Women’s Day is a much-needed reminder to ladies across the globe, especially in a patriarchal country like ours. While many still believe that women need to do what’s told to them, there many, many more women out there to prove otherwise. ‘Today’s girl’, as they are called, are bigger and sharper than the ideas that try to contain them. And to such girls and ladies, we take a bow and clap our hands! On the occasion of 42nd International Women’s Day, here are some ladies, the ones we see often on TV, who represent that ‘Today’s girl’ cannot be contained inside the kitchen.

We start our list with the ever-glowing and highly-energetic Samantha Akkineni. Her choice of roles in films has been extremely off-beat and interesting, lately. Having started from scratch, she is now the best of the lot. Apart from acting, Samantha is also highly involved in social service, and is soon to become a producer. While managing it all, and belonging to the first families of Tollywood, Samantha is also a mother to Hash, her four-legged love. Yet, everything seems to be only driving her ahead.

If you have any knowledge of the internet, you will know of Upasana. She carries her maternal and marital surnames, and is clearly making both the families proud. At the age of 30, Upasana Kamineni Konidela is more than just the wife of Ram Charan or the daughter-in-law of Mega Star Chiranjeevi. She is a proud wife and the director of Apollo Hospitals. Moreover, Upasana believes in giving back to society. So, she is actively participating in every activity or event where she could positively contribute to people. And a cherry on the cake is the fact that she is spending her time and energy in helping youngsters lead a healthier life, with her social media reach.

We won’t be surprised if you do not know much about Sneha Reddy. Wife of Allu Arjun, Sneha is a simple and humble lady. She is a full-time mother to two lovely kids, Allu Ayaan and Allu Arha. But besides this, Sneha is also an entrepreneur who runs a digital photography company called Peek-a-boo. The lady has been working her way into creating memories for people across the country.

We do not need to talk about Amala! She is an actor, the founder of Blue Cross Hyderabad Foundation, an active advocate of peaceful change amongst many other things. She is also the wife of Nagarjuna and mother of a rising star, Akhil Akkineni. While she did take a two-decade-long sabbatical to stay with her son, Amala has never been confined to one single duty.

Yet another lady we do not hear much about! Viranica Manchu, the wife of Vishu Manchu. Viranica is a mother to four young kids and is helping thousands of kids get the best of education possible. She is enabling education of international standards to be available right in Hyderabad with her set up of New York Academy School, as their co-director.

Daughter of Mohan Babu, a mother to a young girl, an actor-producer, a wife, an entrepreneur, and an activist. Lakshmi Manchu is everything that one ever dreams to be. And guess who is acing this job? That is right, this ‘today’s girl’ is proving to be a successful boss, day after day.

Sneha came to the Telugu film industry like a breath of fresh air. She wasn’t your typical film heroine because there was so much grace and style to her. When she was at the peak of her career, Sneha decided to drop the bomb and get married to her co-star, Prasanna. The couple has a son and is awaiting the delivery of their second baby. Despite juggling with these, Sneha still remains highly relevant and important, if not in films, then on the small screens.

Here are our top picks. Let us know if we missed anyone in the comments down below. Don’t forget to check out some amazing movies this women’s day on ZEE5.