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In an industry dominated by men, there are a few women who have been calling the shots on their own terms. From being the first in their league to taking on jobs that were earlier considered a man’s forte, these <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> divas have been there and done that. On this Women’s Day, let’s salute these women who have made Bollywood what it is today. 
 
1. <keyword id="121452" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Devika-Rani">Devika Rani</keyword> She’s known as the <keyword id="27438" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="First-lady">first lady</keyword> of Indian cinema. The biggest star of the 40s, Devika Rani was the first recipient of the coveted <keyword id="53601" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dada-Saheb-Phalke">Dada Saheb Phalke</keyword> Award. She was also an apprentice to Elizabeth Arden and a student of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Devika Rani thrilled Bollywood with the first on-screen kiss and played a key role in making an important talent discovery – the <keyword id="293435" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="legendary-actor">legendary actor</keyword> <keyword id="1687" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Dilip-Kumar">Dilip Kumar</keyword>. 
 
2. Fatma Begum Way before the Zoyas, Farahs and Deepas of Bollywood, one woman debuted as a director and she was none other than Fatma Begum. As the <keyword id="195897" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="first-lady-director">first lady director</keyword> of Bollywood, Fatma directed Veer Abhimanyu in 1922. 
 
3. Nadia 
In an era when her contemporaries were busy posing pretty, Nadia was riding horses and kicking baddies. Also known as Fearless Nadia, she was India’s first stunt woman who performed all her stunts herself – even if they meant running atop trains, jumping off horse carts and battling villains. 
 
4. Bhanu Athaiya 
She is India’s most celebrated costume designer and the first Indian to win an Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 1982 for the film, <keyword id="6356181" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Gandhi">Gandhi</keyword>. Bhanu has worked in more than 100 movies and received many coveted awards in a career spanning 50 years. 
 
5. <keyword id="27717" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Madhubala">Madhubala</keyword> 
One of the most talented actresses of Bollywood, Madhubala is considered the epitome of beauty. She was featured in the American magazine <keyword id="669411" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Theatre-Arts">Theatre Arts</keyword> in 1952, which called her “The Biggest Star in the World and she’s not in Beverly Hills.” 
 
6. Tun Tun 
Those were the days when women were expected to play pretty heroines. But she dared to break the stereotype and emerged as Bollywood’s first woman comedian. Her real name was Uma Devi but and Dilip Kumar rechristened her as Tun Tun. 
 
7. <keyword id="14505" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Zeenat-Aman">Zeenat Aman</keyword> 
She gave an image makeover to Bollywood, oozing oomph and sexiness as never before. Can you forger her Qurbaani act? 
 
8. <keyword id="6486523" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Smita-Patil">Smita Patil</keyword> 
While her contemporaries were topping the charts in the commercial movie space, Smita challenged the norms and carved a niche of her own in art house cinema, and won accolades for her power-packed performances. 
 
9. <keyword id="182" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rekha">Rekha</keyword> 
Whenever one mentions the timeless beauties of Bollywood, Rekha would be topping the list for sure. A powerhouse of talent and an epitome of beauty, she is a phenomenon quite unmatched. 
 
10. <keyword id="31278" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Lata-Mangeshkar">Lata Mangeshkar</keyword> This Nightingale of India has around 25,000 songs in her name in a career spanning 70 years. Only the <keyword id="2104601" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="second-vocalist">second vocalist</keyword> to have been awarded the Bharat Ratna, Lata Mangeshkar has also made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for the maximum number of recordings in the world during 1974-1991. 
 
11. <keyword id="6366471" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Aishwarya-Rai">Aishwarya Rai</keyword> Bachchan 
Even after being in the industry for more than two decades, accolades haven’t stopped coming her way. A global icon representing Indian Cinema across the world, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a living example of beauty with brains. 
 
12. <keyword id="2165" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kareena-Kapoor">Kareena Kapoor</keyword> She’s got the looks and she’s got the talent – isn’t it a deadly combo? Kareena Kapoor is the <keyword id="2104599" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="first-Bollywood-actress">first Bollywood actress</keyword> to charge in crores – a rarity in an industry where either sex or <keyword id="6359862" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="SRK">SRK</keyword> sells! 
 
