We love a strong female character on screen…obviously. And this year has given us many strong and powerful women in films and web series. Women who have faced a crisis with a brave face, women who have stood up to injustice, some who haven’t been the most likeable but have shown strength beyond measure nonetheless. 2022 has been a year of powerful women and here are some of our favourite female characters from movies and series released this year.

1. Gangu from Gangubai Kathiawadi

To say 2022 was the Alia Bhatt year would be an understatement. Be it the news of her nuptials, her motherhood, or her blockbuster performances this year, Alia rocked in 2022. She had three major releases this year with Gangubai Kathiawadi, Darlings, and Brahmastra, and all three were super hits. But one character that proved she is an actor to watch out for is Gangu from Gangubai Kathiawadi.

When a young Ganga is cheated by a man she loves and is sold into a brothel, she takes it upon herself to change her fate. She might have cowered initially, but soon, she comes roaring to make her way up to the top of the food chain. Gangu is a lioness who is unapologetically herself. Despite her circumstances, she works to provide the best for the women and girls around her, often at the expense of herself. Gangu knows how to empower and uplift women around her and she calls out any man or woman who refuses to do that. She is a true icon of feminism and Gangubai Kathiawadi is an example of what intersectional feminism looks like.

Related: Gangubai Kathiawadi Review: Alia Bhatt Proves Naysayers Wrong With Stunning Performance

2. Shamshunissa from Darlings

Another actor who stole the show in 2022 is Shefali Shah. One of the best performances we saw from the actor this year was in the film Darlings as Shamshunissa. Though Darlings is a film about the mother-daughter duo Badru and Shamshu, Shefali Shah’s portrayal of Shamshu absolutely hit it out of the park.

Hamza often comes home drunk and physically abuses his wife, Badru. Shamshu witnesses all of this and encourages her daughter to leave her good-for-nothing husband but to no avail. Shamshu is no wailing damsel in distress. She is not a mother who is bemoaning the sad life her daughter has. Rather, she pushes her daughter to take stringent action against her abusive husband, even if it means killing him. You wouldn’t find Shamshunissa asking Badrunissa to compromise. Instead, she asks her daughter to break the shackles and find her own wings. That’s what makes Shamshu one of the most powerful female characters of 2022.

Related: Darlings Review: Shefali Shah, Alia Bhatt Shine Bright In This Dark Film

3. Qala from Qala

Sometimes, one comes across a character who is so flawed and down on her luck that it makes you wonder how she could be so powerful. Qala is one such character. The only surviving twin of a distraught mother, Qala is blamed for the death of her brother from the moment she is born. All her life, Qala yearns for her mother Urmila’s attention and love. While she has to climb mountains to gain an iota of her mother’s affection, Urmila is just as liberal with her affection towards Jagan, an orphan boy she takes under her wing.

Qala is a flawed character. She is flailing and struggling. She is caught in a vicious cycle with her mother. Qala is in constant competition to prove herself and always puts up a brave front. But she also has a resilience that can only come as a result of hardships. Qala may seem like she is subdued, but she has a quiet strength that carries her through the low points in her life and that’s applaudable.

Related: Qala Review: Anvita Dutt Delivers A Hauntingly Beautiful Work Of Art With A Powerful Cast

4. Monica from Monica, O My Darling

Monica Machado is one of the most unapologetic characters we saw on screen this year and she was a delight. She is a refreshing subversion of what a typical “vamp” is supposed to be like. She blackmails three men by telling them she is pregnant and she doesn’t really feel guilty about it. Monica is an ambitious woman and she makes no qualms about it. She owns who she is and is not afraid of the woman who looks back at her in the mirror. Monica is clear that she wants a luxurious life, and this is the way she will go about it. The girl’s got bills to pay!

Related: Monica, O My Darling Review: This Neo-Noir Crime Comedy Hits All The Right Spots

5. Jerry from Good Luck Jerry

How far will you go to save your family? Jerry is a small-town girl working in a massage parlour to make ends meet. When her mother is diagnosed with cancer, she needs to make big bucks, real quick. Cue a well-timed encounter with a drug smuggler which leads Jerry into the smuggling ring. Bang in the middle of all the drug dealers, Jerry is way out of her depth, but she holds her own. She is scared AF, and she is shaking in her boots, but that doesn’t stop her from doing what needs to be done to help her family.

When things get way too much for her, Jerry hatches a plan to save herself and her family from the drug dealers as well as the cops. Again, she is scared, but she puts up a brave front. She never gives up and ultimately comes out as the victor. Her persistent strength is what makes Jerry one of the most powerful female characters of 2022.

Related: Good Luck Jerry Review: A Dark Crime Comedy That Will Make You Laugh Throughout

6. Sheel from Mai

If you go by Bollywood or Hindi series, one character you know who will have immense strength is a mother. And if it is a mother who has lost her child, she is bound to be doubly powerful and Sheel from Mai is no different. When Sheel finds out her daughter was murdered, she is determined to avenge her daughter’s death. Through her journey, she comes across deceit, corruption, human trafficking, money laundering, and a whole lot of trouble Sheel never anticipated. Despite all odds, she never backs down. In fact, Sheel bounces back stronger every time.

Related: Mai Review: Sakshi Tanwar Is A Force To Be Reckoned With In Netflix’s Latest Crime Drama Series

7. Sita Mahalakshmi from Sita Ramam

Understated. That’s the word that describes Sita Mahalakshmi the best from the movie Sita Ramam. A simple movie with an equally simple love story, Princess Noor Jahan, or Sita Mahalakshmi as she was referred to through most of the movie, was a character who won the hearts of people. Sita understood what unconditional love meant and she lived for it. That’s not to say she compromised on her respect or her self-worth. Sita is vulnerable but also possesses quiet strength. She loves with abandon but also sacrifices without guilt.

Despite being born in the luxury of a palace, she was never ashamed of being in love with a common man. Nor did she think twice about leaving behind her luxuries to spend her life with a man whose salary is ₹600 and who has savings of ₹12,000.

8. Anamika Anand from The Fame Game

Toxic relationships between mothers and daughters are something that we often see in Bollywood, and The Fame Game follows that formula too. Anamika Anand is a leading superstar who, for all intents and purposes, has an idyllic family life, at least in front of the cameras. Her mother thrust her in front of the camera, and she also forced Anamika to marry Nikhil More. Anamika is far from happy in her life. With an abusive husband, the only solace she has is her past lover, Manish Khanna.

Anamika is a woman caged in her life from all ends. Her husband is abusive, her mother is toxic, and even her children don’t seem to understand her. So, to end all her miseries and teach her abusers a lesson, she takes an extreme step. One that could easily spiral out of control. Anamika may not always be a likeable or perfect character, but she is a character with inner strength and shrewdness. She had the brains to do what needed to be done and she did it. And that, my dearies, makes her one helluva powerful female character from 2022.

Related: The Fame Game Review: Madhuri Dixit Steals The Spotlight In This Slow, Mysterious Drama

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