1. Accamma Cherian This ‘Jhansi Ki Rani of Travancore’ is fondly remembered by Kerala for contesting its dictatorship regime.
One instance that underlines her gallantry was on 23 October 1938, when she led 20,000 protestors to the Travancore Royal Palace, to articulate the demands of the public — that a responsible government be instated in Travancore.
2. Madhubala Madhubala, born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi, was barely nine when she felt the burden of supporting her family financially.
In the span of 36 years, she gave Indian cinema some masterpieces that were a window into post-independent India’s battles with poverty, exploitation and family relations.
3. Kamala Chandrakant Every Indian whose childhood was filled with Amar Chitra Katha is (by default) a fan of Kamala Chandrakant, the scriptwriter.
She beautifully illustrated mythology and Indian history, making them come alive through stories such as Birbal the Witty – Stories of Intelligence and Humour.
4. Kailash Puri She was hailed as ‘Humraaz Maasi’ (confidante aunt) by the generations of Punjabi women, who after marrying and settling across foreign shores, flocked to her for advice.
The self-proclaimed ‘sexologist’ encouraged women to reclaim their agency while giving them advice that challenged patriarchy and de-tabooed topics such as impotence.
5. Suhasini Ganguly Suhasini Ganguly joined the Chhatri Sangha, an Indian women’s student organisation that recruited and trained women revolutionaries.
6. Chunibala Devi “Fantastically realistic and effective!” — This is how the New York Herald Tribune described Chunibala Devi’s performance in Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali (1956).
7. Smita Patil Prior to her debut on the silver screen, Smita Patil amassed love among the audience as a Marathi newsreader on Doordarshan in the 1970s.
Once ridiculed for her complexion, Patil channelled this angst into the roles she played, urging society to be cognisant of unrealistic beauty standards. In less than eight years, she starred in over 50 impactful films, cementing her legacy as one of Indian cinema’s finest.