Bollywood 2012: Heroines rule hearts and box office

The likes of Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Bipasha Basu, Vidya Balan and Sridevi chose offbeat roles to battle it out with their male counterparts at the box office.

The year began with Vidya's "Kahaani". The actress, who had already delivered a success with "The Dirty Picture" last year, broke many stereotypes with the thriller.

The film explored themes of feminism and motherhood in a male-dominated Indian society. It had a seven-month pregnant heroine in the lead without any recognisable stars but managed to earn critical acclaim as well as audience's love.

Word-of-mouth publicity and good critical response paved the way for the film's commercial success, with a 50 day worldwide gross of Rs 104 crore.

Bipasha had three releases this year. While 'Players' and 'Jodi Breakers' failed to make a mark, she delivered a hit with the horror flick 'Raaz 3' portraying a fading superstar obsessed with her career.

Even Kareena, who is largely seen playing the glam doll in hero-centric films, carried Madhur Bhandarkar's next "Heroine" on her shoulders.

Although the film garnered mixed reviews, Kareena's performance as a declining superstar was appreciated.

From doing the raunchy item song 'Halkat Jawaani' to the scenes where she is battling depression and popping pills, Kareena made her character Mahi memorable and lovable.

Sridevi, who ruled the silver screen with films like "Sadma", "Chandni", "Mr India" and "Lamhe" in the eighties, was back on the big

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