Pictures: Bollywood's Most Influential Women

We might know Bollywood for the famous Kareena Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen and more, but there are many influential women that should be on our radars as well. Here's a list of influential Bollywood women who are not only known for their beauty but also brains!

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka has won the Miss World pageant in 2000, she has also acted in hit Bollywood movies, besides her television show Quantico, her music albums, many awards, being honored with the Padma Shri. She is also listed as one of the world’s most powerful women by Forbes. She has also worked with UNICEF since 2006 and became their national and global Goodwill Ambassador for child rights in 2010 and 2016. She also promotes various causes such as environment, health and education, and gender equality, and feminism. 

Deepika Padukone

Deepika began her career tarring with Shahrukh Khan in the Farah Khan movie, Om Shanti Om. Having battled depression, she founded the Live Laugh Love Foundation to create awareness for mental health in India. She is also very vocal about issues on feminism.

Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya has won the Miss World pageant in 1994, Aishwarya has been known all over India and overseas as ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’. Besides beauty, she was the first Indian actress to represent her country as a Jury member at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003, the first to be signed as the international brand ambassador for L’Oréal Paris and the first to grace the Oprah Winfrey show. Along with being an ambassador for several charity organizations, she is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Program on Aids (UNAIDS).

Sonam Kapoor Ahuja

Recipient of several awards since her debut in 2007 and a National Film Award for her film Neerja, Sonam has come a long way at a very young age. Described by media as a style icon she has featured a few times in Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 based on her income and popularity, appeared in The Huffington Post’s list of 100 most influential women on Twitter, and is the Indian brand ambassador for L’Oréal. She has raised awareness of breast cancer and LGBT rights in India.

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Kareena is known for her acting but besides all of that she is known for being outspoken and assertive, she is very actively involved in promoting children’s education and the safety of women. In 2014, she also began working with UNICEF to increase quality-based education in India.

Alia Bhatt

Alia has launched her own line of clothing and handbags and is also the founder of the ecological initiative CoExist.

Ekta Kapoor

Ekta started the Institute of Creative Excellence, a media training school, and has also launched her fashion series EK Label. Ruling on all three formats of content, she has produced more than 130 soap operas, 35 films, and 40 web series, and has been singly credited for launching the careers of many television and film personalities.

Image Source: Instagram - @deepikapadukone