WOMEN OF THE YEAR 2019

Commercial isn’t “commercial” anymore. While the wave of the alternate merging with the mainstream had been building for the last two years, 2019 truly became the turning point for quality cinema becoming the norm. So, we decided to celebrate the men and women who would otherwise have been “parallel” but are the biggest players in Indian cinema right now. They are talented, intelligent risk-takers who understand the importance of offering socially-relevant and content-driven cinema, while also making sure that the execution is engaging and entertaining, to ensure maximum impact. From writers, filmmakers to leading stars, these men and women are changing the rules of Indian cinema.

THE CRITICS’ CHOICE TAAPSEE PANNU

Definitely dancing to her own tune, this young actress is paving the way for women to demand well-written roles for themselves and refuse second fiddle offerings

Take a look at Tapsee Pannu's filmography and you’ll begin to wonder why we don't talk about her more often. Pannu worked as a software professional and then went to pursue a career in modelling and acting. She starred in numerous films down South — her Tamil film Aadukalam won six National Film Awards. In 2015, she made her debut in Bollywood with Baby, which was praised by critics and the masses alike.

After that, she starred in the critically-acclaimed movie Pink, the comedy Judwaa 2, and went on to deliver devastatingly-good performances in Mulk and Badla. Her turn as Kritika Aggarwal in Mission Mangal was fresh and now, she's delivered yet another blockbuster hit with Saand Ki Aankh. Saand Ki Aankh continues to dominate the box office despite the entry of Ayushmann Khurrana's Bala.

This year, she also played the role of Swapna in the psychological thriller film called Game Over. Written by Ashwin Saravanan and Kaavya Ramkumar and directed by the former, the story focuses on the life of a wheelchairbound woman who has to participate in a bizarre real-life game and defend herself against a mysterious serial killer.