Despite the increasing push for stronger female representation in Indian cinema, many heroines continue to find themselves relegated to underwhelming roles, particularly in big-ticket pan-India films.
While the era of one-dimensional glamour roles may be fading, meaningful screen presence for actresses still feels like a rare privilege rather than the norm.
Take Retro, for example. Pooja Hegde, hoping for a successful comeback in Retro, found herself in a similar position.
Despite trying to bring restraint to her performance, the material and character were both disappointing, leaving the film with little impact.
Her best moment came from the viral dance clip during a wedding song. Pooja’s role felt underutilized and unremarkable.
Srinidhi Shetty, despite starring in major films like KGF and Hit 3, her roles failed to add any narrative weight. In Hit 3, her character was disconnected from the plot, with only brief, scattered moments that lacked real development.
While Srinidhi has the talent and glamor, her roles didn’t offer the screen time or depth needed to make an impression. This pattern of sidelined characters seems to be a recurring issue in her career.
Despite the massive budgets and reach of these projects, significant and meaningful roles for actresses remain rare.
While the industry takes steps toward more diverse storytelling, for many actresses, achieving real depth and screen presence still feels like an elusive goal.
