Famous Indian Women

An Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and a missionary, Mother Teresa was the founder of Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation. She was both an admired and controversial figure and was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. While she was admired by many for her charitable work, she also earned criticism for her stance against abortion and contraception.

The Winner of Miss World 2000; a successful actress in Hindi films; the owner of production house that promotes regional Indian cinema and the first Indian actor to play the lead character in an American television show – Priyanka Chopra’s list of achievements is long. The popular star is also a singer, a tech investor and the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

The third Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi served as PM from 1966 till 1977 and then again from 1980 till her assassination in October 1984. She is considered one of India’s strongest PM and is hailed for leading India to victory over Pakistan in 1971, which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. However, she is also categorised as authoritarian and is criticised for imposing Emergency in 1975.

P. V. Sindhu is an Indian badminton player. In 2016, she won the Olympic silver medal in Rio de Janeiro, becoming the first Indian woman to receive an Olympic silver. Sindhu became a national icon following her performance in the 2016 Olympics. In January 2020, she was honored with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award.

Deepika Padukone is one of the highest-paid Indian actresses. She is also known for her off-screen work, which involves supporting charitable organizations. She founded The Live Love Laugh Foundation, which aims at creating awareness on mental health. In 2018, she was named in Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world.

Remembered for her heroics against the British, the Indian Joan of Arc Rani Lakshmibai remains an icon of the 1857 Indian Rebellion. The wife of Maharaja Gangadhar Rao, she is known for leading the fight against the British after her husband’s death. She also inspired the legendary lines Khoob Ladi Mardani.

Sridevi was an Indian film actress who appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam language films. Considered one of the most popular actresses of all time, Sridevi was dubbed the First Female Superstar in India. With several prestigious awards under her belt, she was also regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation.

Indian actress and producer, Anushka Sharma is one of the most popular and highest-paid actresses in the country. She was featured by Forbes Asia in their 30 Under 30 list of 2018 and is the recipient of numerous awards. Beginning her career as a model, she soon ventured into acting and made a name for herself within a short while.

Indian actress Aishwarya Rai is one of the most popular and influential celebrities in the country. She began her career as a model and was crowned the Miss World 1994. She started acting soon after and became one of India’s top actresses. Besides acting, she is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS).

A former world no.1, Saina Nehwal holds the feat of being the only Indian female player and overall the second Indian player to achieve this ranking. She is the first Indian female to have bagged in an Olympic medal in badminton. She was also awarded India's third highest civillian award, the Padma Bhushan.

An impressive doubles tennis player, Sania Mirza has six Grand Slam titles under her belt. A former doubles world No. 1, Sania Mirza is one of the greatest Indian female  tennis players ever. In 2005, Sania Mirza was named in Time magazine's 50 Heroes of Asia list. In 2016, she was named in the magazine's 100 most influential people in the world list.

In 2010, Sunny Leone was named among 12 top porn stars by Maxim magazine. After a flourishing career in the porn industry, Sunny Leone settled in India where she is currently popular as a film actress. Her journey from a porn actress to a successful Bollywood personality is viewed as an inspirational story by many young women across the world. 

One of the most popular and also amongst the highest paid Bollywood actresses, Kareena Kapoor is best known for her roles in movies like Chameli, Omkara, 3 Idiots and Jab We Met. Born into a film family, the beautiful, accomplished and award winning actress always aspired to enter the film industry and eventually made her debut at the age of 19 with the movie Refugee.

Padma Lakshmi is a model, television host and author. She has hosted cooking competition program Top Chef and has published cookbooks. She has acted in films and television too and is also an activist working for immigration and women’s rights and is a critic of skin-lightening creams. She was married to novelist Salman Rushdie for a little over three years.

Indian actress Alia Bhatt made her debut at the age of six in the movie Sangharsh. More than a decade later, she appeared in the movie Student of the Year as its leading lady. The movie succeeded and since then the actor’s career has seen tremendous rise. Her performances in movies like Highway, Raazi and Gully Boy have won her both, popularity and awards.

Katrina Kaif is one of the top actresses of the Hindi film industry. Namastey London, New York, Raajneeti, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Ek Tha Tiger, Dhoom 3, Bang Bang and Bharat are some of her hit films. Her career has seen highs and lows and many times she has been criticised for her acting.

