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BizAsia�۪s top 5 female performances of 2013

This year has to be said to be the year of strong power female Bollywood women who have not only proved their acting skills to the audience but have also made us fall in love with them. The women we have chosen this year have proved that they are not the showpieces in films and are instead able to light up the screen just by being there. ��It is interesting to see that some actresses are better remembered for some films than their male counterparts, in any case, it was difficult to get down to this shortlist. So here BizAsia presents the actresses who really have made us notice them and we applaud them for their hard work and dedication throughout the year.

Deepika Padukone YJHD

Deepika Padukone ��� ��Ram Leela�۪, ��Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani�۪, �ʉ�Chennai Express�۪

If this year had to be named for Bollywood, it would be the year of Deepika Padukone. She has stepped up to the plate and left her competition way behind her in the acting and achieving stakes. Whether she was playing the shy and coy Naina in ��Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani�۪ , the feisty and playful Leela in ��Ram Leela�۪ or a South Indian in ��Chennai Express�۪, she carries off each role effortlessly. Padukone proved this year that she is one actress that has the ability to change like a chameleon, according to what a given role requires of her.

As Naina, Padukone was able to say so much just by looking at her co-actors and she won over the audience with a character who was so relatable and sensitive to the emotions of others. In ��Ram Leela�۪, Padukone wowed the audience on screen, her costumes made her look like the Gujarati gori of the village and her spirit was lit up each scene throughout the film. Let�۪s not forget her incredible Gujarati folk dances that she carried off. ��In ��Chennai Express�۪, Padukone played a South Indian girl and her accent and mannerisms were so accurate that you forgot what it was that you actually knew of her until then.

Padukone is testament to the fact that being an actress is not just about hair and make-up, but about the hard work that goes into making the character your own and giving the audience something to remember.

Sonam Kapoor Raanjhanaa

��Sonam Kapoor ��� ��Raanjhana�۪ and ��Bhaag Milkha Bhaag�۪

Sonam Kapoor, before this year, had a danger of being known as an actress who could look fantastic on screen but with acting abilities at an average. Coming from a film family, she also had the most to prove as an actress but it just seemed as though the right role for her had not come along yet. ��Raanjhanaa�۪ and ��Bhaag Milkha Bhaag�۪ changed all of that in 2013, giving her some meaty roles to get her teeth stuck into and sure enough Kapoor came out shining. Whether she was playing the reserved and hard headed Zoya in ��Raanjhanaa�۪ or the honest Biro in ��Bhaag Milkha Bhaag�۪, she proved her worth to the audience and it will be interesting to see where she goes next.

Parineeti Chopra Shuddh Desi Romance

Parineeti Chopra ��� ��Shuddh Desi Romance�۪

Parineeti Chopra is fairly new to the industry and is still working to establish herself as a household name. Chopra�۪s charm is very much in her ability to show the audience that she is enjoying herself so much playing a particular character and her role as Gayatri in ��Shuddh Desi Romance�۪ was no different. What made her outstanding in this film was the fact that she played the character with so much heart and truly shone among her co-stars. Chopra has a long way to go yet but it is good to see the actress taking on risqu̩ roles and making them her own.

Shraddha Kapoor

Shraddha Kapoor ��� ��Aashiqui 2�۪

Shraddha Kapoor is another actress who is new to the industry and is finding her way as an actress. She definitely brought all bets to the table with her character of Aarohi Keshav Shirke in ��Aashiqui 2�۪, a small town bar singer who is turned into a successful playback singer with the help of a singing superstar. What brings Kapoor to having a real star quality is her quiet confidence as the character which endeared the audience to her and enchanted them into adoring her role.

Sonakshi Sinha OUATIMD

Sonakshi Sinha – �ʉ�R��_Rajkumar�۪, ��Bullett Raja�۪, ��Lootera�۪, ��Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Doobaara!�۪

Sonakshi Sinha is one actress who has proved her versatility with so many different roles in one year and she is also, like Padukone, an actress who had four releases this year. Her energy is unmatched and that is what she bought to her films this year. Sinha looks beautiful on screen, but with an elegant exterior comes a rather childlike cheeky interior and that shows in each of her roles. Whether she was playing feisty Chanda in ��R..Rajkumar�۪ or shy and thoughtful Paakhi in ��Lootera�۪, Sinha carried off these roles with finesse and her dedication to each of the characters showed. Sinha is a great actress with some good solid films to show for it.

Gippi

So there you have it, our list of top 5 female performances. Special mentions have to go out to two very different actresses. Firstly comes Riya Vij for her role as protagonist in ��Gippi. Although a very young actress but Viji was brilliant in Gippi as a confused and naive teenager who is trying to navigate herself through the intricacies of growing up and her parents’ separation. The other one that would be impossible not to mention is Kareena Kapoor Khan for her role in ��Satyagraha�۪ which she did brilliantly. It was nice to see the actress playing a character which was far removed from her traditional bubblegum family friendly roles.

2013 has been a great year for the female performers in the Bollywood industry and we look forward to seeing more of these ladies (and more) in the next year.