Happy Women's Day!

Urmila in another de-glam role? Well, Pinjar is more than that. Based on Amrita Pritam's novel, it tells the story of a woman who falls prey to family-politics and circumstances. Her life takes a dramatic twist during the partition riots. She loses her love, is kidnapped, disowned by her family and later lost in the mayhem of partition. Urmila is seen in one of her best performances as she lives on screen what the women went through during the Indo-Pak partition in 1947

Black has become the new synonym for the colour of perfection. The more said about the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, the less it will be. The screenplay is nothing new but the treament is definitely different. Rani as a deaf and dumb Michelle McNelly rises above her handicap. She refuses to be treated as "special" and carves a space for herself. A Helen Keller-inspired saga.

The film is adapted from Rabindranath Tagore's pathbreaking novel Binodini, which tells the story of a beautiful, educated and vivacious young widow, Binodini. The story is set in the early 1900's against the backdrop of political resistance during the Bengal partition when the society is full of unrest. Binodini, the child widow played by Aishwarya Rai, is out to wreak vengeance on the society, who she believes is responsible for her pitiful state of existence. A complex character, portrayed with sensitivity by Aishwarya.

Antara Mali is a small town wanna-be Madhuri Dixit girl in the film, Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon. She believes she is streetsmart and can rule the silver screens just like Madhuri. However, her dreams come tumbling down when she faces the real world. Antara is brilliant as Chutki. She represents a genre of small town girls who will go to any length to realise their dreams, but still keep their feet on terra firma.

Paheli has been more spoken about its controversies than its content. As India's official entry to the Oscars, it generated a lot of curiosity but was eliminated in the initial rounds. Anyways, the film describes the tale of a woman in love with a ghost, whose child she bears. What is more compelling is the issue of women's freedom to choose her partner and the critical gaze at society's hypocritical rules.

Water is a story of struggle, both on-screen and off-screen. Director Deepa Mehta faced hell while shooting for this film. Initially, she planned to shoot it in Varanasi, where Hindu fundamentalists threatened her with dire consequences. The shooting was called off. She revived the film after five years and today Water is winning awards globally. The film deals with the plight of a Hindu widow in Gandhian times and mocks the society's doubles standards. Probably, this is what irked the so-called 'rightists'. Way to go Mehta!

Sushmita is in a league of her own. Long before critics hailed her for her role in Chingaari, she proved her mettle in Samay, one among her memorable films. In Samay, she plays the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Malvika Chauhan, who risks her life to solve a murder investigation. Her character has some shades of Kiran Bedi's life. Sush as a cop represents the hundreds of committed female cops who risk their comfort to safeguard the lives of others