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15 Years of Ishqiya: A look at how Vidya Balan’s portrayal of Krishna Verma redefined the way Bollywood saw twisted female characters
As Ishqiya turned 15, we take a look at how Vidya Balan's powerful character, Krishna Verma, changed how Bollywood saw its femme fatale.
Vidya Balan’s impressive filmography boasts of several hits across genres. But when she played the femme fatale Krishna Verma in debutant director Abhishek Chaubey’s Ishqiya (2010), the actress proved there’s no role she can’t ace. Fifteen years ago, she gave the industry a character that defied every stereotype of the Bollywood heroine. As the slapstick black comedy film celebrates another year of its release on January 29, 2025, we look at how Vidya Balan redefined the femme fatale in Bollywood.
Krishna Verma, portrayed by Vidya Balan, was equal parts sensual and scheming, vulnerable and vicious. She wasn’t just a love interest or a passive bystander; she was the force driving the film’s twisted tale of love, deception, and survival. The character played in Ishqiya was a game changer at a time when mainstream Bollywood rarely explored morally ambiguous female characters. Balan played a woman who owned her desires, pain, and choices without seeking validation or redemption.
One might wonder what made her one of the most compelling female protagonists in Indian cinema. Well, she manipulated the men around her, Khalujaan (played by Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (played by Arshad Warsi), not for the thrill but for her own survival. Moreover, she was a woman who blurred the lines between love and betrayal, innocence and cunning.
In Vidya Balan’s hands, Krishna wasn’t a caricature of a femme fatale; she was deeply layered, unpredictable, and real. One of the film’s most memorable moments is Krishna’s monologue, in which she shifts from vulnerability to quiet menace within seconds. Her piercing glances and simmering intensity added to the enigma of her character.
She didn’t seduce with theatrics; she did it with a quiet, unshakable power. Vidya’s performance made Krishna impossible to forget, ensuring she lingered in the audience’s minds long after the credits rolled. By acing the character in Ishqiya, Vidya paved the way for complex female protagonists who didn’t fit into conventional molds. This continued in movies like The Dirty Picture and Kahaani, proving that female-driven narratives could be both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.
It won’t be wrong to say that Krishna Verma remains one of Indian cinema’s most unforgettable characters. Her agency, mystery, and unapologetic control over her destiny set a new standard for female roles in Bollywood. As Ishqiya completes 15 years, it stands as a testament to Vidya Balan’s fearless choices and her ability to redefine the Hindi film heroine. Krishna Verma wasn’t just a femme fatale—she was a revolution.
Did you know Ishqiya was initially supposed to feature THIS actress along with Irrfan Khan and Pankaj Tripathi? Abhishek Chaubey reveals
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