Ma Durga is celebrated as the symbol of feminine force and courage every year during the Navratras. When no man or god could control the tyranny of the demon named Mahishasur, the lords gave their superpowers to Durga, for her to take him down and save the world. Sounds like the perfect good vs evil narrative straight out of a Bollywood flick, doesn’t it! No wonder filmmakers have created fictional embodiments of Durga’s shakti, time and again, with these powerful female characters.
From Rekha in Khoon Bhari Maang (1988) to Kahaani’s Vidya Balan (2012), here’s a listicle of leading roles inspired by Ma Durga. Happy pujo!
1. Sridevi in ‘MOM’ (2017)
Sridevi’s 300th film showcases the late actress as a mother who turns into a criminal mastermind to get justice for her daughter, a victim of sexual assault. Devki isn’t scared to pick up the gun shoot evil straight in the head.
2. Taapsee Pannu in ‘Pink’ (2016)
Taapsee Pannu’s Minal from Pink (2016) might sound meek in the courtroom, but she doesn’t give up against the men determined to take her down after sexually harassing her. Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s female trio portray the force of Durga rather unconventionally in their attack on male predators, but effectively nevertheless.
3. Anushka Sharma in ‘NH10’ (2015)
Navdeep Singh drove India’s deeply patriarchal reality home with NH10. But Anushka Sharma becomes the embodiment of goddess Durga in her portrayal of Meera, as she beats up a gang of men to their graves, avenging her husband. With every swing of her rod, she beats patriarchy, honour killing and evil out of the park.
4. Madhuri Dixit in ‘Gulaab Gang’ (2014)
Madhuri Dixit as Rajjo leads a crusade against domestic violence, the dowry system, rape and education in Bundelkhand. She locks horns with villainous husbands, shrewd politicians and conniving government officers, fearlessly. Don’t be fooled by her pink sari and all that song and dance. When it comes to wielding a lathi, she’s a Durga reincarnate.
5. Rani Mukerji in ‘Mardaani’ (2014)
Rani Mukerjee is chasing the kingpin of a human trafficking drug cartel as the hardened cop Shivani Shivaji Roy. In the film’s climax, she finds herself alone with Karan, played by Tahir Raj Bhasin, who she beats up with all her might for laughing at her femininity. Ma Durga too is a symbol of what goes down when the world downplays the power of a woman.
6. Vidya Balan as Vidya Bagchi in ‘Kahaani’ (2012)
Vidya Balan as the heavily pregnant Vidya Bagchi in Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani couldn’t resemble goddess Durga more in the film’s thrilling climax. Slaying the bad guy dressed in a white and red sari, with vermilion in her hair and a bindi on her forehead, Balan is merciless in the manhunt and her ultimate revenge.
7. Urmila Matondkar in ‘Ek Haseena Thi’ (2004)
Urmila Matondkar as Sarika undergoes a complete transformation from devi to shakti in this Sriram Raghavan revenge thriller. The doe-eyed simpleton turns all her power, mind and hate towards Karan (played by Saif Ali Khan) in the film’s climax. She does this as she leaves him to die in a rat infested cave.
8. Rekha in ‘Khoon Bhari Maang’ (1988)
From the helpless Aarti to the revengeful Jyoti, Rekha is all about vengeance and girl power in Rakesh Roshan’s Khoon Bhari Maang (1988).
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