindi, Tamil, Telugu trilingual brings in a new dimension.
Raveena Tandon – Satta – 1.50 crores
Satta would go down as one of the most authentic films to have come out of Bollywood which are centered on politics with a female politician leading the show. Though this dramatic affair by Madhur Bhandarkar didn’t do well commercially, it was a well made affair with Raveena Tandon doing good as a politician. This one is highly recommended for those who love the genre.
Katrina Kaif – Raajneeti – 93.66 crores
Though there were quite a few men who led the show as politicians [Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee] in the Prakash Jha directed film, there was also a character written for Katrina Kaif where she enacted the part of a politician. Though many wondered if she would be able to pull this off, Katrina did well in holding on to her own.
Divya Dutta – Irada – 1 crore
Chances are that you may not have heard about Irada. However, give this Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin film on a bio-chemical scandal a chance and you won’t regret it. What makes the film special is the strong part of a female politician that Divya Dutta played where you truly despise her foul mouthed and conniving self. She even earned a National Award for this.
Kirti Kulhari – Indu Sarkar – 5 crores
Madhur Bhandarkar stepped into the political arena again with Indu Sarkar where he brought in Kirti Kulhari to play the title role. As a stammering woman who fought the world of politics around her in quest for idealism, Kirti did well in an author backed role. Though she is not shown as an active politician in the film, the battle that she fights with the bigwigs is notable.
Mallika Sherawat – Dirty Politics – 7 crores
Believe it or not but Mallika Sherawat too has played a woman finding herself in the corridors of politics in a film titled Dirty Politics. With references to some real life stories around a woman who found herself on the wrong side of politics, this K.C. Bokadia directed film was totally forgettable and was unfortunately noticed for the sleazy part played by Late Om Puri.
Kangana Ranaut – Revolver Rani – 10.50 crores
Though Kangana Ranaut is being seen as a real life politician in Thalaivii, she had also played a different kind of politician in Revolver Rani which was more into a pulp fiction zone. A dark comedy of sorts with striking drama in the offering, the film did have its moments though didn’t quite work as a whole. It needed someone really daring and Kangana fitted the bill.
Juhi Chawla – Gulaab Gang – 15 crores
When Madhuri Dixit made her comeback with Gulaab Gang, it was Juhi Chawla – her competitor from the 80s and the 90s – who was roped in as the villain of the piece. As a politician, there was a different kind of menace that Juhi brought to the proceedings in this Anubhav Sinha directed film. Surprisingly though, the actress hasn’t been seen in many films post Gulaab Gang.
Richa Chadha – Madam Chief Minister – 0.50 crores
Earlier this year, Richa Chaddha was seen as a politician, and in fact a Chief Minister no less, in Madam Chief Minister. The film came at the time when theatres were just opening up but with the scare of pandemic, there was no promotion whatsoever despite Subhash Kapoor [of Jolly LLB fame] directing it. Richa did well in a part where she had to show her calculating side.
Suchitra Sen – Aandhi (Collections not available)
The case study of an actress playing a female politician stays on to be the one written by Suchitra Sen though when she fired all cylinders with Aandhi. Part vulnerable and part strong, she was just the kind of woman that Gulzar wanted to bring on screen with his political drama that didn’t quite hide clear references to real life politicians. Sanjeev Kumar was terrific as always.