13. <keyword id="1655" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Priyanka-Chopra">Priyanka Chopra</keyword> From winning the Miss World beauty pageant to carving a niche in Bollywood, Priyanka Chopra is not stopping any time soon. A <keyword id="2104600" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="trained-western-classical-singer">trained western classical singer</keyword>, she is already creating waves in the global music industry and has two singles albums up her sleeve – In My City and Exotic. The multi-talented beauty is the first Indian actress to be signed by <keyword id="176676" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Creative-Artists-Agency">Creative Artists Agency</keyword> (CAA), whose client list includes names like <keyword id="11804" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="George-Clooney">George Clooney</keyword>, <keyword id="3557" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Brad-Pitt">Brad Pitt</keyword>, <keyword id="6399841" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Meryl-Streep">Meryl Streep</keyword>, <keyword id="53664" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="sandra-bullock">Sandra Bullock</keyword>, <keyword id="18020" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Julia-Roberts">Julia Roberts</keyword> and <keyword id="4793" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Will-Smith">Will Smith</keyword>. 
 
14. Deepika Padukone 
Giving four back-to-back mega hits in one year is no joke. But after a stint with a few wrong choices, Deepika Padukone has finally arrived in Bollywood. Not only did she bag most of the awards this year but also had the cash registers ringing for a long time! 
 
15. <keyword id="3844" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Vidya-Balan">Vidya Balan</keyword> 
When the ‘Khans’ were the flavour of the season, she emerged as the ‘shero’ in an industry ruled by men. Breaking the body stereotypes associated with Bollywood, Vidya has made big look beautiful. With a gamut of successful woman-oriented films in her kitty, Vidya is a true game-changer.

15 Women Who Redefined Bollywood

Indian cinema turns a year older tomorrow, but even after an eventful journey of 101 years, it is still in its prime – vibrant and growing. On this landmark occasion, let us have a look at some of the iconic movie-makers of the past who made Indian cinema what it is today. 
 
On May 8, 1912, Ramchandra Gopal Torney or Dadasaheb Torney, as he was fondly called, filmed a Marathi play titled Shri Pundalik while it was being played on stage and thus made the first feature film of India, Pundalik. But as this movie was sent overseas for post-production processing, it is not formally recognised as the first child of Indian cinema. It was Dhundhiraj Govind Phalke, aka <keyword id="6410992" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dadasaheb-Phalke">Dadasaheb Phalke</keyword>, who was given the credit for making the first Indian feature film, Raja Harishchandra, which was released for public viewing on 3rd May 1913. 
 
Dhundhiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke, was a Mumbai-based photographer, printer, painter and magician. He moved to cinematography after watching Life of Christ at a Christmas cinema show. In his brief career of 19 years, he had made 95 movies and 26 short films. Some of his noted flicks include Mohini Bhasmasur, Satyavan Savitri, Lanka Dahan, Shri Krishna Janma and Kaliya Mardan. He has been bestowed a place of honour in the Hindi film industry and the most prestigious award for contribution to the Indian cinema has been named after him. He is also regarded as the Father of Indian Cinema. 
 
While movie enthusiasts are pretty familiar with Dadasaheb Phalke, there were other pioneers during his time who also played a pivotal role in shaping the Indian cinema. 
 
Dhirendra Nath Ganguly (Early 1920s to late 1950s) 
Hailing from Kolkata, he specialised in satirical Bengali comedies. The first movie to come out of his production house, in 1921, was Bilat Ferat (English title: England Returned), which he had written, produced and acted in. It was directed by Nitish Lahiri. Some of the movies directed by Ganguly were Country Girl, Takay Ki Na Hay and The Marriage Tonic. It was the first movie to show intimate scenes, inspired by its British and American equals. 
 
Chandulal Shah (1930s to 1960s) 
A Gujarati film-maker from Mumbai, he made silent movies dealing with social issues. His noted movies included Typist Girl, Gunsundari, and Barrister’s Wife – all of them starring Gohar Kayoum Mamajiwala, also known as Miss Gohar. In just three years, Shah made around 40 pictures. He also owned the famous Ranjit Studios, in partnership with Miss Gohar. 
 
Himanshu Rai (Early 1920s to late 1930s) 
After meeting playwright Nirnanjan Pal in London, he came in contact with Franz Osten, a German filmmaker, and made some of the classic Indian films including The Light of Asia, Shiraz, A Throw of Dice and Karma. Rai also immortalised his wife Devika Rani as the first lady of Indian cinema, as he cast her in the landmark movie Acchut Kanya. 
 
 
Picture courtesy: <a href="http://www.rollingframes.org/">Rollingframes</a>

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