The Indian film industry has come a long way since its inception, over a century ago. What has been a case of intrigue for many is the development of female characters on screen and the development of women actors off it. The Hindi film industry has been at the forefront of providing extraordinary talents to the world of cinema. In the course of this journey, there have been many such actors who have not scaled the levels of stardom, which others did.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2023, let us have a look at a few underrated women actors from the current generation, whom we need to celebrate more!
Nimrat Kaur
Nimrat Kaur gained worldwide recognition after the release of the 2013 film, Lunchbox. Kaur had the tough task of matching the screen presence of the late Irrfan Khan, which she did quite successfully in the movie.
Nimrat Kaur worked hard to even get cast in a film like Lunchbox. She was featured in a few music videos in the early 2000s. Her big screen debut happened in 2012, with Peddlers, a movie which was produced by Anurag Kashyap. Her performance in the movie was received well and it also got screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
Nimrat Kaur. Credits – India TV
Besides Indian films, Kaur has also worked on several international projects. Homelander is one of her most talked about work, international. Kaur was last seen in a movie named Dasvi with Abhishek Bachchan.
Konkana Sen Sharma
Konkana Sen Sharma has been in the industry for quite a while. She made her debut as a child artist in 1983 (Indira). However, she caught the eye of the critics and audiences right after her first movie as an adult, Ek Je Aachhe Kanya. The first few years of her career were marked by Bengali movies, one of which was Titli, directed by Ritupurna Gosh.
Konkana Sen Sharma. Credits – Film Companion
One of her first major recognition was for the movie Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, directed by Aparna Sen. Sharma won the prestigious National Film Award for Best Actress award for the film.
After working in a mix of Art and Mainstream cinema for over two decades, Sharma shifted to filmmaking. Her first directorial venture was ‘A Death In The Gunj’, which made everyone’s list of top movies from 2017.
Tillotama Shome
Tilotama Shome. Credits – Outlook India
Shome has been in the industry for the last couple of decades. She made her debut with an acclaimed Mira Nair film, Monsoon Wedding. After her stunning debut, Shome made her way to different types of cinema. One of her first international projects was Claire McCarthy’s The Waiting City, where she played a nun. Shome was also seen in Dibakar Banerjee’s political thriller Shanghai.
In the last 20 years, the actress has carved a dedicated fan base for her work across the globe.
Rasika Dugal
Rasika Dugal. Credits – Koimoi.com
Best known for her work in Mirzapur, Dugal made her acting debut in 2007. Since then the talented actress has been frequent with her movies which, just like Konkana Sen Sharma, balance out the art and commercial space.
The actor received tremendous praise for her role in Qissa, which was released in 2015. Dugal has also worked with Dulquer Salmaan, in his 2016 film Kammatti Paadam. Besides films, she has been frequent in TV shows and several other short films.
