 After portraying strong female protagonists in Paa , Ishqiya , No One Killed Jessica , The Dirty Picture and Kahaani , Vidya was credited in the media for pioneering a movement that breaks the stereotypical portrayal of heroines in Bollywood . The major commercial success of the latter two earned her the title of a " female hero " and Kalpana Nair of First Post noted that with these two films Vidya spearheaded a change in the roles that were offered to actresses over thirty . Film critic Mayank Shekhar predicted , " Just a few smart male actors can completely change the face of a commercial , star @-@ driven film industry . Looking at [ ... ] Vidya Balan [ ... ] it appears , that change could well originate from the leading lady instead . " India Today featured her in their listing of the " 25 Power Women " and noted that " she has toppled the all dominating hero , reducing him to a supporting role in a male dominated film industry " . 
