MUMBAI: After decades of male domination, Bollywood has seen a recent wave of hit movies starring Indian women in tough, smart lead roles, suggesting the gender tide may finally be turning.
India's movie goers are used to watching glamorous and often scantily clad women on screen, almost always playing damsels in distress or love interests torn between family duty and following their heart.
But a series of gritty leading roles for women, including a boxing champion and a detective, is marking a cinematic shift from outdated stereotypes to a more accurate reflection of modern India.
"The good-guy bad-guy formula is no longer working and we are exploring real stories," actress Huma Qureshi told AFP.
"We are opening up to new experiences and that is reflective of society. The writing is improving and actors are willing to take more chances," she added.
Qureshi co-starred with Madhuri Dixit in "Dedh Ishqiya", a story about two strong women who refuse to play by the rules.
It was one of more than a dozen women-centric Bollywood movies released last year that saw actresses -- and not their male counterparts -- plastered on promotional billboards across the country.
Others that made waves at the box office included "Queen", "Mary Kom", "Mardaani" and "Highway", while "Piku", "NH10" and "Tanu Weds Manu Returns" did the same this year.
Two more are in the pipeline: action thriller "Jazbaa", starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and "Bajirao Mastani", a romantic period drama featuring Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra.
Chopra played world champion boxer Mary Kom in a 2014 biopic about the pugilist, while Kangana Ranaut's character took off on a solo honeymoon to Europe after being dumped by her fiancée in "Queen".
Ranaut wowed audiences with her double role in "Tanu Weds Manu Returns" earlier this year while Padukone received plaudits playing a hard-working architect who arranges a road trip for her ailing father in "Piku".
Hindi movies have long been made and marketed on the brand value and star power of the male hero, from actors Rajesh Khanna to Amitabh Bachchan, and Shah Rukh Khan to Salman Khan.
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