Society promotes the idea that a woman is supposed to look good only in a particular way – her hair must be thick and long, the eyes must be big, her lips cannot be thin.. oh but she should be. Certain aspects of the idea of beauty may vary from person to person but the essentials often remain the same because, conditioning. Our films are complicit in shaping these seemingly ‘perfect’ ideas of what a woman must look like.
Over the years, several Bollywood actresses have ‘stepped away’ from the expectation of looking ‘perfect’ for roles they played on camera. For Indian women, who are taught to take pride in their long tresses, going short is considered huge while going bald is generally a no-no. Unless of course you’re unwell or happen to be donating your hair. In a world that ‘orthodox’, portraying a bald look onscreen is mighty badass.
Priyanka Chopra in Mary Kom
No, PeeCee didn’t shave her hair for the film, it was just prosthetics. She donned this look for a particular scene in the film which is not only powerful and striking in terms of acting but appearance as well.
Anushka Sharma in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Anushka played the role of a cancer patient in the film and sported a shaved head in the second half of the film.
Tanvi Azmi in Bajirao Mastani
Tanvi Azmi actually went ahead and shaved her head to portray Ranveer Singh’s mother – a widow – in the film. Her performance, as well as her look had many admirers.
Tanuja in Pitruroon
Veteran actress Tanuja also shaved her head to play the character of a window in this critically acclaimed Marathi film.
Antara Mali in And Once Again
While Antara has experimented a lot with her roles on-screen, this is undoubtedly her best one so far. She went for a buzz cut to play the role of a monk.
Shilpa Shetty in The Desire
Shilpa went for prosthetics to get the bald look for the film and in one of her interviews said that it took approximately three hours to get ready.
Lisa Ray in Water
Lisa Ray shaved her head for Deepa Mehta’s film Water. Ironically, Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das were approached for the role and the actresses also shaved their head, but later opted out because of all the controversies attached to the film.