Bollywood movies are not all song and dance when it comes to the portrayal of women. In the midst of directors who still consider actresses as mannequins and item girls to increase Box Office ratings, there are a select few who believe in meaningful cinema and have successfully rolled out marvels which show women in powerful roles. Here are 18 such movies which celebrate being a women and must be on your to-watch list:

5. Arth

The film revolves around Pooja Inder Malhotra's (Shabana Azmi) search for her identity after her filmmaker husband has an extra-marital affair with an actress and leaves her. Azmi bagged the National Award for her role in this 1982 movie. Not only did the movie help her establish herself as a mainstream actress, it also put onus on women-centric roles in Bollywood movies.

6. Bhumika

A winner of not one, but two National Awards, Smita Patil delivers a stellar performance in the 1977 movie. One of Shyam Benegal's masterpieces, Patil's portrayal of Usha was a career-defining role and arguably her best performance. The movie was based on the autobiography of Marathi actress Hansa Wadkar.