Year Ender 2019

This year celebrities have spoken out on depression, sexual abuse and have donated and raised awareness about many causes as well as urging others to do so too. But, Tanushree Dutta who spoke out about the sexual abuse that she faced from Nana Patekar on the sets of their film, inspired many other women to do the same. We are full of praise for actress Sonali Bendre who has been candidly documenting her struggle with cancer for months, all the while demystifying a taboo topic.

1. Barkha Dutt

Barkha Dutt has portrayed fierce journalism through her coverage of the Gujarat violence, Mumbai attacks, Kargil conflict and many others. She recently created and curated a one of its kind festival titled We The Women, with Vogue India for UN Women, to bring together feministic voices from a range of professions, spanning from cinema, politics and sports to literature and law, all under one roof.

2. Farhan Akhtar

Farhan Akhtar is known for his social campaign ‘Men Against Rape and Discrimination’ (MARD) initiative. The actor has also been reportedly using the power of music to spread social awareness. He has been doing concerts globally and spreading awareness on violence against women through his band Farhan Live.

3. Gul Panag

From being associated with projects that involve saving the environment and rehabilitating young autistic adults to promoting fair trade opportunities for poor farmers, Gul Panag has been very active in the social work front.

4. Nandita Das

She has always been associated with social causes and is often seen voicing her opinion against any kind of injustice. She was also the face of the campaign ‘Dark is Beautiful’, aimed at the tyrants who think that fair is better.

5. Parvathy

Parvathy is somebody who has broken away from tradition; she has spoken out about cyberbullying and shared her views on the rampant misogyny prevailing in the film industry. She was instrumental in forming an association, a first of its kind in India, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) last year, which aims to make the Malayalam film industry more woman-friendly and address gender issues.

6. Priyanka Chopra

The Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education in India to which she donates 10 per cent of her earnings. She also serves as an ambassador for Girl Rising, the campaign to improve girls’ education globally, and Girl Up, a United Nations foundation. She was also appointed as a National Ambassador to UNICEF for children’s rights in 2010.

7. Shabana Azmi

Her main area of activism is children and women’s rights apart from fighting the stigma and injustice associated with AIDS. She has been associated with the Mijwan Welfare Society (MWS), an NGO founded by her father.

8. Sonali Bendre

Sonali Bendre revealed on Twitter that she has been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment in New York City hospital, and has been very vocal of the issues she’s going through, being an inspiration to many others suffering from the dreaded disease.

9. Tanushree Dutta

Tanushree Dutta has been the catalyst of the "#MeToo" movement in India. Dutta has come out accusing actor Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her on the sets of the 2009 film Horn OK Pleassss. By doing this, she has inspired many other women in various fields to voice their own personal stories and struggles, thus beginning the #MeToo campaign in India.

10. Tapsee Panu

She has been an advocate of women empowerment. After her role of a gutsy girl in Pink, which highlighted the message, ‘no means no’ when it comes to a girl declining a man, Taapsee’s image went for an overhaul. She insists she’s always been concerned about women’s rights and issues.