Being typecasted in this industry where the actresses were merely a furniture in the film, was unavoidable few years ago. There was a time when the heroine's role was confined to being just an arm candy to the extraordinarily powerful and righteous hero. Anushka Sharma is one such Bollywood actress who never did the films just for the heck of it. Despite spending years struggling to get a break in the industry, the 31-year-old never gave into the whims and fancies of being a visually-perfect heroine in a commercial film. If you look at her career trajectory, hardly you will find any such movie which had Anushka Sharma as a side-kick or in a role that doesn't define her. On her 31st birthday, let's have a look how Anushka Sharma broke stereotypes in Bollywood with each of the film she did.
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Anushka Sharma is one such actresses who got the fortune to debut in Bollywood with none other than Shah Rukh Khan. Despite doing a masala entertainer with the most bankable actor in the industry, Anushka Sharma's role as Taani Sahni got enough screen time. In fact it was as much as Shah Rukh Khan's, if not less than him. To this day, her performance is near and dear to many cinephiles.
PK
How many Bollywood actresses you've seen who are ready to give up their glam image on screen and play a mediocre journalist? Anushka Sharma not only cut down her mane for the film but also played a character which is not perfect or even satisfactory in its trade. If you've watched the film, her character Jaggu had its own struggles, failures and misgivings.
Pari
This was a rager for Anushka Sharma. Though Pari didn't do a great business at the box office, but she will always be remembered for this role. It takes guts to shed down your diva image on screen and play a human-witch on screen, slathered in blood and dirt. Anushka Sharma not only did play the role on screen, but she brought it to life without making it seem pretentious.
Sui Dhaaga
After Pari, Anushka Sharma was on a roll. She was in no mood to pick up traditional roles for herself. In Sui Dhaaga, also starring Varun Dhawan, the gorgeous actress stepped into the shoes of Mamta and how. Carefully working on the details of a middle-class Indian woman, Anushka Sharma left nothing to be desired. Right from her costume to her body language, everything was carefully worked upon.
NH10
When we saw Anushka Sharma in NH10, we knew that the times when actresses used to be just arm candies were over. Heroines were more than that. Like Anushka smashing some skulls and shedding blood in her own production debut. The film was a critical hit, without a doubt why.
Zero
Although Kalki Koechlin already played a character with cerebral palsy on screen, it was refreshing to see a mainstream actress like Anushka Sharma taking up the role. We won't say that she was perfect in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer, but the message she sent across with her role was commendable enough. She sent the message loud and clear, that the time's up for the Bollywood films to be entirely driven by the male actors.
On a related note, have a look a this unseen video of birthday girl Anushka Sharma from her early days in Bollywood.
