Holly Golightly

Played by: Audrey Hepburn
Film: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

That image of Audrey Hepburn, a beauty like no other, in a black sheath gown with matching gloves, coiffed hair, oversized sunglasses and strands of pearls and diamonds, is a classic etched in the annals of cinema.

Holly Golightly, a 18-year-old on the cusp of 19, is an ageless character. She embodies the spontaneity of early adulthood. Extroverted and eccentric, Holly pulls out all the stops to survive in New York. The setting of Holly’s life depicts the passage of girlhood to womanhood, with Breakfast at Tiffany’s documenting the dream ’60s girl, in body and spirit. Confident and optimistic on the outside, Holly struggles to define her identity and constantly rebels against people who attempt to understand her ambitious spirit. Lines like: “It’s better to look at the sky than live there. Such an empty place; so vague. Just a country where the thunder goes and things disappear,” encapsulate the essence of Holly Golightly.

Parminder Nagra as Jess Bhamra in Bend It Like Beckham, Anna Kendrick as Beca Mitchell in Pitch Perfect, John Travolta as Danny Zuko in Grease

Jess Bhamra

Played by: Parminder Nagra
Film: Bend It Like Beckham

Considered one of the most popular sheroes of modern cinema, Jesminder aka Jess Bhamra is just another ordinary girl... until she isn’t. The resilient and ambitious 18-year-old heroine of Gurinder Chadha’s breakout film Bend It Like Beckham doesn’t let society and family (she hails from a traditional Sikh family in England) tell her what she can or can’t do. She pursues her love for football, looking to her idol David Beckham — who she dedicates a shrine at home to — for inspiration. Passionate, rebellious and fiery, Jess has, above all, a loving heart and a never-say-die spirit.

Beca Mitchell

Played by: Anna Kendrick
Film: Pitch Perfect

At the centre of this much-loved 2012 musical comedy, which has spawned two sequels, is Beca. Played by Anna Kendrick, Beca is an 18-year-old freshman at Barden University who aspires to be a music producer. Beca is a rebel, but not without a cause. She is spunky and free-spirited, somewhat easygoing, and a kind person at heart. Yet, due to her upbringing and the divorce of her parents, she has grown distant and likes to keep to herself, shunning those who care about her.

Danny Zuko

Played by: John Travolta
Film: Grease

Danny Zuko defined and redefined swag in this cult 1978 musical. A cool and confident high-schooler, Danny is the quintessential bad boy. He is, after all, the leader of the T-Birds, the “cool kid” gang at Rydell High, with his handsome looks — blue eyes, thick black hair, lopsided smile, lazy drawl, trademark swagger — being a hit with the girls. That hyper-masculinity and off-centre sense of humour is, however, balanced by a sensitive side to him. But when he says: “That’s my name, don’t wear it out”, he means it. Like hell, he does!

Enid Coleslaw

Played by: Thora Birch
Film: Ghost World

After prolific critic Roger Ebert watched Ghost World, he wrote: ‘I want to hug this movie.’ That is the kind of emotion that one largely feels while watching this 2001 film focused on 18-year-old Enid, who finds herself magnetically drawn to 40-something Seymour (Steve Buscemi), distancing her from her close friend Rebecca (a very young Scarlett Johansson) in the process. Known for her sharp wit and her ability to dissect popular culture, Enid doesn’t fit the mould of the typical “cool girl”. Enid and Rebecca bond on their disdain for everything mainstream, with the former relishing her role of the outcast. While quite a few things that Enid does and thinks could be polarising, it is a fact that scores of teenagers then and after identified with her angst, her relentless curiosity and her refusal to conform.