Bollywood Best actress of the year – Beyond Bollywood

From a doting wife and a daddy’s girl to a passionate poet-lover, a revolutionary, and a crusader, 2025 emerged as a year of richly diversified female roles.

By Mayur Lookhar

A cinema is strongest when its women are not confined to stereotypes. From a doting wife and a daddy’s girl to a passionate poet-lover, a revolutionary, and a crusader, 2025 emerged as a year of richly diversified female roles. Three young women made a striking impression, a few unheralded artistes shone in understated characters, and one performer once again raised the question of why she is not counted among the stars.

Who are these women? Without further ado, here is our pick for Bollywood’s Best Actress of the Year.

10 Muskkaan Jaferi – Superboys of Malegaon

I’ve never been fond of the old adage, “Behind every successful man, there is a woman.” In truth, the woman stands beside the man. Shabeena isn’t just any woman – she’s a superwoman who supports Nasir as he brings cinema to the shores of Malegaon. She parts with her savings and does it all with that signature muskaan on her face. 

It had to be the dimpled Muskkaan Jaferi who plays this vibrant, positive Shabeena – a woman who understands Nasir’s struggles and stands by him with grace and optimism. Muskkaan embodies Shabeena in both smile and spirit, the true superwoman in the tale of Superboys of Malegaon.

9 Wamiqa Gabbi – Bhool Chuk Maaf

Rajkummar Rao has explored several small-town characters through his career, but for Wamiqa Gabbi, Bhool Chuk Maaf marks a fresh and striking first small-town girl role in Bollywood. The trailer didn’t raise many expectations, yet the Punjabi girl ends up stealing hearts with her endearing papa-ki-pari turn as Titli. 

Wamiqa’s portrayal brings rare warmth and emotional honesty to Titli. She balances innocence with defiance, softness with strength, creating a character that feels achingly real. The chemistry between Rao and Gabbi sparkles, but it’s her layered, effortless performance that makes Bhool Chuk Maaf one of her most memorable acts and earns her a rightful spot among the year’s best actresses.

8 Nusshratt Bharuchha – Ufff Yeh Siyappa

A silent film in today’s era is like finding gold dust. Soham Shah’s little-known Ufff Yeh Siyappa features Nushrratt Bharuccha in dual roles, first as the grief-stricken wife Pushpa, perpetually on the verge of tears, and then as her lookalike who unwittingly steps into Pushpa’s chaotic world. From that point on, Bharuccha delivers a masterclass in expression, as the doppelgänger tries to navigate the emotional storm of the protagonist’s household. The film’s tone flirts with Chaplinesque silent comedy, and while it’s rare to see an actress strike that delicate balance, Bharuccha manages it with remarkable precision.

7 Shalini Vatsa – Homebound

Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound has earned critical acclaim and now represents India at the Oscars. While much of the spotlight has rightfully fallen on Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, the film’s true standout, for us, is the vastly underrated Shalini Vatsa. 

The gifted Vatsa plays the mother of Chandan Kumar (Jethwa), a Dalit woman who embodies resilience and grace. She toils in the fields, often barefoot, cooks mid-day meals at the village school, and single-handedly manages her home. Yet she does it all with quiet dignity and a smile. Her character prioritizes her son’s dreams above everything else, the kind of unwavering maternal strength that feels both specific and universal. 

The most heart-wrenching moment in Homebound comes when Chandan’s body is brought back home. In denial and disbelief, Vatsa’s grief is raw and restrained until Shoaib (Khatter) hands her the new pair of sandals Chandan had bought for her. That small gesture shatters her composure, and the audience’s. In that instant, we don’t just witness her pain, but feel the collective heartbreak of countless mothers like Amrit Kumar’s. 

That single scene is enough to remind us of Shalini Vatsa’s extraordinary gift, an actress who can pierce through silence and speak directly to the soul.

6 Priya Bapat – Costao

Righteousness demands sacrifice, and often it is not the righteous but their family that pays the price. For Costao (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), taking on the Goa mafia and the feeble system proves devastating for his young family. His once-resilient wife Maria slowly breaks down, eventually choosing to walk away to protect herself and their children.

In a fictional world, Maria might be written as an unflinching symbol of strength. Director Sejal Shah resists that temptation, portraying her instead as a loving Goan wife who is also deeply pragmatic. Priya Bapat brings rare sensitivity to the role, allowing us to feel the trauma Maria Fernandes endures. Having begun as a child artiste, Bapat finally finds a long-overdue, meaningful role in Bollywood, delivering a performance that leaves a lasting impact.

5 Saba Azad – Songs of Paradise

There’s much more to Saba Azad than being just Hrithik Roshan’s girlfriend, it’s dismissive and ignorant to reduce her to that label. The petite powerhouse impressed audiences as Pipsy, Homi Bhabha’s girlfriend, in the acclaimed series Rocket Boys. In Songs of Paradise, she delivers a career-defining performance as Zeba Akhtar, later known as Noor Begum, a tribute to Raj Begum, the Nightingale of Kashmir. The film spotlights the struggles of Kashmir’s first female folk artist to perform on Radio Kashmir. Like many, this writer too was unaware of Raj Begum’s legacy until Danish Renzu’s sensitive direction brought her story to light, and Azad’s portrayal served as a moving introduction to her.

