Be it defying norms about motherhood and pregnancy, establishing a stronghold in Hollywood or coming out in open about wage gap – it’s inspiring to see Bollywood actresses breaking stereotypes. The Hindi film industry is filled with actresses today who are redefining womanhood and empowering women to a new level altogether! It only makes us look up to them with sheer respect when we see them do things nobody would have imagined. Considering the society that we live in and the stigma surrounding it, it is not easy for a woman to do something that’s totally out-of-the-box… something that just doesn’t go by our society’s “rules and regulations”.

On International Women’s Day 2018, let’s take you through 5 Bollywood actresses who DARED to break stereotypes and set a stellar example for the world out there!

Kareena Kapoor

She received a lot of flak for having stepped out days within she delivered her first baby but that didn’t stop Kareena Kapoor from living her life the way she wanted to. After Taimur was born, Kareena continued to work like she did before, without letting that affect her work. But at the same time, she managed to strike a healthy balance between her personal and professional life. Now that’s something that made our society uncomfortable. A lot of eyebrows were raised as people questioned her but well, that obviously didn’t stop her from doing what she wanted to do!

Sushmita Sen

It is commendable how Sushmita, as a single mother, has managed to raise two daughters – Renee and Alisah. Although now we are more open to the idea, the concept of a single mother didn’t existed back then. It was a taboo for a woman to raise a kid all by herself but well, Sushmita did it anyway! Hats off to her…

Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is among those actresses who has been fat-shamed umpteen times. But you know her, she is not a people – pleaser… not even a bit of it! She happily embraces her curves and doesn’t really give a sh*t about what people have to say about her. That’s the kind of attitude we love!

Suhasini Mulay

Suhasini Mulay got married at the age of 60 and that left the entire world in a tizzy! The five time national awardee and popular screen mom told Mumbai Mirror she met 65-year-old physicist Atul Gurtu online. Not only did she break the age-related stereotypes by getting hitched at the age of 60 but also by using the medium of the new age the Internet to find her Mr Right. So cool!

Kalki Koechlin

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Kalki’s career graph has only gone a notch higher with every character she has chosen to portray onscreen. With films like Margarita With A Straw, Dev D, The Girl In Yellow Boots and Shanghai in her kitty, Kalki has dealt with subjects that are often termed as ‘bold’ for the audience.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 07, 2018 04:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).