Let’s
be
honest,
2024
in
Hindi
cinema
is
not
one
for
the
books.
Between
utter
tripe
and
unmemorable,
I
found
just
a
glimmer
of
hope
sparking
my
interest
on
occasions
too
few
and
far
between.
Despite
the
odds,
these
girls
came
on
top
reiterating
their
craft
and
hunger
for
exciting
roles
and
ingenious
scripts.
Two
of
India’s
most
globally
triumphant
movies
this
year,
both
the
Cannes
star
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
and
Oscar
hopeful
Laapataa
Ladies,
feature
women
at
its
centre
as
well
as
behind
the
scenes
(Payal
Kapadia,
Kiran
Rao).
Where
the
seasoned
ones
made
good
on
their
promise
to
push
the
envelope,
get
out
of
the
comfort
zone
or
let
their
hair
down,
relatively
unknown
talent
bowled
me
over
by
their
instinct
and
confidence.
Sukanya
Verma
raises
a
toast
to
the
top
female
performers
of
2024,
in
no
particular
order.
Kareena
Kapoor
Khan,
The
Buckingham
Murders,
Crew
Entering
the
most
enlightened
phase
of
her
career
has
also
been
most
gratifying
with
Kareena
opening
up
in
ways
that’s
befitting
of
her
raw,
real,
radiant
artist.
It’s
what
makes
her
portrait
of
sorrow
looking
to
find
closure
across
a
murder
mystery
in
Hansal
Mehta’s
UK-based
police
procedural
such
a
sublime
expression
of
suffering.
Versatility
is
the
name
of
the
game,
of
course.
Bebo’s
materialistic,
manipulative
avatar
as
part
of
Crew‘s
con
girl
gang
shows
off
her
comedy
chops
are
equally
adept
at
delivering
a
bang
for
your
buck.
Chhaya
Kadam,
Laapataa
Ladies,
All
We
Imagine
As
Light,
Madgaon
Express
What
a
banner
year
for
Lady
Kadam!
One
year,
three
dramatically
different
films
and
a
common
goal
of
highlighting
how
stupendous
she
is.
Be
it
as
tea
vendor
Manju
Mai
sharing
priceless
pearls
of
wisdom
in
Laapataa
Ladies,
hospital
cook
Parvati
harbouring
displacement
woes
in
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
or
badass
gangster
Kanchan
Kombdi
in
crime
comedy,
Madgaon
Express,
her
wide
range
across
all
moods
—
strong,
sassy
and
silly
is
testament
to
her
terrific
skills.
Vidya
Balan,
Do
Aur
Do
Pyaar,
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa
3
Vidya
Balan’s
adorable
ode
to
the
’90s
kid
over
a
spontaneous
dance
to
the
beats
of
Bin
Tere
Sanam
reserved
her
place
on
this
list.
At
any
rate,
she’s
plain
delightful
in
Do
Aur
Do
Pyaar
as
a
woman
whose
daddy
issues
often
weigh
down
her
understanding
of
what
it
means
to
love
or
let
go.
Vidya’s
return
as
Manjulika
in
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa
3
is
as
uncomplicated
as
it
gets.
Except
the
actor’s
visible
pleasure
in
revisiting
one
of
her
most
popular
roles
tilts
the
scales
in
favour
of
Anees
Bazmee’s
horror
comedy.
Kani
Kusruti,
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
Kani
Kusruti’s
eyes
speaker
louder
than
words
conveying
a
woman’s
longing
while
living
a
life
spent
in
vacuum.
As
a
Kerala
native
employed
as
a
senior
nurse
in
Mumbai,
she
is
a
reliable
presence
among
the
ones
she
works
for
and
with.
Payal
Kapadia’s
luminous
ode
to
the
city
and
its
women
finds
its
poignant
texture
in
Kani’s
discreet
ache
and
sympathetic
ally.
Divya
Prabha,
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
speaks
Malayalam,
Hindi,
Marathi
—
it’s
not
a
Hindi
film
per
se.
But
its
throbbing
Mumbai
voices
and
heart
insists
I
ignore
the
specifics.
One
glimpse
of
the
spunky
Divya
Prabha
trying
out
a
pair
of
sunglasses
inside
a
busy
Bombay
store
makes
it
impossible
to
not
do
so.
The
young
woman’s
glorious
mix
of
guts
and
spirit
imbues
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
with
an
abandon
its
more
self-conscious
protagonists
can
only
dream
of.
Parineeti
Chopra,
Amar
Singh
Chamkila
Portraying
one
half
of
folk
singers
Amar
Singh
Chamkila
and
Amarjot
Kaur
personal
and
professional
partnership,
Parineeti
Chopra’s
contribution
to
Imtiaz
Ali’s
musical
biopic
may
not
reveal
as
many
layers
to
her
as
one
would
have
liked
but
her
enthusiasm
and
efforts
refuse
to
lie
low.