Preity Zinta is an Indian actress and entrepreneur. She is best known for her roles in the romantic drama films Kal Ho Naa Ho and Veer Zaara. She has degrees in English honors and criminal psychology but chose to become a model and actress. She is known for playing unconventional roles and is the recipient of several awards. 

Tabu is an Indian actress best known for her work in the Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu film industries. One of the most celebrated actresses of her generation, Tabu is renowned for playing unconventional roles. In 2011, she was honored with the Padma Shri by the Indian Government. She has also received other prestigious awards, such as National Film Awards.

Sarojini Naidu was an Indian poet and political activist. An important figure in the Indian Independence Movement, she was a proponent of anti-imperialistic ideas, women's rights, and civil rights. Her illustrious career as a poet earned her the nickname Nightingale of India. After India became independent, she became the first woman to hold the office of Governor in the Dominion of India.

Karisma Kapoor is an Indian film actress best known for her association with the Hindi film industry. Born into the famous Kapoor family, Karisma achieved popularity during the 1990s when she played important roles in successful films like Jigar. She then established herself as the leading actress of Bollywood by winning prestigious awards like National Film Award and Filmfare Awards.

Raveena Tandon is an Indian film actress, producer, and model. Although she is best known for her work in the Hindi film industry, Tandon has also played important roles in many popular South Indian films like Kamal Haasan's Aalavandhan and Upendra's eponymous film. Over the course of her career, Tandon has received several prestigious awards, including a National Film Award.

Sonia Gandhi is an Indian politician and president of one of the most prominent Indian political parties, The Indian National Congress. As the president of Indian National Congress, which has been one of India's most successful political parties in the country's post-independence history, Sonia Gandhi remains one of the most powerful women in India.

Manushi Chhillar is an Indian actress and model. Chhillar achieved popularity in 2017 when she won the Miss World pageant, becoming only the sixth Indian to win the pageant. After winning the pageant, Chhillar went on to sign a three-film contract with the popular production company Yash Raj Films. She has also modeled for popular brands like Fashion Big Bazaar.

Rani Mukerji is an Indian actress best known for her work in the Hindi film industry. One of the most successful actresses of her generation, Mukerji has featured in the highest-paid and most popular actresses of the 2000s lists. She has also received several awards like Filmfare Awards and Screen Awards. Rani Mukerji is also known for her humanitarian work.

Indra Nooyi is an Indian-American business executive known for her association with PepsiCo where she served as the chief executive officer from 2006 to 2018. Often ranked among the most powerful women, Nooyi was named in Forbes' World's 100 Most Powerful Women list in 2014. In 2017, she was named in the magazine's 19 Most Powerful Women in Business list.

Indian actress Rakul Preet Singh started her career as a model and then graduated to films. She made her debut in a Telugu film in 2011 and then did a Tamil film in 2012. In 2014 she starred in a Hindi film Yaariyan. Venkatadri Express, Current Theega, Dhruva, Spyder and De De Pyaar De are some of her notable films.

Starting her training in singing at age 4, Neha Kakkar later participated in Indian Idol but was eliminated before she could make her mark on the show. She later soared to fame with the track Second Hand Jawaani from Cocktail and never looked back. She has also performed in minor roles.

One of the most respected and best-known playback singers in India, Lata Mangeshkar is popularly known as the Nightingale of India. Such has had a long career of more than 60 years and have been honoured with India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna..

Kriti Sanon is an Indian actress best known for her work in Bollywood. Apart from being an actress, Sanon also endorses several brands and has launched her own clothing line as well. Over the years, Kriti Sanon has won many awards, such as the International Indian Film Academy Awards and Filmfare Award.

Neerja Bhanot was an Indian purser and model who died at the age of 22 while trying to save passengers on an airplane that had been hijacked by terrorists. She was posthumously honored with the Ashok Chakra Award, India's highest peacetime gallantry, becoming the youngest recipient of the honor. Her life inspired the 2016 biographical thriller film, Neerja.

Anushka Shetty is an Indian film actress and model renowned for her work in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. Known as the Lady Superstar of the Cinema of South India, Shetty is often counted among the highest-paid actresses. Apart from featuring in many successful films, Anushka Shetty has also received several awards, including Nandi Awards and Filmfare Awards South.

Disha Patani is an Indian actress best known for her work in the Hindi film industry. Patani is renowned for her performance in the 2017 biographical sports drama film M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, which narrates the story of former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Patani's portrayal of Priyanka in the film earned her many awards including Stardust Awards.