2015's Top 10 Performances by Actors (Female) in a Leading Role!

2015 saw a range of great performances by the leading ladies of Bollywood. This year saw them breaking out of the preconceived mould of how Bollywood heroines should be like and claiming a well deserved share in some great scripts! Here is our list of Top 10 performances by female actors in a lead role in order of their film’s release dates -

1. Bhumi Pednekar in Dum Laga Ke Haisha

A stark newcomer to the world of acting, Bhumi impressed all with her debut in Sharat Kataria’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha. Bhumi played the strong role of a plump newly wed bride who has to come to terms with the fact that her husband does not find her physically attractive but that does not take anything away from her as a person. Bhumi’s portrayal of this strong woman who knows her mind and her worth was a treat to watch!

2. Anushka Sharma in NH10

Anushka’s maiden home production NH10 saw the actress playing the role of a woman made strong by the circumstances she finds herself and one who she refuses to bow down to with a dignity and elán few could manage! This thriller by Navdeep Sharma showcased the powerhouse of talent that Anushka can be.

3. Kalki Koechlin in Margarita with a straw

Kalki’s portrayal of a young woman struck by cerebral palsy but one who still wants to and manages to live life the way she desires made for an impressive act for audiences across the world. The sensitivity with which Kalki performed in this film by Shonali Bose and Nilesh Maniyar proved just how amazing an actress she is. 

4. Deepika Padukone in Piku

Deepika’s role of a mature, caring, slightly exasperated but forever loving daughter to an eccentric man was played to perfection by the actress. She impressed with her performance and stood her ground even though she was sharing screen space with seasoned actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Moushumi Chatterjee and Irrfan Khan.

5. Richa Chadha in Masaan

Richa’s powerful performance in Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan won the actress accolades on a national and an international level. Her work was appreciated by various international film festivals as well as Indian critics and audiences. In a film with many other impressive performances, Richa managed to carve a place for herself.

6. Kangana Ranaut in Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Kangana Ranaut in her double role in this family entertainer by Aanand L. Rai came, saw and conquered the hearts of all who watched the movie. If she was fiery as Tanuja/Tanu, she was spirited in her role of Kusum/Datto, the Haryanvi girl with a heart of gold and one who also packs a powerful punch! Kangana was a delight to watch as she juggled these two completely distinct roles with dignified ease.

7. Priyanka Chopra in Dil Dhadakne Do

Priyanka as Ayesha in Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do showed just how much she has grown as an actor. Her role demanded an understated, subtle struggle between a professionally successful and independent woman and a suppressed daughter and wife and Priyanka performed this complex character with excellence!

8. Kajol in Dilwale

Kajol made a comeback on the silver screen in Rohit Shetty’s Dilwale after 5 long years and made us realise exactly why we missed this Bengali-Marathi beauty. Her sheer charisma and acting talent made the audiences world wide fall in love with her all over again, specially since the film majorly banks on the chemistry between Shah Rukh and Kajol which is bang on like always!

9. Deepika Padukone in Bajirao Mastani

This was the year of Deepika Padukone as she gave one strong performance after another and entertained the audiences with a varied genre of films. In Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani, Deepika proved yet again her power and charisma in front of the camera as she played the title role of the warrior princess ‘Mastani’. Her chemistry with on-screen and rumoured off-screen beau Ranveer Singh made her performance all the more pleasurable to watch.

10. Priyanka Chopra in Bajirao Mastani

Bajirao Mastani boasts of strong performances by all three of its leading cast members and so mentioning one and leaving out the other did not seem like a fair option! Priyanka as Kashibai delivers a strong and deliberate performance and carves out a space for herself in the movie despite the sizzling chemistry shared by her two co-stars. Her performance is one that cannot be missed!

Apart from these amazing performances, some acts deserve a special mention like - Deepika Padukone (Tamasha), Anushka Sharma (Bombay Velvet), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Jazbaa), Harshali Malhotra (Bajrangi Bhaijaan), Kareena Kapoor Khan (Bajrangi Bhaijaan), Konkona Sen Sharma (Talvar), Shweta Tripathi (Masaan) and all of the leading ladies from Angry Indian Goddesses. Special mentions also go out for Tabu for Drishyam and Radhika Apte for Badlapur even though they were not the leads, they were extremely impressive. Do you think we missed out on any one? Do let us know in the comments!