MUMBAI: Iconic films such as Shootout at Lokhandwala, Raees, Shoutout at Wadala, One Upon a Time in Mumbai, etc… are stories based on the lives of gangsters, underworld dons and mafia that rules the city. One thing common about these stories are its leads which are primarily male dominated characters. How often do we come across stories and plots that highlight the life journey of the women, especially set against the backdrop of the underworld? Women, who went all out and created a world for themselves. Not many, right?

Here’s a list of the top movies / series which bring to the fore women who take the lead, either to seek revenge for their loved ones or to create a dynasty for themselves: 

1.  Andhadhun – A film that went on to win the National Award in the year 2019, Andhadhun traces the journey of Akash, a piano player who pretends to be visually impaired, unknowingly witnesses a murder leading to a drastic change of events in his life, now having to report a crime that he never actually witnessed. Ayushmann Khurrana who played the role of Akash also won the National Award for the Best Actor. The film is directed by Sriram Raghavan and also stars Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan, amongst others 

2.  Ek Thi Begum – A revenge drama series directed by Sachin Darekar which sees Anuja Sathe play the role of Ashraf Bhatkar aka Sapna. Based on true incidents, the series is set in the 1980s in Mumbai, a time when organized crime was at its peak. ‘Ek thi Begum’ chronicles the life of a beautiful, gutsy woman whose life changed when the city’s biggest don Maqsood (Ajay Gehi) turned responsible for the death of her husband Zaheer (Ankit Mohan). This 14-episodic bilingual series is exclusively available on MX Player for FREE. Watch it now - https://bit.ly/ETB_Episode1_YouTube 

3.  Gangubai Khatiawadi – A much awaited film ‘Gangubai Khatiawadi’ sees glam-queen Alia Bhatt in the lead and is based on the story of an Indian criminal, don, sex-worker, businesswoman, all-in-all, a highly controversial figure from Kathiawar. The poster of the film was out recently and went viral on social and online media. The film is set to release this year 

4.  Bandit Queen – A biographical film based on the real life of ‘Phoolan Devi’ was a light-bearer of such films in the history of Indian Cinema. Released in the year 1994, the film traced the journey of a woman who belonged to a lower caste who faced sexual abuse and discrimination in society. Leading to a turn of events, she went on to become the leader of a gang. The film was directed by Shekhar Kapur and starred Seema Biswas as the title character