For decades, Bollywood treated heroines like decorative angels. They existed to cry prettily, smile in slow motion, or twirl in chiffon as the hero sang about their eyes.
Their moral compass was spotless, their decisions dictated by patriarchal scripts, and their destinies tied to the hero’s journey. The only shade of grey they were allowed was in their eyeshadow.
But the tide has turned. Today, some of Bollywood’s leading ladies are deliberately shredding that halo and embracing villainy, moral ambiguity, and outright darkness. And let’s face it — the screen has never looked more alive.
The reasons are many, though not always as noble as actors and PR teams would like us to believe. On one hand, audiences are more accepting of layered women who are flawed, complex, and even cruel. On the other, heroines themselves know that the “sacrificial bahu” and “pretty prop” roles don’t stretch an actor’s muscles — or their career span. If you want to stay relevant, why settle for weeping when you can scheme, seduce, or kill?
Take Priyanka Chopra in ‘Aitraaz’. With one role, she went from sweet supporting characters to a power-hungry femme fatale who weaponised ambition and sexuality in ways Bollywood wasn’t prepared for.
Priyanka Chopra was only 22 when she starred in a movie like aitraaz meanwhile, some random NRI with no real accomplishments is out here making reels judging people’s food choices is so funny to me btwpic.twitter.com/GOSDgdFlXb
— ayushi⋆. /(@ayushii5k) July 10, 2025
Tabu has made an art form out of playing grey — whether as Lady Macbeth’s morally rotting counterpart in ‘Maqbool’ or the chillingly unpredictable femme fatale in ‘Andhadhun’. Heroines once caged in virtue suddenly had permission to be dangerous, and the audience lapped it up.
Vidya Balan went a step further by bringing ambiguity in her personal brand. From the seductive trickster in ‘Ishqiya’ to the unapologetic starlet in ‘The Dirty Picture’ and the manipulative avenger in ‘Kahaani’, she dismantled the notion that heroines must always be likable. And audiences rewarded her with box office gold.
Even mainstream stars have dipped their toes in the shadows. Deepika Padukone broke her “perfect woman” image in ‘Gehraiyaan’, playing a guilt-ridden lover spiraling through infidelity. Alia Bhatt’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ blurred the lines between victim and queenpin, while Kangana Ranaut relished her chance to play the supervillain Kaya in ‘Krrish 3’, turning comic-book camp into high-voltage menace.
What unites these women is not just their willingness to look ugly on screen — morally or emotionally — but their defiance of Bollywood’s long-standing obsession with virtuous femininity. By stepping into villainous or grey spaces, they’re not only grabbing meatier scripts, they’re also exposing the hypocrisy of an industry (and an audience) that once worshipped only the “good girl.”
Also Read: Bollywood’s love affair with villainy
The truth is, it’s far more fun to watch a heroine smirk while plotting betrayal than cry into her dupatta. These “bad girls” aren’t just redefining roles for actresses; they’re also teaching Bollywood a valuable lesson: halos may shine, but darkness gets the better box office.