Azad embodies a woman rooted in simplicity and grace, someone who can wield a broom moments before her riyaz without hesitation. Her grounded nature shines through even in her lip-syncing, where she conveys emotion with quiet authenticity. Raj Begum’s humble beginnings made her vulnerable, and Azad’s sincere, unpretentious performance captures that humanity beautifully.

4 Aneet Padda – Saiyaara

She will appear for her final-year degree examinations, this after becoming the most popular actress in just her second film, Saiyaara. This commitment to academics reflects the maturity on her young shoulders, showing she won’t be swept away by the film’s gigantic success. Though this writer wasn’t pleased with Saiyaara overall, Aneet Padda stunned with her talent, displaying remarkable maturity in portraying the difficult, layered character of Vaani Batra.

Blessed with striking looks, it’s her sensual tone that has crowned her the latest national crush. Whether girl-next-door or sexy siren, Padda embodied both qualities, proving she’s far beyond mere looks, shining like the titular Saiyaara, lighting up the screen with her presence and talent. And this is just the beginning, sparking hope for more compelling performances from the young star. When it comes to popular awards, Padda shouldn’t face any competition.

3 Simratt Kaur – The Bengal Files

From one young actress to another. Simratt Kaur looked listless in her early films – Gadar 2 (2023) and Vanvaas (2024), but what stood out was her screen presence and voice quality. Simply put, she couldn’t act yet. A third film, especially from Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, smacked of desperation and risk.

The Bengal Files, however, marked an upgrade from Agnihotri’s earlier controversial political thrillers, and Kaur emerged as a revelation as his young Bharati. Bengalis are best placed to judge, but she seemed fairly competent in her few Bengali lines. It’s a miracle how her character survives the riots of 1946–1948, yet Kaur maintains a powerful presence throughout. Loosely inspired by Bina Das, the Bengali revolutionary who attempted to assassinate Bengal Governor Sir Stanley Jackson in 1932, Bharati starts as a staunch leftist before harsh truths transform her into a fearless nationalist amid Noakhali’s racial threats.

The shift in her character’s arc brings no dip in intensity from Kaur, who delivers a potentially career-defining performance. That brutal climax scene, with her cries reverberating for miles, signifies how true she stayed to Bharati. Though The Bengal Files tanked, hopefully Simratt Kaur rises as an actor of repute.

2 Monika Panwar – Nishaanchi 

              

It is ill-mannered to reveal a woman’s age, but when a tricenarian is cast as the mother of someone close to her own age, the assumption is usually a Hindi daily soap. Nishaanchi upends that notion. This is an Anurag Kashyap film, and such casting is not new to him. Gangs of Wasseypur did the same, with a much younger Richa Chadha convincingly playing Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s mother. Now, Monika Panwar takes on a similar challenge, with even greater conviction.

Kashyap’s Nishaanchi had a brief theatrical run before its concluding part moved to digital. The first film is an exhaustive yet immersive experience, driven by a strong ensemble, particularly its young cast, including debutant Aaishvary Thackeray, Vedika Pinto, and the exceptional Panwar. The narrative weaves between past and present, with the first half anchored in Manjari’s (Panwar) story: a gifted state-level trap shooter who sacrifices her dreams for love, marriage, and motherhood. As the family becomes entangled in local power politics, Manjari is targeted by a predatory political antagonist. Panwar never lets the age factor distract; her restrained, riveting performance evokes the spirit of Mother India. Her confrontation with Ambika Prasad, delivered with quiet menace, stands out as one of the film’s most chilling moments.

Don’t let Manjari’s petite frame deceive you. She will go to any lengths to protect her family, even as she grapples with the growing rift between her twin sons. Meeting each crisis with composure and an unshakeable sense of justice, Panwar delivers when it matters most. If Khauf was a film, it might have ranked among the year’s finest performances, though in Nishaanchi, Panwar’s flawless  act is ultimately edged by an actor whose consistency over the past six years remains formidable.

1 Yami Gautam – Haq

When the trailer dropped, most dismissed it as yet another agenda-driven film, one designed to stir conversations in media and sociopolitical circles, but likely to be ignored even by nationalistic viewers in theatres. A limited press screening only deepened those doubts. Then came the reviews, where even Left-liberal critics praised Haq and Yami’s performances. That’s when the question arose – is the buzz around Haq truly deserved? There was only one way to find out: by watching it

The first half drags a bit, making you question the positive reviews. Post-interval, though, the courtroom drama and the stellar performances, led by Yami Gautam and Emraan Hashmi, hold the audience in a bind. Inspired by the Shah Bano case, writer-director Suparn Varma stays true to the story, basing the film around the complexity of a case that intersects law and faith. The politics around it remains untouched, which perhaps comes as the biggest surprise.

What is not surprising is yet another intense, virtuoso turn by Gautam. Here is a Muslim woman who takes her husband to court, citing criminality- an act not aligned with orthodox interpretations of Islam. This is not just a woman versus a deceitful husband, who also happens to be a lawyer. Haq, as the name suggests, it creates awareness among women of an entire community about the rights their faith grants them.

You cannot get justice, though, without reading the Holy Quran. After all the courtroom drama, the final image of Haq shows Shazia Bano (Gautam) in a strong, stoic stance, saying iqra (read). It is a lesson that goes beyond faith and gender, with Gautam’s Shazia Bano emerging as the master in a tour de force performance.

From Bala to Lost, OMG 2 to Article 370, and now Haq, Gautam’s remarkable run continues, and it feels likely she will raise the bar again. For now, her performance as Shazia Bano in Haq stands as the best by a Bollywood actress this year.

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