Bollywood has made some notable women-oriented films in recent times that are not necessarily subtle but say it like it is. On International Women’s Day 2026 on March 8, let’s take a look at 20 women-led films in Hindi cinema from the 2010s to 2026. Be it acclaimed films like Kangana Ranaut’s Queen, Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak, Rani Mukerji's Mardaani series, Alia Bhatt’s Raazi and Gangubai Kathiawadi, Vidya Balan's Kahaani series, or Taapsee Pannu’s Pink, Thappad and the recent Assi, we have some formidable characters in these movies. Add to the mix the Cannes 2024 Award-winner All We Imagine as Light and the Sundance 2024 and MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 winner Girls Will Be Girls, and the Venice 2025 Orizzonti award winner Songs of Forgotten Trees. Women’s Day 2026: 10 Most Bada** Female Characters in Hollywood Movies Who Redefined Strength on Screen.

Women’s Day 2026: List of Women-Oriented Films in Bollywood to Watch

Take a look at the plot details, leading cast, director, trailer and streaming details of these remarkable women-oriented films in Hindi cinema. (The latest streaming status is subject to change.) TRIGGER WARNING: Some of these movies may be a trigger for survivors of sexual assault, human trafficking, rape, domestic violence or any kind of harassment. International Women’s Day 2026: Theme, Date, History and How To Celebrate.

1. ‘Assi’ (2026)

  • Summary: A courtroom drama following a schoolteacher’s quest for justice after a brutal sexual assault. It explores the systemic hurdles and societal apathy faced by survivors.

  • Leading Cast: Kani Kusruti, Taapsee Pannu, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.

  • Director: Anubhav Sinha

  • Streaming Details: Currently in theatres, Assi is expected to begin streaming on ZEE5 around April 17, 2026. From ‘Pink’ to ‘Assi’: How Taapsee Pannu Redefined Versatility in Modern Cinema.

‘Assi’ Trailer – Watch Video: 

2. ‘Pink’ (2016)

  • Summary: Three young women face a legal battle and character assassination after defending themselves against a powerful man's advances. A retired lawyer takes their case to challenge the social double standards regarding consent.

  • Leading Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari.

  • Director: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.

  • Streaming Details: Netflix.

‘Pink’ Trailer – Watch Video:

3. ‘Laapataa Ladies’ (2024)

  • Summary: Set in rural India, in this award-winning film, two young brides accidentally get swapped during a train journey to their new homes. The incident sparks a chaotic yet heartwarming journey of self-discovery and empowerment.

  • Leading Cast: Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Ravi Kishen.

  • Director: Kiran Rao.

  • Streaming Details: Netflix.

‘Laapataa Ladies’ Trailer – Watch Video:

4. ‘Queen’ (2013)

  • Summary: After her fiancé calls off their wedding, a sheltered girl from Delhi decides to go on her planned honeymoon to Paris and Amsterdam alone. The trip transforms her from a timid wallflower into a confident, independent woman.

  • Leading Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Lisa Haydon, Rajkummar Rao.

  • Director: Vikas Bahl.

  • Streaming Details: Netflix.

‘Queen’ Trailer – Watch Video:

5. ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’ (2025)

  • Summary: In the margins of Mumbai, a young migrant supporting herself through sex work sublets her flat to a new arrival. The two women form a quiet bond, falling in love, as they navigate the loneliness of the metropolis.

  • Leading Cast: Naaz Shaikh, Sumi Baghel.

  • Director: Anuparna Roy.

  • Streaming Details: Currently, this film is primarily available on the festival circuit, indie platforms and special offline screenings in select cities. It may stream on MUBI or Apple TV as a Video On Demand (VOD) release.

‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’ Trailer – Watch Video:

6. ‘Neerja’ (2016)

  • Summary: The film is based on the true story of Indian flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life to save passengers during the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73. It portrays Neerja’s extraordinary bravery and presence of mind under extreme threat from terrorists.

