Once upon a time in Indian cinema, female spies had two essential tasks: save the country and look fabulous while doing it. Fast forward to today, and we’ve got actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, in action series Citadel: Honey Bunny streaming on Amazon Prime Video. She is redefining what it means to be a spy, and unlike our early spy ladies, she’s not just the ‘lady interest’ for the hero. Samantha is the hero alongside Varun Dhawan.
The early spy girls were not quite calling the shots yet, but they brought a fabulous mix of style and suspense to the table, paving the way for the powerful roles we see today. Let's take a look at how we went from spies with bouffant hairstyles to women who could dismantle a missile while sipping chai.
Glamour With A Side Of High Kicks
Before Samantha was cracking codes, there was Fearless Nadia in Khilari (1968), Bollywood’s original stunt queen and Madam X1, who could swing from chandeliers, throw punches, and make you forget what you were watching in the first place. With her athletic feats and penchant for disguises, Nadia set the stage for what could be. She was a one-woman espionage agency, and the world of Bollywood spying was officially born. In the same year, Mala Sinha fought Chinese insurgents alongside Dharmendra in the movie Ankhen.
Bouffants, Bell-Bottoms And Spy Antics
In the 70s and 80s, Bollywood thought “secret agent” meant “glamorous woman in a sparkly sari” who might or might not have a pistol hidden in her beehive hairdo. During this era, female spies in Bollywood were mostly there to look mysterious, sometimes holding a gun, sometimes just standing dramatically in a smoke-filled room. Films like Agent Vinod (1977) featuring the stunning Asha Sachdev brought a bit of glitz to espionage. Sachdev's character was a full-blown femme fatale, draped in sequins.
In 1973 movie Hindustan Ki Kasam, actress Priya Rajvansh plays a doctor who the Indian Air Force asks to do some sleuthing during the 1971 war. Then there was the campy Bond 303 (1985), where Bollywood's leading ladies upped their spy game. This was a time when female spies weren’t always in the driver’s seat but were definitely adding to the allure of the espionage thriller. The '70s and '80s may not have given us gritty action heroines, but they did set the stage.
Double Trouble
Flash forward to the 1990s, and enter Madam X (1994), starring none other than the iconic Rekha. Here was a spy who not only fought crime but also wore two hats. Playing a double role, Rekha was both the flamboyant criminal mastermind and her look-alike gauche twin trained to bring her down. It was like Bollywood said, “Why have one Rekha when we can have two?” This was a time when Bollywood spies were complex, glamorous and always had an element of high-stakes drama.
Spy Lite in the 2000s
In the early 2000s, Bollywood still loved a woman in a sari but was inching closer to the idea that maybe she could save the day too. Enter Preity Zinta as Reshma in The Hero: Love Story of A Spy (2003). She wasn’t just there to look good, she was actively undercover, serving up patriotism by the spoonful. It was Bollywood’s first real attempt at a serious spy character, and it gave audiences a taste of what a leading lady could do in espionage if given half a chance.
No More Ms. Nice Spy
The 2010s introduced us to the kind of spy we hadn’t seen in Bollywood: complex, capable and in charge. In Raazi, Alia Bhatt was playing a spy with a conscience and a lot of gumption. Sehmat is a soft-spoken girl-next-door from Kashmir, suddenly thrust into the high-stakes world of espionage. Her mission is to secretly gather intel on her husband’s family. This wasn’t your average “stakeout in a trench coat” kind of role. Sehmat is all nerves and hidden strength wrapped up in a chiffon salwar suit. Watching Alia juggle secrets and sabotage in her in-laws’ house was like seeing the ultimate multitasking act: part-daughter-in-law, part-espionage queen, and completely unforgettable.
In Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), Katrina Kaif as Zoya wasn’t just a sidekick to Salman Khan’s Tiger. She was every bit his equal. Here was a female spy who could shoot, strategize and smirk with the best of them. Who needs a Bond girl when you’ve got a Zoya who can toss a grenade while looking like she stepped out of a fashion centrefold?
Then came Naam Shabana (2017), where Shabana Khan (a determined Taapsee Pannu) became Bollywood’s first lady of spy grit. This was a woman who’d been through hell and was ready to send it right back. With fight scenes that made you wince and a backstory that made you root for her, Shabana was the real deal.
The Spy Who Thrills Us
Now we have the likes of Deepika Padukone's Rubai in the blockbuster Pathaan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Citadel, and of course, Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the spin-off Citadel: Honey Bunny, where takes the baton as the latest spy queen from India. We’ve officially entered an era where Bollywood’s female spies are front and centre, handling the missions, the mayhem and everything in between, without needing a man to swoop in and “save” them.
What’s the takeaway from this espionage evolution? Bollywood’s female spies have officially gone from eye candy to action candy. They’re tougher, smarter and just as likely to be calling the shots as dodging them. They’ve ditched the damsel role, embracing instead a mix of grit, glamour, and smarts that’s redefining the genre for good.
