There aren't many Bollywood movies that are based on the film industry.
When a few do get made, the actors leave a good impression.
Especially the leading ladies.
Take a look.
Kangana Ranaut: Thalaivi, Woh Lamhe, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai
In Thalaivi, Kangana will be seen as J Jayalalithaa who was an actress before she became a formidable politician.
Kangana could well hold the record for playing an actress. She first played the part in one of her earlier releases Woh Lamhe and then in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai.
Both films were successful and one expects the same with Thalaivi.
Deepika Padukone: Om Shanti Om
Deepika began her Bollywood career playing a superstar and hasn't looked back since.
She had a double role in Om Shanti Om and that was a difficult stage to step onto since she was new to the industry.
Deepika made sure that all eyes were on her when she appeared on screen, truly a feat considering she had Shah Rukh Khan for company.
Vidya Balan: The Dirty Picture
One of the most memorable performance by a leading lady playing an actress on screen.
Silk Smitha was a legend in South India, and Vidya just had to get it right on screen.
She shed all her inhibitions and went all out to make sure that she was indeed seen as Silk.
Kareena Kapoor Khan: Heroine
She has been a diva both on and off the screen so when it came to playing a diva, Kareena didn't blink an eyelid.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had signed up for the Madhur Bhandarkar film, but let go of it after her pregnancy.
Kareena made sure to make most of the opportunity and came up with a bravura performance.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Fanney Khan
Some years down the line, Aishwarya did play an on-screen diva in Fanney Khan.
She played a singer/performer who is kidnapped by Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao.
Watching her on screen, one felt she had never gone away and time had frozen, but the film was all over the place.
Urmila Matondkar: Rangeela, Mast
Urmila had acted in a few films before Ram Gopal Varma gave her a re-launch in Rangeela.
Ramu saw in Urmila what most film-makers had not and that pretty much mirrored her on-screen performance as well.
As a tomboyish girl who exuded oomph on screen, Urmila and her character were loved in Rangeela.
She also played an actress in Mast later.
Kajol: Tribhanga
Early this year, Kajol was seen as an actor/dancer in Tribhanga.
That said, this was just the character backdrop for Kajol as right through the course of the film, she was shown recalling her times with her estranged mother played by Tanvi Azmi.
There were references made to her early days as an actress, but by and large, Kajol played herself in the film.
Nikita Dutta: Kabir Singh
One of the biggest blockbusters of 2019 was Kabir Singh and while Shahid Kapoor walked away with all the accolades and Kiara Advani's career took off post its success, one actress who made sure that her presence counted in the film was Nikita Dutta.
Seen in The Big Bull, which streamed last Friday, she played an actress in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Kabir Singh.
Richa Chadha: Shakeela
If Dirty Picture was based on the late Silk Smitha's life and times, Shakeela was a biopic based on an actress who is still around, though retired.
The career graphs of both Silk Smitha and Shakeela was pretty much the same and hence comparisons were obvious when Richa took on the Shakeela role.
Mahima Chaudhry: Home Delivery
On its release, Home Delivery was quickly forgotten. The Sujoy Ghosh directed film had a unique narrative which wasn't the kind that audiences were used to.
A quirky comedy led by Vivek Oberoi, Boman Irani and Ayesha Takia, it had a glamorous appearance by Mahima Chaudhry.
She played an actress whom Vivek fantasised about and also featured in a couple of good songs.
