Top 10 Female Performances of 2013

Most Popular Performances of 2013

Deepika Padukone (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express, Ram Leela): Deepika Padukone was everywhere in 2013. Hardly ever has one actor ever has years like Deepika did in 2013. Race 2 wasn’t a special performance but she sizzled in her glamorous avatar. Then came Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani where she played the diminutive Dharma heroine to perfection. She tickled all the funny bones in Chennai Express with her Meena Lochini act and her dialogue “Kahaan se kharidi aisi bokwaas dictionary?” is now a famous part of pop culture. She ended the year by arguably her best performance of 2013 in Ram Leela. She has set the benchmark high for all the future screen Juliets.

Sonakshi Sinha in R… Rajkumar: Sonakshi may have had a disappointing year in 2013 but the year ended in a rather happy note for her with the success of R… Rajkumar. She continued her typecast formula even in this film but there was something different about her. She was happier, and her performance did not seem to be as one note as her previous performances. The audience loved her unusual pairing with Shahid too.

Sonam Kapoor in Raanjhanaa: Sonam had a good year in 2013 with both of her films (Raanjhanaa and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) earning plaudits both from the critics and audiences alike. However, she was more impressive in Raanjhanaa. Sonam showed the emotions of her character without ever overplaying them with overtly expressing. She showed the transition in the character’s nature very well.

Kangana Ranaut in Krrish 3: Kangana had more screen time in Krrish 3 than an established A-list actress like Priyanka Chopra. That itself shows how important her role was in that film. She played a maanvar (created by the film’s villain Kaal) with expressionless expressions and made her character more believable. And oh she looked sexy in her avatar!

Shraddha Kapoor in Aashiqui 2: Shraddha became a star in 2013 with Aashiqui 2 which went on to be one of the biggest ROI hits of 2013. She played the character of Aarohi to perfection. Her performance oozed of a vulnerable charm and she fit the bill perfectly as the supportive partner of an alcoholic superstar even more than as a singer making her way up the ranks.

Most Critically Acclaimed Performances of 2013

Nimrat Kaur in The Lunchbox: Nimrat was one of the most talked about actress in the critics’ circle this year with her marvellous acting in 2013’s surprise hit ‘The Lunchbox’. Although she had appeared in a few ads and even had a decent role to play in Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurrana, her sparkling performance of a lonely wife in the big bad city of Mumbai won her many admirers.

Sonakshi Sinha in Lootera: Sonakshi delivered, arguably, the best performance by a female actor in 2013 in Lootera – a performance that we’d rate higher than Deepika’s in Ram Leela. She excelled playing the character of Pakhi who was muted like the whole film. The fact that the film did not work at the box office has made many people forget her performance but with time the film and her fantastically nuanced portrayal will both gain prominence.

Parineeti Chopra in Shuddh Desi Romance: Parineeti is one talented actress. She can hold her own against the most talented of actors and come out shining. In Shuddh Desi Romance, she played the role of a livewire young girl who was strictly against marriage and did not want to be limited by it, and her performance was appropriate because it showed her confusion aptly.

Shilpa Shukla in B.A. Pass: Shilpa’s performance was not seen by a lot of people but it created a lot of buzz amongst the lovers of cinema because of the boldness and assertiveness in her performance. Playing the sex-starved housewife from Paharganj she gets a college goer to fulfil all her lustful needs and ends up complicating his life. She was simply brilliant in the film.

Rani Mukherji in Bombay Talkies: Rani delivered one of the most underrated performances in Bombay Talkies. She played the role of a distressed wife who has to deal with her husband coming out of the closet finally after years of blissful marriage. She was absolutely terrific in that confrontation scene and her segment and her performance received a lot of acclaim from everyone who saw this homage to Indian cinema.

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