Women are leading the way in Bollywood, with films going on to set benchmarks at the box office and redefining the norms of society.

Kangana Ranaut  was the first to pioneer the trend as Tanu in Aanand L Rai‘s Tanu Weds Manu.

Kangana who cemented her position as probably the best actress of her generation with her National award win, credits director Aanand L Rai and writer Himanshu Sharma for envisioning the future of women in the movies and not shying away from portraying an unconventional woman over 4 years ago.

Aanand L Rai introduced Tanu four years ago at a time where a woman who does not follow conventional norms, speaks her mind, indulges in social taboos like casual s** and drinks alcohol were looked down upon in films and were considered vamps but Tanuja Trividi was an instant hit among the audiences, post which many filmmakers followed the trend. It will not be wrong if a feisty woman like Tanu is called a quintessential Bollywood heroine today. And Kangana R. gives credit to Anand Rai for setting the trend.

Talking about the way heroines were portrayed in Bollywood, Kangana Ranaut says ,”Mostly in Indian cinema, woman characters have been stereotypical. I loved playing ‘Tanu’s character and the best part is the fact that she has been loved widely. This nation embraced a woman character who challenges the moral police. A woman like Tanu has been loved for her individuality and not judged and this gives me a lot of hope for the future of Cinema in this country”.