Some of our favourite characters happen to be those who have braved adversity, overcome a personal obstacle, or gone through some kind of an awakening that led them to make healthier choices for themselves. And that makes sense, we love to see people win at life! A character like that is a surefire way to the audience’s heart!

Which is why we’ve compiled a list characters who evolved so beautifully that it had all of us pumped up wanting to turn our lives around too! Here, take a look at what we’re talking about:

1. Siddharth Mehra in Wake Up Sid

Siddharth Mehra (Ranbir Kapoor) AKA Sid’s journey to realizing his passion for photography and becoming a responsible and decent adult was definitely an endearing one to watch. We simply cannot forget this one.

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2. Naina Talwar in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani 

Naina Talwar’s (Deepika Padukone) stunning transformation through falling in love with Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor), letting him go, and growing up into a lovely independent woman was beyond beautiful to witness. I mean she made it all look so graceful! 

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3. Rani Mehra in Queen

Can we ever forget how amazing and brave it was seeing Rani (Kangana Ranaut) grow through her heartbreak by going on her European honeymoon all by herself? The Rani who loved Vijay (Rajkummar Rao) versus the Rani who returned from her Euro trip were two completely different people. In the best way possible, of course. 

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4. Mohan Bhargav in Swades

Mohan Bhargav’s (Shah Rukh Khan) was a self-actualization journey. He never expected to find fulfillment in the work he had set out to do. But he did, and in the process, he found himself, or a part of himself too.

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5. Geet Dhillon in Jab We Met 

Again, a character who finds her way back to herself through a crippling heartbreak, Geet Dhillon (Kareena Kapoor) is shown to mature and grow immensely through a troubling situation with someone she loved. And how! Can we really deny how wonderful it was to see her become a better version of herself by the end of the movie?

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6. Arjun Saluja in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Stuck in a corporate rat race, Arjun Saluja’s (Hrithik Roshan) trip to Spain helps him open his heart up to love, which makes for a great character arc. I mean, seeing the guy who had pretty much lost his hunger for life, regain his joy and happiness and interest in love was terrific to witness. Was it not?

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7. Gangubai in Gangubai Kathiawadi

Need we say why Gangubai’s (Alia Bhatt) evolution was inspirational to watch? She used whatever terrible situations life threw at her to create better circumstances for others like her. Gangubai proved to be a true leader and a matriarch to look up to.

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8. Ganga Ram Chaudhary in Dasvi

Ganga Ram Chaudhary (Abhishek Bachchan) went from being a corrupt and mostly ignorant politician to being an educated and humble individual because he chose to finish his schooling and give his class 10 exams. What’s more heartwarming than that?

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9. Karan Shergill in Lakshya

From being an aimless young man to understanding his responsibility towards his nation, Karan Shergill (Hrithik Roshan) bossed up right in front of our eyes and left us way too impressed for words. He’s another iconic character who found his life purpose through some really difficult circumstances and revelations. 

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10. Milkha Singh in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Seeing Milkha Singh (Farhan Akhtar) brave his unfortunate circumstances to eventually go on and become a successful athlete was beyond inspirational. He began running to earn a glass of milk and two eggs and ended up breaking a national record! Whew, I bet everyone was mentally cheering him on in that race. 

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11. Mimi Rathore in Mimi

Mimi Rathore (Kriti Sanon) agrees to become a surrogate mother for a non-Indian couple in the hope to earn a good dime so that she can pursue her dream of becoming a Bollywood star. But instead, she ends up having to raise the child on her own after being abandoned by the couple. 

So, does so while going against society’s norms and standards and in the process, finds new strength. How beautiful is that?!

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12. Bharti Mandal in Ajeeb Daastaans

Bharti fought through an unfair system and circumstances to the best of her abilities and it was heartening to see her open her heart to love after being let down by life once. Things did work out amazingly for her, but she did find a new kind of courage.

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Here’s to these characters and how they changed their circumstances while going through their fair share of adversities.