Bollywood women-centric films, International Women's Day
Pink and Neerja postersTwitter

Though films based on women are not new to the Hindi cinema, the trend is witnessing an uptick of late. Such films attempt to break the gender stereotype by offering substantial roles to women.

Read: Women's Day: Ladies, pamper yourself with free lunch, party and other special offers in Bengaluru

Check out a few recent women-centred movies in Bollywood:

Pink:

Directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and produced by Soojit Sircar, Pink is a courtroom drama-thriller. The movie tells the story of three independent girls who get into trouble during a party. Amitabh Bachchan plays the role of a lawyer, which has Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang, Piyush Mishra, Angad Bedi and Dhritiman Chatterjee in key roles.

Queen:

Queen, starring Kangana Ranaut, revolves around a girl, who goes to Paris and Amsterdam all by herself after her fiancé calls of the wedding. The film garnered critical acclaim and Kangana earned praises for her brilliant performance. The film went on to win the National Award for Best Hindi Film and Best Actress.

Neerja:

Starring Sonam Kapoor, Neerja is a biopic of the brave air-hostess Neerja Bhanot who lost her life saving passengers on board the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 73, which was hijacked by terrorists on September 5, 1986. Neerja (23) became the youngest person to receive Ashok Chakra, India's highest civilian award for bravery. The film bagged several awards.

English Vinglish:

English Vinglish is the story of a housewife, played by Sridevi, who is weak in English and often becomes a subject of humiliation. The woman decides to regain her respect and learn the language and while doing so she also makes her family realise the importance of not demeaning anyone.

Mardaani:

Another women-centric film, Mardaani, starring Rani Mukerji, deals with human trafficking. Rani played the role of a senior inspector with the crime branch. Her dare devil action stunts garnered a lot of praises.