Women of India have achieved great success in today's world. Despite the societal norms and stereotypes, they have come a long way in the last few decades. Indian women are achieving success in various fields of society. They have established their names even to the space. Be it space, politics, technology, sports, entertainment, entrepreneurship, or anything. To celebrate their success, they have been provided honorable awards, certificates, and also films that are completely based on their lives. Films that are based on real-life women who have achieved success not only praise them, they even show the barriers and challenges they have faced during their journey. It is a platform that shows their complete journey to inspire other females who aspire to achieve something in their lives. It is also a perseverance of their legacy and contributions towards society.
Some of the top films based on real-life women are listed below:
Mary Kom
The Bollywood biopic "Mary Kom" is based on the real-life of Indian boxer Mary Kom, who has achieved the World Amateur Boxing Championship five times and clinched the bronze medal at the Olympics. Priyanka Chopra played the role of Mary Kom and the film was directed by Omung Kumar.
The film revolves around the life of Mary Kom and her struggles to become a renowned boxer. She belongs to a small village in Manipur and a poor family. The film demonstrates the obstacles and difficulties she faced as a young girl who was interested in sports that were not mostly played by girls. She overcame all the odds to follow her passion and the sacrifices she made in achieving success at the biggest tournament of her life.
Neerja
The biographical thriller of Bollywood, "Neerja" is a film based upon the real life of Indian Flight attendant, Neerja Bhanot who sacrificed her life in 1986 during a plane hijack to protect the passengers. A film by Ram Madhvani in which actress Sonam Kapoor played the character of Neerja.
The film showcases the complete journey of Neerja as a flight attendant for Pan Am Airlines and also her early years of struggle. The film entails the bravery, strength, and selflessness of Neerja and how she managed to save the passengers of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan without thinking about her life.
Manikarnika
The legacy of Rani Laxmibai is known by almost everyone. She has been a female fighter for the independence of India against the Britishers. This historical drama made by Bollywood "Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi" is entirely based upon the life of Rani Laxmibai, who is one of the key figures in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The character of Rani Laxmibai was played by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut who also directed the film along with Krish.
The film shows the life of Rani Laxmibai, how she managed to fight against the British East India Company, her early life, and how she became the Queen of Jhansi.
Chhapaak
An acid attack is one of the most vulnerable acts any human can perform. The film, "Chhapaak" is based upon the real-life experiences of an acid attack survivor and activist, Laxmi Agarwal. Deepika Padukone played the main character of the film named Malti and the film was directed by Meghna Gulzar. The film revolves around the life of Malti (Laxmi) who has fought for her life and against the culprits. It shows her joyous teenage life as an acid attack survivor and documents her battle to recover from those harsh situations both physically and mentally. The film also shows how she fought to ban acid sales in the markets of India. The problems she faced of acid assaults, gender-based violence, and the negligence and inadequacy of legal systems to address such heinous crimes.
Gunjan Saxena
"Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl" is a film directed by Sharan Sharma. The main character of Gunjan Saxena was played by Janhvi Kapoor. The film is based on the life of Gunjan Saxena, the first Indian woman to fly in a combat zone during the 1999 Kargil War and also served as the first female pilot in the Indian Air Force. The film shows Gunjan's responsibilities during the Kargil War which include transporting supplies and helping in surveillance. She evacuated over 900 troops from Kargil both alive and dead. This film was a remarkable honor to the service of Gunjan Saxena towards the nation.
Shakuntala Devi
The biographical drama titled "Shakuntala Devi" is a film directed by Anu Menon and played by Vidya Balan. The film is based on the life of Shakuntala Devi, an Indian author and mental computer who was popularly known as the "human computer".
It also shows the personal life of Shakuntala, her relationships, relation with her daughter, and the awards and accomplishments she received for her work as a mental calculator.
Sarbjit
Omung Kumar directed film, "Sarbjit" is an Indian film based on the life of an Indian farmer Sarabjit Singh, who spend 23 years of his life in prison in Pakistan after being falsely accused of being a terrorist. The character of Sarabjit Singh was played by Randeep Hooda. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Richa Chadha, and Darshan Kumaar played the supporting characters. The film depicts the facets of Sarabjit Singh and specifically his sister’s endless efforts to bring back her brother from prison.
No One Killed Jessica
An Indian criminal thriller film "No One Killed Jessica" was made by Ronnie Screwvala and Raj Kumar Gupta. It is a film that is entirely based on the true story of Jessica Lal, a young model who also worked as a bartender. She was murdered in 1999 in Delhi at a high-profile party by the son of a politician.
Vidya Balan played the role of Jessica's sister Sabrina and Rani Mukerji acted as the main protagonist of the film as Meera, a journalist who investigates the murder case. The film’s major focus was to showcase the harsh reality of the Indian justice system and the corruption and manipulation by rich and powerful people to hide the truth.
