Deepika Padukone's 'Raaka' action shoot during pregnancy reflects Bollywood's changing heroines

Fresh reports are claiming that Deepika Padukone has been filming intense action sequences for Atlee’s upcoming film ‘Raaka’, even while in her third trimester.

As she is reportedly doing night shifts to finish the action sequences before taking her maternity break, Padukone has brought the spotlight once again to how women in Bollywood are no longer limited only to dance numbers.

In fact, the leading ladies are expected to deliver a lot more, including intense action sequences.

For decades, a Bollywood heroine was mostly remembered for an iconic dance number. Be it Madhuri Dixit’s ‘Ek Do Teen’ (1988), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s ‘Kajra Re’ (2005), or Katrina Kaif’s ‘Sheela Ki Jawani’ (2010), these songs have played a pivotal role in defining their stardom.

However, in recent years, Bollywood has seen a steady shift in how it looks at its leading ladies - they are more than just dance numbers.

From Priyanka Chopra Jonas to Padukone, Kaif, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Alia Bhatt, and Sharvari Wagh, these fierce ladies are not only donning action, but some are filming it even during their pregnancies.

Hit songs were a film’s talking point in its marketing; today, it's action sequences.

Back in the day, a hit song often became a strategic factor for a film’s marketing among the masses. While songs do hold importance today, the marketing strategy isn’t limited to that alone.

Makers are now moving towards releasing behind-the-scenes videos of what goes on while filming these action-packed stunts. Not just that, they also get a conversation going about the physical transformation and hard work these actresses put in for such roles.

For instance, Yash Raj Films had released videos of Kaif training alongside Salman Khan for the action sequences of ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ (2012).

With ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ (2017), they had videos that showed Kaif undergoing training for mixed martial arts, rehearsing her fight choreography, etc.

It was these videos that made the audience look at Kaif’s character not as a conventional heroine, but as one who could do her own combat skills.

Did these tactics work well for the films? Yes! While the importance of songs in a Bollywood film continues today, leading ladies are expected to deliver much more than just dance.

In fact, filmmakers have also made a shift from introducing their characters with songs to action sequences.

Point in case, director Rohit Shetty, who dropped Padukone’s first-look videos as a cop avatar in ‘Singham Again’ (2024) with not a song but action-packed sequences.

What’s driving this change?

One of the reasons that has led to this positive change in the Hindi film industry is how the audience now looks at the characters.

Actresses being cast in these spy thrillers are for roles of an intelligence officer, a spy, or a police officer. And when you’re offered such a role, the audience does expect the heroine to act, something that comes naturally to these roles, thanks to the film’s genre.

Another important aspect that seems to have made a difference is the growing influence of Hollywood on Indians.

From the likes of Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, and Gal Gadot, among others, Hollywood has already normalized casting women in high-octane action thrillers as the central characters.

The Indian audience is continuously consuming this genre, making films such as ‘Salt’ (2010), ‘Atomic Blonde’ (2017), ‘Wonder Woman’ (2017), and ‘Black Widow’ (2021) fan favourites.

How action is transforming a heroine’s brand:

While actresses are still being remembered for their hook steps, their memorable action sequences are also bringing them recognition.

Chopra Jonas, who played Roma in Shah Rukh Khan-led ‘Don 2’ (2011), is fondly remembered for the hand-to-hand combat and gunfights. The climax action scene involving SRK and her reflected how she matched her male star’s physicality.

Similarly, Kaif’s towel fight sequence in ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ is counted among her most memorable scenes.

These scenes aren’t just memorable in the minds of the viewers, but it proves how Bollywood ladies can go above and beyond for a character.

It also underlines their growing range as actors, with audiences now expecting them to be equally convincing in romantic dramas and action spectacles.