  • Leading Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Jim Sarbh.

  • Director: Ram Madhvani.

  • Streaming Details: Netflix.

‘Neerja’ Trailer – Watch Video:

7. ‘All We Imagine as Light’ (2024)

  • Summary: Two nurses in Mumbai, one struggling in a distant relationship with her husband, and the other with a secret romance, embark on a road trip to a seaside town. The journey allows their internal desires and friendships to come into focus.

  • Leading Cast: Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam.

  • Director: Payal Kapadia.

  • Streaming Details: Amazon Prime Video.

‘All We Imagine as Light’ Trailer – Watch Video:

8. ‘Chhapaak’ (2020)

  • Summary: Inspired by the life of Laxmi Agarwal, the film follows an acid attack survivor’s painful recovery and her subsequent legal battle to ban the sale of acid. It highlights the resilience of the human spirit against horrific violence.

  • Leading Cast: Deepika Padukone, Vikrant Massey.

  • Director: Meghna Gulzar.

  • Streaming Details: JioHotstar.

‘Chhapaak’ Trailer – Watch Video:

9. ‘English Vinglish’ (2012)

  • Summary: A quiet housewife who is mocked by her family for her poor English skills enrolls in a secret language course while visiting New York. She eventually regains her self-respect and proves her worth to her family.

  • Leading Cast: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou, Sujata Kumar, Priya Anand, Sulabha Deshpande.

  • Director: Gauri Shinde.

  • Streaming Details: Netflix.

‘English Vinglish’ Trailer – Watch Video:

10. ‘Thappad’ (2020)

  • Summary: A woman's seemingly perfect marriage is shattered when her husband slaps her once at a public party. She decides to file for divorce, challenging the "just one slap" normalisation of domestic violence.

  • Leading Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, Kumud Mishra.

  • Director: Anubhav Sinha.

  • Streaming Details: Amazon Prime Video and MX Player.

‘Thappad’ Trailer – Watch Video:

11. ‘Raazi’ (2018)

  • Summary: Set during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, a young Indian woman goes to Pakistan as an undercover spy after marrying into a family of military officers. She does her duty to her country of birth in spite of her growing affection for her husband. She sacrifices her personal life and returns to India. Raazi is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka's 2008 novel Calling Sehmat.

  • Leading Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Jaideep Ahlawat.

  • Director: Meghna Gulzar.

  • Streaming Details: Amazon Prime Video. 

‘Raazi’ Trailer – Watch Video:

12. ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ (2022)

  • Summary: A young girl sold into a brothel rises through the ranks of Mumbai's underworld to become a powerful madam and political figure. She uses her influence to fight for the rights of sex workers and their children.

  • Leading Cast: Alia Bhatt, Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz.

  • Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

  • Streaming Details: Netflix.

‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ Trailer – Watch Video:

13. ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ (2016)

  • Summary: The film explores the secret desires and small rebellions of four women living in a conservative society in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Each character searches for a sliver of freedom away from the restrictive role imposed upon them in society.

  • Leading Cast: Ratna Pathak Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aahana Kumra, Aahana Kumra, Vikrant Massey, Plabita Borthakur.

  • Director: Alankrita Shrivastava.

  • Streaming Details: Netflix.

‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ Trailer – Watch Video: 

14. ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ (2024)

  • Summary: Set in a Himalayan boarding school, a teenage girl’s awakening of desire leads to a tense conflict with her protective mother. It is a nuanced coming-of-age story about female agency and maternal complex.

  • Leading Cast: Preeti Panigrahi, Kani Kusruti.

  • Director: Shuchi Talati.

  • Streaming Details: Amazon Prime Video.

‘Girls Will Be Girls’ Trailer – Watch Video:

15.‘Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare’

  • Summary: Two women navigate their disillusionment with marriage and societal expectations. As they chase their dreams, they confront uncomfortable truths about their lives and desires, and take strong decisions.

