First Take | Of memorable performances by female leads in Shyam Singha Roy, Bhoothakalam, Juniper

The most agreeable part of watching three immeasurably beautiful women take centre stage in three very different films, in three different languages is that there is no sense of self-congratulations in the endeavour. You wouldn’t be able to take your eyes off the sparks and flames of mutual passion between Shyam Singha Roy and the lovely Devdasi Maithrayee, played by the bewitching Sai Pallavi. Shabana Azmi who has been a constantly powerful hero in Hindi cinema since the 1970s when she began her stunning career in Shyam Benegal’s Ankur feels the time is right for female heroes. I was playing some very substantial roles in Parallel cinema that won me critical acclaim and several national awards so I developed a status that was equivalent to the most successful stars of those times such as Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman because I was not competing on their home ground- had I done that I’m sure I would have been on the bottom rung of the ladder but parallel cinema gave me and Smita and Naseer and Om a unique position and I will always feel indebted to the various directors and writers who cast me in strong meaningful roles.” Shabana feels there’s a wide variety of roles that are available to all kinds of actors. And I found myself playing Rajesh Khanna’s mother just 9 years after I played his leading lady in Khamoshi.” Waheedaji blames the male-dominated film industry for the premature matriarchal status accorded to leading ladies.