Keeping
with
the
movie’s
live
singing
format,
Chopra
uses
her
vocal
training
to
her
advantage
whilst
carrying
the
high
pitched
tunes
but
it’s
her
oneness
with
the
mood
and
flavour
they’re
conveying
that
sets
her
apart.
Alia
Bhatt,
Jigra
Alia
Bhatt
channelling
her
inner
Bachchan
to
rescue
her
little
brother
caught
behind
bars
in
a
foreign
country
sounds
all
kinds
of
preposterous
on
paper.
But
her
steadfast,
simmering,
subdued
performance
proves
to
be
all
kinds
of
explosive
in
how
it
nervously
goes
for
its
cause
no
matter
how
impossible
the
challenges.
Alia’s
slow
burn
onslaught
is
telling
of
her
will
to
go
against
the
grain
and
Vasan
Bala’s
rebellious
vision
of
mainstream.
Kriti
Sanon,
Crew,
Teri
Baaton
Mein
Aisa
Uljha
Jiya,
Do
Patti
A
drop
dead
gorgeous
robot
stirring
up
domestic
desires
within
a
lovestruck
bachelor
in
Teri
Baaton
Mein
Aisa
Uljha
Jiya,
a
well-meaning
airhostess
compelled
to
scam
for
better
prospects
in
Crew,
a
pair
of
chalk
and
cheese
twins
caught
in
a
web
of
deceit
and
domestic
violence
in
Do
Patti,
Kriti
Sanon
gets
full
marks
for
upping
her
game.
She
displays
her
flair
and
hons
her
skills
even
while
looking
glam
and
functioning
inside
of
conventional
premises
and
treatments.
Nitanshi
Goel,
Laapataa
Ladies
In
our
Gen
Z
actors
to
watch
out
for
feature,
I
mentioned
how
Nitanshi’s
‘wide-eyed
Phool
Kumari’
in
Laapataa
Ladies
‘exudes
the
kind
of
good
faith
that
cannot
be
feigned
and
evolves
into
something
special’
over
the
course
of
its
lost
and
found
tale.
It
truly
does.
Hopefully,
the
youngster
will
deliver
on
the
promise
of
that
and
more
in
her
upcoming
endeavours.
Pratibha
Ranta,
Laapataa
Ladies
Kiran
Rao’s
lovely
Laapataa
Ladies
gains
from
the
spontaneous
ardour
and
straightforward
grace
of
its
leading
ladies.
Chhaya’s
crackling
insights,
Nitanshi’s
blameless
charm
ably
converge
with
Pratibha’s
elegantly
essayed
complexity
of
a
young
woman
gently
yet
cleverly
claiming
her
agency.
The
troika
are
crucial
to
its
endless
appeal.
Ananya
Pandey,
CTRL
Call
Me
Bae‘s
comic,
charismatic
heroine
is
tailor-made
for
cheering
and
applause.
It’s
the
dignity
she
brings
to
the
more
dialled-down
version
of
her
social
media
celebrity
turned
whistleblower
caught
in
a
Gen
Z
crisis
in
Vikramaditya
Motwane’s
masterful
CTRL
that
highlights
the
extent
of
her
slowly,
surely
building
calibre.
CTRL
completely
relies
on
her
up,
close
and
personal
reactions
to
create
a
feeling
of
empathy
and
paranoia
towards
a
virtual
reality
that’s
as
remote
as
it
is
omnipresent.
Props
to
Ananya
for
nailing
the
paradox
so
competently.
Katrina
Kaif,
Merry
Christmas
Understated
is
the
key
to
Katrina’s
breakthrough.
She’s
cued
in
at
all
times
in
Sriram
Raghavan’s
unexpected
romance
in
the
body
of
a
suspenseful
drama
revealing
her
as
an
attractive
blend
of
fragile
and
flawed
over
the
course
of
its
enigmatic
and
passionate
night
of
moody
moments
and
madness.
A
twisted
slice-of-festive
time-serendipity,
Merry
Christmas
finds
its
source
of
wonder
in
Katrina
and
her
acknowledgement
of
its
many-a-slip-between-the
cup-and-lip
love
story.
Preeti
Panagrahi,
Girls
Will
Be
Girls
What
a
find,
Preeti
is.
Girls
Will
Be
Girls
owes
much
of
its
naturalistic
energy
or
headlong
charms
to
the
young
actor’s
gently
curious
exploration
of
puberty.
The
way
she
uses
her
smile
—
there
are
dozens
of
them,
every
single
one
more
meaningful
than
another
—
and
tempers
her
character’s
desires
as
well
as
control
to
alternate
between
the
person
she
hopes
to
be
and
the
one
she
cannot
help
find
a
glorious
portrayal
in
this
actress
to
watch
out
for.