  • Leading Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Aamir Bashir, Amol Parashar, Neelima Azeem, Bhumi Pednekar, Vikrant Massey, Karan Kundrra, Kubbra Sait.

  • Director: Alankrita Shrivastava.

  • Streaming Details: Netflix.

‘Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare’ Trailer – Watch Video:

16. ‘Kahaani’ (2012)

  • Summary: A heavily pregnant woman arrives in Kolkata from London during the Durga Puja festival to search for her missing husband. As she digs deeper with the help of a local cop, she uncovers a dark conspiracy involving a rogue intelligence agent and a past terrorist attack.

  • Leading Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Saswata Chatterjee, Indraneil Sengupta.

  • Director: Sujoy Ghosh.

  • Streaming Details: Amazon Prime Video.

‘Kahaani’ Trailer – Watch Video:

 

17. ‘Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh’ (2016)

  • Summary: A mother’s quiet life in a small town is shattered when her daughter is kidnapped. An investigation into her past uncovers unknown truths about this Durga Rani Singh, leading to further revelations of child sexual abuse of her adoptive child at the hands of her uncle.

  • Leading Cast: Vidya Balan, Tunisha Sharma, Arjun Rampal, Jugal Hansraj.

  • Director: Sujoy Ghosh.

  • Streaming Details: Amazon Prime Video.

‘Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh’ Trailer – Watch Video:

18. ‘Mardaani’ (2014)

  • Summary: The first instalment of the Yash Raj Films series introduces Shivani Shivaji Roy as a Senior Inspector in the Mumbai Crime Branch. The story follows her relentless pursuit of a ruthless human trafficking kingpin after a teenage girl she was mentoring is kidnapped. Shivani discovers a deep-rooted child-trafficking and drug syndicate operating out of Delhi. The film centres on a high-stakes "cat-and-mouse" game between her and the mastermind, Karan Rastogi.

  • Leading Cast: Rani Mukerji, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Jisshu Sengupta, Avneet Kaur, Anant Vidhaat Sharma.

  • Director: Pradeep Sarkar.

  • Streaming Details: Netflix.

‘Mardaani’ Trailer – Watch Video:

 19. ‘Mardaani 2’ (2019)

  • Summary: In the second film, ‘Mardaani’ Shivani Shivaji Roy has been promoted to Superintendent of Police (SP) and is posted to Kota, Rajasthan. Here, she faces a new, more depraved challenge: a 21-year-old serial rapist and murderer who targets confident, independent women. The film highlights issues of extreme misogyny and the bureaucratic hurdles Shivani faces within the department.

  • Leading Cast: Rani Mukerji, Vishal Jethwa, Shruti Bapna,

  • Director: Gopi Puthran.

  • Streaming Details: Netflix.

‘Mardaani 2’ Trailer – Watch Video:

20. ‘Mardaani 3’ (2026)

  • Summary: In the latest film of the trilogy, Shivani Shivaji Roy, now a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), takes on a case involving national security and deep-seated criminal networks. This time, there is a powerful female antagonist known as "Amma". Shivani works to dismantle a sophisticated criminal operation while mentor/partner dynamics shift with new recruits like Fatima Anwar.

  • Leading Cast: Rani Mukerji, Mallika Prasad, Janki Bodiwala, Jisshu Sengupta, Prajesh Kashyap.

  • Director: Abhiraj Minawala.

  • Streaming Details: Currently in theatres, Mardaani 3 is likely to stream on Netflix soon.

‘Mardaani 3’ Trailer – Watch Video:

Happy Women’s Day 2026! Spend your Women’s Day 2026 watching these hard-hitting, intelligent and sensitive movies in Bollywood.

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Women and Child Helpline Numbers:

Childline India – 1098; Missing Child and Women – 1094; Women’s Helpline – 181; National Commission for Women Helpline – 112; National Commission for Women Helpline Against Violence – 7827170170; Police Women and Senior Citizen Helpline – 1091/1291.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2026 03:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).