Meryl Streep has neither won the Golden Globe (yet in 2021) nor has she delivered a strong statement hinting at a world leader. Yet she has been one of the top trends in Twitter India as a point of reference. But let us take a look at some of the works that have made her stand out. 

When Streep had spent four years in her career as an actress, she became quite significant. She was about to win her second Oscar and her ability to dive in deep inside a character had been well noted. She had given various distinguished performances by then. She had held a record for most Academy Award nominations along with Katharine Hepburn. 

Iron Lady
The Iron Lady, Facebook

Now, Meryl Streep's name is synonymous to one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood. Very few can possibly dispute that Streep is tremendously gifted. Her ability to pendulum from one mood of character to another, her skill at transforming her vocal craft,  conveying complexity and humanity will remain unmatched. However, to point out one of her critical points is that Streep's choices of roles, her films had once been quite disappointing in comparison to her potential.  

In Ryan Murphy's The Prom, Meryl Streep plays actress Dee Dee Allen, who remains selective in her outrage. She expresses an opinion on Twitter when she wants to win a Tony Award for her performance. Even in her outrage, she makes sure the public notice that she is at the centre,  voicing her opinion for the LGBTQ community. Dee Dee softens up when she starts looking at the world from the point of view of a brave lesbian. Unfortunately, her bravery, her fight against the world has made her alone and deserted. 

Perhaps one of the most unforgettable performances of Meryl Streep in recent times is her performance as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Throughout the entire film, she remains the most feared character, yet she hardly raised her voice. All of her opinions were delivered through her stern glares. 

Apart from the physical performance, Streep delivers various kinds of vocal performances in The Iron Lady. Her vocal cords shift from a high-pitched English accent to a soft-voiced British woman hailing from the higher parts of the society. The Iron Lady was based on the first Prime Minister of United Kingdoms, Margaret Thatcher. The film had encouraged a right-wing form of government, the direction and the performance had been undeniably attractive. The film had garnered publicity in India in the year 2013 when India had been facing a heated debate about the then-upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The then Prime Ministerial candidate from BJP, Narendra Modi had often used late PM Margaret Thatcher's right-wing vision, to align his ideas about the future of India. 

Meryl Streep and the Musicals

Mamma Mia, The Prom and Into The Woods are few of the popular musicals of Hollywood starring Streep. Mamma Mia is less of an individual film and more of an ode to the band Abba. Streep had played a promiscuous woman, who single-handedly chose to raise her daughter. Although, the film had been more focused on the story of Amanda Seyfried, watching Streep dance with Cher and her peers remains a spectacular vision of watching various legends experiment on screen. 

Into the Woods is an ode to the famous Grimm brothers and their tales. Director Rob Marshall pokes fun at various fairy tale narrative which we digested without questioning its logic. Streep here plays the Witch who yearns to for the firstborn child of a baker, thereby a reference to Rapunzel. Streep is one of the few actresses of her era who can confidently play a witch and a woman Prime Minister and have no qualms about it.