Bollywood actresses were once most powerful queens of negative roles

Mumbai, Oct 7 : The portrayal of women in Hindi cinema has undergone a sea change compared to an era gone by.The digital age has rendered more substance to the female characters with even the female protagonists having grey shades but there was a time when Bollywood had stereotypical portrayal of women.

And, there have been actresses, who mastered the craft of portraying characters such as that of mother-in-laws, vamps and gangster moll with absolute finesse, so much that these actresses became synonymous with those parts.

Here are some of the actresses who have essayed the roles of mother-in-laws, vamps and gangster moll under the umbrella of negative characters, with aplomb.The Evil Mother-in-law:Lalita Pawar: The OG! Lalita Pawars portrayal of a cruel mother-in-law can not be matched upto till date even by the finest of actresses.If you remember words like Kulta, Kamini, Kalmuhi and Karamjali, then you should thank Pawar for she is the one who etched these words on the celluloid not to forget that she holds the Guinness world record of longest acting career spanning over 70 years.

A brilliant actress, she was one of the most popular heroines of her time, but resorted to essaying supporting roles after losing an eye in an accident during a film shoot.Her other notable works Junglee, Phool Aur Patthar, Nauker, Sau Din Saas Ke (of course, had to be!) and Ghar Sansar.

The actress died on February 24, 1998 in Aundh, Pune, leaving behind a huge legacy.Manorama: You might remember her for playing a cynical aunt or the torturing mother-in-law in old Hindi movies.Manorama has mostly appeared as the cigarette-smoking sophisticated lady ready to cast an evil spell on the hero or heroine.

Her brilliant portrayal of a cunning mother-in-law in films like Ek Phool Do Maali, Do Kaliyaan and Seeta Aur Geeta casts a towering shadow on the silver screen despite her stout frame.She passed away at the age of 81 in Mumbai on February 15, 2008.

Shubha Khote: Perhaps, one of the most underrated actresses in this space, Shubha started off with playing second leads in films like Seema, Paying Guest and Dekh Kabira Roya.Later, she changed gears to supporting roles and eventually a wicked mother as well as mother-in-law in movies like the ulaga nayagan Kamal Haasan-starrer Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Mohabbat, Swarag Se Sunder and Saudagar.

The actress currently does very selective work, her most recent project being the television show aSpy Bahu.The No-nonsense Vamp:Aruna Irani: Starting off her cinematic journey as a child artist to leading lady and a negative lead, Aruna Irani has done almost all-female roles.Mawaali, Beti No.1 and Hameshaa are some of her memorable negative roles.Also, who could forget her work in the Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit-starrer Beta.

The way she performed as a stepmother who eyes her sons wealth was applause-worthy and won praises from all quarters.Her last stint on the screen happened in 2019 with television when she did the drama series Dil Toh Happy Hai Ji.Rohini Hattangadi: Another brilliant actress, Rohini Hattangadi was an alumnus of the National School of Drama.The younger audience may remember her for her portrayal as Sanjay Dutts mother in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., whose jadu ki jhappi could set anything right but Rohini has delivered quite a few memorable negative characters of which her work in the Sridevi-starrer Chaalbaaz, takes the cake.She was most recently seen in the streaming movie Jalsa.

Pramila: Esther Victoria Abraham, professionally known as Pramila, was reportedly Indias first Miss India to act in films.She not only impressed the audiences as the leading lady but also starred in about 30 films as a vamp which included Bhikaran, Bijli and Doorsi Shaadi.

Despite her good looks, she had no inhibitions about playing all kinds of roles which gave her scope to perform.The actress passed away on August 6, 2006.

The Gangster Moll:Bindu: One may remember her as the Hindi professor from the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Main Hoon Na but, make no mistake, Bindu has performed a plethora of roles in her career, most iconic being that of gangster moll.Do words like Mona Darling and Shabnam ring in your ears? Well, thats Bindu for you.Her portrayal of the perfect moll to the villain in films such as Zanjeer and Gehri Chaal are unforgettable.Nadira: Be it the spoiled and proud Rajput princess in Aan, the smoking rich socialite Maya in Shree 420 or the jealous wife in Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai, Nadira has done it all.The actress brought to life every character played on screen.Some of her notable works are Hanste Zakhm, Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka and Amar Akbar Anthony.

Helen: As much as she is known for her killer dance moves on the silver screen, Helens career also boasts of roles where she starred as a moll to the villain.The actress, who married Indian screenwriting legend Salim Khan (Salman Khans father) of Salim-Javed duo in 1981, took a sabbatical from acting after 2012.

However, she is set to make her comeback in with Abhinay Deos upcoming directorial Brown.The film is a neo-noir crime drama based on Abheek Baruas book, City of Death and will also star Karisma Kapoor as the protagonist.

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