Indian cinema is full of male-led action movies where ultra-masculine characters fight against crime and injustice while juggling with explosives in slow motion. However, there is a dearth of female action heroes and every time such a movie is released, we cannot help but watch it with fixated eyes. We could all agree that there's a touch of decision-driven refinement in action female-led movies that makes the films gripping.
If you're in the mood to watch action female-led movies for a change, check out the list below for the biggest female-led Bollywood thrillers. Over the years, some wonderful stories with thoughtfully created female heroes have graced our screens and it's always a delight to watch these movies. Check out the renowned titles on our list!
Here are six popular action female lead movies you need to watch
1. Kahaani (2012)
Released in 2012, Kahaani is one of the finest mysteries in Bollywood that has the talented Vidya Balan as its lead character. The movie narrates the story of a heavily pregnant lady who lies from London to Kolkata to look for her missing husband. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, Kahaani is one of the first movies we think of in the list of female lead action movies. Kahaani is a must-watch for everyone who loves unpredictable and jaw-dropping plot twists and dramatic changes of events in movies.
2. Mardaani (2014)
Directed by Pradeep Sarkar and produced by Aditya Chopra, Mardaani is a gripping movie starring Rani Mukerji. With her stellar performance, Rani successfully establishes herself as a bankable action star in the movie. She plays the role of a serious and efficient policewoman in the movie who is a no-nonsense person. She is on a mission to uncover the mysterious disappearance of the teenage girl, but thihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04E-jHtWrDA&pp=ygUQbWFyZGFhbmkgdHJhaWxlcg%3D%3Dngs are not as simple. In Mardaani movie, we see Senior Inspector Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) overcome a series of increasingly complicated events before she finally exposes a human trafficking ring, all the while risking her own life. Mardaani movie hits differently because of Rani’s proactive and realistic acting and the fact that we see the untraditional portrayal of a woman in the charged role of a police officer who is motivated to fight crime.
3. NH10 (2015)
Directed by Navneet Singh, NH10 is a critically acclaimed Bollywood thriller starring Anushka Sharma and Neil Bhoopalam. Anushka and Neil play the characters of Meera and Arjun, a couple who find themselves being witnesses to a horrific murder on a road trip. The Anushka Sharma movie NH10 then takes us on a thrilling ride of how the gangster involved in the murder chases this couple. This Anushka Sharma movie NH 10 is rather gory and filled with endless action series, so get ready for a riveting watch!
4. Naam Shabana (2017)
Starring Tapsee Pannu, Naam Shabana is a noted film in the list of female-lead action movies. Directed by Shivam Nair, this movie is the sequel to Neeraj Pandey’s 2015 movie Baby. Naam Shabana narrates the story of a Mumbai-based middle-class girl who lives with her mother. This girl, Shabana Khan (played by Tapsee) gets into an altercation with goons on the street one day when they try to harass her. Her friend Jai (who was with her with the fight happened) gets killed by the same gang. Unable to get justice, Shabana then embarks on the mission of seeking revenge and is approached by a top-tier secret agency to be a field agent in exchange for help in finding and killing the miscreants. Among the unusual action films female lead, Naam Shabana not only takes you for an emotional ride but also shows the precision with which Tapsee does justice to her character!
5. Mom (2017)
Yet another action film's female lead that we fondly remember today as the legendary Sridevi’s last work before her untimely death is Mom with Sridevi as the lead character, a mother on a mission to avenge the sexual assault of her daughter at a party. This is one of the female lead action movies with a phenomenal cast, including renowned actors like Akshaye Khanna and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The movie was able to grasp the eyes of the audience as one that shows how furious and bold a mother’s love for her children can be. Sridevi was posthumously awarded a national award for her excellent performance in this movie.
6. Raazi (2018)
The Raazi movie is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s 2008 novel ‘Calling Sehmat.’ With a female director and a strong female lead coming together to create a spectacular spy thriller, Raazi movie gives us one of the best action films featuring the story of undercover agents. Raazi is considered to be one of the best female-led action movies of Bollywood and is particularly celebrated for Alia Bhatt's phenomenal performance as the undercover RAW agent Sehmat Khan. In the movie, she is married into a Pakistani family to gather information about the enemy. This compelling story is sure to keep you hooked to the edge of your seat from start to end.