1. Priyanka Chopra (God Tussi Great Ho, Love Story 2050, Chamku, Fashion, Drona, Dostana)
If there’s any actresses who’s been lucky enough to enjoy a roller-coaster ride this year, it’s Priyanka Chopra. With two disasters, two flops and two hits, Priyanka has been to hell and back in terms of her professional standing this year. Despite a couple average performances, Priyanka’s work in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion was so astounding that we could not help but place her at the top of this list. The range of emotions she exhibited throughout the film is a feat for any actress. I don’t think we’ve seen her give such a powerful performance since Aitraaz. This is easily her best work yet! Although the film flopped big time, Priyanka was also quite good in Drona and got to show us a bit of action as well. The icing on the cake was Dostana, one of the most entertaining films of the year, in which Priyanka played the girl-next-door like a natural pro. One thing I must commend her on is her excellent dialogue delivery, which rarely seems forced. Truly, Priyanka Chopra is the one actress who dug deep into her soul in order to exhibit such a wide array of emotions with such flourish.
Special Mentions:
Eesha Kopikkar – There’s no denying that Eesha Kopikkar has grown tremendously as an actress in Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi. For the first time, she’s performed a lead role wonderfully and has broken her item girl image.
Katrina Kaif – She’s clearly not the strongest actress, but we can’t overlook Katrina Kaif’s star power. Unlike last year with Namastey London, she hasn’t done anything too extraordinary this year but still remains an audience favourite.
Neha Dhupia – This has been Neha Dhupia’s best year ever, with several strong performances in Mithya, Dasvidaniya, Maharathi and Singh is Kinng. She is finally carving her own niche in the industry.
It’s always fun to look back at the most thrilling moments of the year, whether it’s in terms of acting, music or films in general. Our actresses don’t always get the recognition they deserve and are often considered second-best to their male counterparts who hold the most power in the industry. Nevertheless, they continue to assert their talent each year and prove that they are equally as fantastic. So here’s to Indian cinema and its outstanding female talent—let’s hope for an even better year ahead!
