From Alia Bhatt's Safeena to Kangana Ranaut's eccentric Bobby Grewal - here's looking at the best female performances of 2019

2019 has been a good year for women in cinema. From an obsessive overzealous girlfriend to an ISRO scientist working on the most ambitious project of her life, women have played some interesting characters in 2019. Even though the year has been dominated by men with ‘War’ and ‘Kabir Singh’ emerging the biggest box office hits of the year, actresses like Kangana Ranaut, Alia Bhatt, Vidya Balan, Taapse Pannu, Yami Gautam and Bhumi Pednekar still managed to win over audiences with their solid performances. Here's looking at some of the best female performances of the year.

Kangana aces it when it comes to portraying anything that is unconventional and can’t be put in a box. Her hunger and need to try something new was rewarded with ‘Judgementall Hai Kya’ where she played the quirky, eccentric and unpredictable Bobby Grewal. It was pure joy watching her bring Bobby alive on the big screen and make her utterly believable. You can't take your eyes off Bobby as she goes from painting one mood to another. ‘Judgementall Hai Kya’ is not only one of the best performances of 2019 but also one of Kangana's most challenging and rewarding acts.

The feisty Safeena from ‘Gully Boy’ won over our hearts from the very first frame. Alia Bhatt's nuanced and natural act in ‘Gully Boy’ was one of the biggest highlights of this brilliantly made film. If you look beyond the popular 'dhoptungi' line from the film there is a lot to praise in Alia's act. Her blow hot-blow cold relationship with the protagonist Murad (Ranveer Singh) could have gone over the top, but Alia underplays the sentiment and angst with such beauty. This was easily one of the best performances of 2019 by a female actor.

A film with female actors looking old and wrinkled for the entire duration would have seemed almost unreal. But Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar did the impossible by doing the 'shooter dadi's biopic ‘Saand Ki Aankh’ based on the real lives of shooters Prakashi Tomar and Chandro Tomar. Directed by Tushar Hiranandani, the film showcased two powerhouse performances from the leading ladies. ‘Saand Ki Aankh’ worked because of Taapsee and Bhumi's camaraderie and the fact that their interpersonal chemistry seemed natural and believable.

There is nothing that Vidya Balan can't do. As an ISRO scientist headlining a team of experts planning a mission to Mars, Vidya was utterly honest and sincere in her performance. Vidya's biggest USP is her natural charm and how believable she looks in most of her performances. 'Mission Mangal' has Vidya playing a mother and a housewife struggling to juggle between keeping her dream alive to making sure her family life doesn't come crashing. Vidya lights up every frame of the movie with her effervescence and it's a privilege to watch her on the big screen.

While Ayushmann Khurrana impressed as a balding man suffering with a crisis it was the object of his affection Yami Gautam who played a social media superstar who impressed as well. Yami was over the top with her camp attitude showing the stardom these social media influencers enjoy. She also had a few serious moments and scenes with Ayushamann in the second half. Her breakdown scene post marriage when she finds her husband is actually a bald man was super impressive. Yami gave apt support to Ayushamann making 'Bala' one of the most enjoyable films of 2019.