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Six Fan-Favorite Bollywood Heroines Who Are Actually Toxic
Bollywood has given us countless iconic female characters—bold, beautiful, and unforgettable. But not all of them are the role models they're made out to be. Some fan-favorite heroines, despite being celebrated, actually exhibit toxic traits that are often overlooked.
Let's take a closer look at six beloved Bollywood women whose behavior might raise a few red flags.
1. Zoya from Raanjhanaa (2013)
Zoya (Sonam Kapoor) may come across as the innocent girl caught in a tragic love story, but a deeper look reveals her emotional manipulation. She uses Kundan's (Dhanush) obsession to her advantage while keeping him hanging for years. When he moves on, she resurfaces—not out of love, but convenience. Zoya's inability to clearly reject Kundan and her eventual use of him as a political pawn make her one of the most toxic 'sweethearts' in Bollywood.
2. Veronica from Cocktail (2012)
Veronica (Deepika Padukone) is free-spirited, rich, and cool—but also deeply self-absorbed. While she does care for Meera and Gautam, she constantly seeks validation through wild partying and superficial connections. Her manipulative behavior emerges clearly when she tries to guilt-trip Gautam into loving her and pressures him despite knowing he loves someone else.
3. Tanu from Tanu Weds Manu (2011 & 2015)
Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) is fiery and rebellious—but also immature, selfish, and wildly inconsistent. From sabotaging her own wedding to flirting with exes and belittling Manu, she constantly puts her partner through emotional turmoil. Her toxic behavior escalates in Tanu Weds Manu Returns, where she mocks Manu's mental health and makes impulsive decisions just to stay in control. Charming? Yes. Stable? Not at all.
4. Kaajal from Judaai (1997)
Kaajal (Sridevi) literally sells her husband for money. Her character arc—from a middle-class woman craving luxury to someone who agrees to let another woman marry her husband—is shockingly toxic. A fan-favorite in the '90s, Kaajal is the blueprint for toxic ambition gone too far.
5. Tia Malik from Kapoor & Sons (2016)
Tia (Alia Bhatt) is lovable and quirky, but her dishonesty and lack of accountability reveal a more problematic side. She flirts ambiguously with Arjun and Rahul and fails to clarify her feelings, leading to a massive fallout between the brothers. Her secretive nature and inability to confront her past only deepen the rift in an already dysfunctional family. Toxic doesn't always come loud—sometimes, it's subtle.
6.
Sweety (Nushrratt Bharuccha) is the ultimate "perfect" girlfriend—on paper. But behind the scenes, she's manipulative, possessive, and two-faced. She isolates Titu from his best friend, Sonu, and tries to take total control of her partner's life. While the movie paints her as the villain, her actions mirror real-world red flags in relationships that are often ignored until it's too late.
These characters may have been dressed up in glamor and given emotional backstories, but their behavior tells a different story. As Bollywood evolves, it's worth re-examining the way we glorify flawed characters—especially when their toxicity is hidden behind charm, wit, or heartbreak. After all, rooting for a heroine doesn't mean ignoring her red flags.
