If 2018 was the year of the every man, 2019 looks like it will be the year of the biopic. Bollywood is set to bring the lives of inspiring women — from acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal to South Indian actor Shakeela who defied societal norms to make her name for herself in over 250 films — to the big screen. Here are some woman-led biopics you shouldn’t miss this year.
Chhapaak
After taking a break post Padmaavat, Deepika Padukone is set to play acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal in Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak. Agarwal was attacked in 2005 in Delhi, at the age of 15, by a man whose advances she had rejected. She has since become an influential advocate for other acid attack survivors.
Confirming the news in a tweet, Deepika described the film as “a story of trauma and triumph. And the unquashable human spirit”.
Produced by Fox Star Studios, the film will also star Vikrant Massey. Chhapaak will go on floors in March and is scheduled to release by the end of the year.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
In Manikarnika, Kangana Ranaut will play the warrior queen Rani Lakshmibai, who, at a young age bravely led her troops in battle against the British to save her kingdom of Jhansi during the 1857 revolt. Television actor Ankita Lokhande will also make her Bollywood debut with the film, playing Jhalkaribai, the legendary woman soldier who rose through the ranks and served as the queen’s advisor and commander of her troops.
The film has been co-directed by Kangana Ranaut and Krish and produced by Zee Studios in association with Kamal Jain and Nishant Pitti. It also stars Atul Kulkarni, Danny Denzongpa, Suresh Oberoi and Jisshu Sengupta. Manikarnika hits theatres on 25 January.
Shakeela
South Indian star Shakeela Khan will be immortalised on the big screen by Fukrey actor Richa Chadha. The actor rose in popularity after the demise of Silk Smitha, the yesteryear star who inspired Vidya Balan’s character in The Dirty Picture. Though she is mostly remembered for her roles in adult films, Shakeela made her mark in mainstream cinema and featured in around 250 titles in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
The film has directed by Indrajit Lankesh film and co-produced by Magic Cinemas and Yoddhas Entertainment. It is slated to release in summer 2019.
Saina Nehwal Biopic
Shraddha Kapoor will star in a yet untitled biopic on badminton champion Saina Nehwal who holds over 23 international titles. The film is an Amole Gupte (Stanley Ka Dabba, Hawaa Hawaai) directorial and produced by Bhushan Kumar.
Gunjan Saxena Biopic
Janhvi Kapoor made her debut in 2018 with Karan Johar’s Dhadak. The director has signed her on to play India’s first woman IAF chopper pilot Gunjan Saxena in an upcoming biopic which he will produce. Saxena earned acclaim for her heroic efforts to evacuate Indian soldiers from Kargil in 1999 alongside her fellow flight lieutenant Srividya Rajan in the face of enemy fire. Janhvi reportedly took flying lessons and spent a few days with Saxena and learning how the Indian Air Force works to prepare for the role.
Womaniya
According to reports, Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar will play lead roles in a biopic about Uttar Pradesh’s octogenarians Chadro and Prakashi Tomar, the world’s oldest sharpshooters. The film will see the directorial debut of Tushar Hiranandani (ABCD 2, Dishoom) and is to be co-produced by Anurag Kashyap, Shibashish Sarkar and Nidhi Parmar.
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