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Telly soaps are supposed to be primarily about women, for women and of women. But very rarely do you have female reel characters that have a larger than life appeal about them and who stay with you once the 20 minute episode has ended for the evening.

In the last two decades since satellite television changed entertainment viewing, there are only a handful of female stars who've marked their attendance and made a somewhat lasting impact on viewers, even after the shows have gone off air.

Barki (played by Seema Bhargava) of Hum Log: The typical girl next door who came from a middleclass family in Delhi and had to fight to eke out a living, even as she battled her ordinary looks and continued to shower affection on a family that depended heavily on her. Television's first official soap, that aired for a year and became a integral part of everyone's lives during its airtime making Seema, a talented theatre actress from Delhi a recognized face on TV in the mid 80s.

Rajni (played by Priya Tendulkar) of Rajni: As the female crusader of the 80s in the garb of a sharp-tongued homemaker who fights the corrupt system in her own way and settles matters, Priya Tendulkar lived Rajni's role and made her the first iconic screen character who had a huge fanbase outside the telly screens too. And to think, the role of Rajni had first been offered to Padmini Kolhapure who didn't want to try television after which it was given to Priya who breathed life into Rajni and made her a much loved face.

Priya Kapoor (played by Neena Gupta) of Saans: Neena, directed and produced the show that revolved around a married woman whose life gets thrown out of gear when her husband falls in love with a younger woman and dumps his family. The show revolves around Priya's quest for her own identity and coping with the trauma of being cheated. A heartwrenching performance by Neena without any OTT histronics, made the show a channel-topper during its stint on small screen.

Dr Simran Mathur (played by Niki Aneja) of Astitva -Ek Prem Katha: A beautiful gynaecologist falls in love with a much younger man and becomes a social pariah. Simran and Abhi (played by Varun Badola)'s marital life had its share of ups and downs, but what made her special to many was the way in which she lived it, on her own terms, even walking out of the relationship with her dignity and self-respect intact.

Shanti (played by Mandira Bedi) of Shanti: Another firebrand female crusader, Shanti was a young journo clad in modest churidar kameez with a mission in mind. To find the man who wronged her mother. Her star turn as Shanti made Mandira the first telly super star followed by a small role inDilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge,

Tulsi (played by Smriti Z Irani) of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi: A slim but spirited young girl who found herself becoming the centre of attention in the family she married, Tulsi was TV's first 'Mother India' kind of character, especially when she shot her errant son dead to save her daughter-in-law. In this show that ran for seven long years, Smriti was the one woman who pulled it off on her shoulders almost singlehandedly, so much so that even after she was temporarily replaced by Gautami Kapoor, the storyline had to be altered to bring her back in 2007, shortly after which the show breathed its last.

Hansa (played by Supriya Pathak Kapoor) of Khichdi, Instant Khichdi:Plump, bumbling housewives don't normally get to play female leads in a show. But Hansa who could barely say two sentences without making a fool of herself and giving her lack of fluency in English away, always brought a smile by her sheer presence.

Jassi (played by Mona Singh) of Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin: The office ugly duckling who turned into a beautiful swan and had her own fairytale ending with the Prince Charming completely smitten with her, the bespectacled, Jassi with braces and oily hair tied in a messy ponytail was the first screen character who gave the K-soap divas, Tulsi, Parvati and Prerna a run for the TRPs.

Anandi (played by Avika Gor) of Balika Vadhu: Some 10 year olds get lucky. Avika Gor was one of them. She played the female lead in a show about child marriage that shocked the nation with its content and shot Colors into a TRP-topping high making it a strong number 2 channel. The child Anandi was funny, spunky, bubbly and even child-like at times.

Gopi Bahu (played by Giaa Manek) of Saath Nibhana Saathiya: Giaa might be shaking her leg in a dance show today and Saath Nibhana... might have aquired a new Gopi Bahu, but it was the petite (then) 19 year old Giaa, who gave the character her identity and following that she enjoys.