Indian society’s prehistoric rules for women dictate that they need a man to always protect and support them. However, these independent women defy all of that and prove that you don’t always need a man to succeed.

Some have established successful businesses, while some keep adding milestones to their career. Here’s a list of single Bollywood celebrities who have achieved just that:

Sushmita Sen

From earning the title of the first Indian Miss Universe to being a Filmfare award winning actress, Sushmita Sen has never failed to blow us away with her unfazed beauty. But that is not all she is. The actress has given Bollywood blockbusters like Main Hoon Na (2004), but has also worked in Indie films like Chingaari (2004) and surprised everyone with her acting skills, proving to everyone that she’s more than just a pretty face. She took a break from Bollywood, but continued working in regional movies. The actress has been in relationships in the past but is currently single and is focusing on raising her two adopted daughters as well as standing up for various social causes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnqwjd4HXmB/?taken-by=sushmitasen47

Malaika Arora Khan

She opened a successful business of her own and is the poster girl for fitness. Khan is known for her almost perfect body and the dedication she has towards being fit. She posts videos and pictures of herself working hard at the gym and motivates a lot of people to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Her habits and lifestyle choices feel like they’ve helped he be immune to the concept of ageing. Malaika is now going to be one of the judges on India’s Got Talent.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoG0aDwhAWl/?taken-by=malaikaarorakhanofficial

Tabu

Tabu is known for the mature and unique character roles she plays on screen. From Oscar-winning movie Life of Pi, to playing a top IPS officer in 2015’s Drishyam. Tabu isn’t one to hide her personal life from the media. She’s always been vocal about it and has never hidden the fact that she’s single. She is considered to be one of the biggest female icons in India and will go down as a legend in the film industry irrespective of her romantic ties with anyone.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhwtZ_3ADoH/?taken-by=tabutiful

 Nandita Das

Apart from being a prolific actress, she took on the mantle of director and completely focused on making grappling movies with scripts that show the hard truths of Indian society. She’s an acclaimed filmmaker who is revered all around the world. She has twice served as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival and is even featured on France’s postal stamps. She made a huge comeback in 2018 with her movie Manto, which is based on the life of the controversial writer Saadat Hasan Manto and stars Nawazzudin Siddique in the lead role.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmU-Y7oleB6/?taken-by=nanditadasofficial

 Manisha Koirala

Manisha is known for her acting prowess and is who maintained a perfect balance between commercial cinema and parallel cinema. She won both critical and mass acclaim. During her long hiatus, she got divorced and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Since then, she’s been extremely open about her battle with Cancer and eventually overcame the disease. Manisha bounced back higher than ever with starring in movies like 2017’s Dear Maya, 2018’s Sanju, and Netflix’ extremely successful, Lust Stories. She has not only been involved in films but has also become a key motivator, giving TED talks,  educating and helping women attain the courage to fight the big C.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo8F0ezlOng/?taken-by=m_koirala