Taapsee, Kirti, Shreya, Rasika, Divya and more: Female actors who left an impact in 2020

It's been a month since we all bid goodbye to the scariest year of our lives - 2020. However, it would not be wrong to say that while our regular lives paused, the consumption of content continued from the comfort of our homes. 

Till 2019, a lot of us might not have had the access to what they call an OTT platform but at present, I am sure you all have subscribed to at least five of them. 

While we continued to entertain ourselves with what was available, our mind opened up to performances that were worth taking a note. Now, these performances in a regular set-up might have missed people's eye but in 2020, missing an actor's performance or a worthy character was next to impossible.

So today, I pay sort-of-tribute to actors or female leads who left an impression on me in 2020. 


Kirti Kulhari (Criminal Justice season 2): Let's start with the last and latest series I watched. The series written by Apurva Asrani talks about marital rape, a subject, which is discussed, even in this time and age, in hushed voices. Kirti as Anuradha Chandra barely has dialogues but she leaves a lasting impression with the way she portrays innocence, vulnerability, societal pressure, mental torture and so much more. 

Anupria Goenka (Criminal Justice season 2): First things first, let me clarify that I was not paid to mention two actors from the same series. Anupria's portrayal as Nikhat Hussain is so relatable, fierce and at the same time charming in her own sense. To be honest, Anupria didn't impress me as a viewer when I watched her in other projects but I cannot see anyone else as Nikhat. She proved that sometimes an actor and his/her character needs to breathe on screen for a longer time to bring that taste, sense and feel to it. 

Taapsee Pannu (Thappad): I have always believed that Taapsee can do anything and make any character believable. Thappad was the last film I watched at the theatre before the pandemic happened. One year to this! 

After Pink, Taapsee as Amrita Sabharwal got back the topic of consent. Thappad started the conversation on domestic abuse, and how women themselves have normalised it so much that they think it is a part and parcel of the marital life. Amrita taught that it is not okay to be subjected to physical abuse in any circumstance and that it is perfectly alright to quit a relationship wherein you are not respected or you have lost the respect for the other one in the equation. 

PS: We need more of such stories. 


Vidya Balan (Shakuntala Devi): Vidya Balan as Shakuntala Devi, a mathematician who was popularly known as 'Human Computer', showed us how everything perfect goes through major moments of imperfections. For me, the story normalised prioritising your dreams over the duties assigned to your gender by society. 

Shreya Dhanwanthary (The Family Man, Scam 1992): I first met Shreya (on the screen) in 2018's The Reunion as Devanshi Tailor. No, won't be saying that "mujhe tabse pata tha ki ye ladki special hai" but she kept me hooked as a performer. That charm of hers continues to exist, thankfully. I happened to watch The Family Man (season 1) in 2020 and admired her. And it is her endearing performance that led me to watch Scam 1992 as well. Now, I am looking forward to The Family Man 2. 



Sushmita Sen (Aarya): What a pleasure it was to see Sushmita back on the screen with a role that had a scope to perform. Sushmita took her sweet time to choose a project, and she did choose the right one. Aarya portrayed every one of us who can do anything to save our family and their reputation. It also showed the strength of a woman, which the makers otherwise do not portray on the screen. 

As I come to an end of this piece, I would like to give a special mention to Divya Dutta and Rasika Dugal. 

Divya portrayed many characters in 2020 but one that stood out for me was Ram Singh Charlie and Hostages season 2. I believe her song sense of understanding humans and their flaws add to the magic she creates on the screen every time, irrespective of the screen time she manages to get. 


Rasika, on the other hand, played two revengeful roles - one in Mirzapur season 2 and the other in Out Of Love. Out of Love is not a 2020 release but I happened to watch it during the pandemic-induced lockdown. For those who have not watched it yet, it is something you should spend your time on. I am sure waiting for the second season! 



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