Bollywood romances traditionally have the man baring his feelings for the woman first. In some films, however, the women have made the first move and announced their feelings to the world, leaving the man blushing. Here are some of those films and their leading ladies who have dared to bare the hearts first.

Katrina Kaif – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Dhoom 3, New York and Baar Baar Dekho

Katrina Kaif has taken the lead in matters of the heart in several films. In Dhoom 3, she asks a blushing Samar (Aamir Khan) out on a date after a successful performance at their circus. In New York, Katrina’s character makes an emotional plea to Sam, played by John Abraham, telling him that she will stand by him through thick and thin. In the 2016 film Baar Baar Dekho, she goes a step further to ask Jai’s (Sidharth Malhotra) hand in marriage. Our favourite, however, is Katrina’s Laila rushing after Arjun (Hrithik Roshan) on a bike to tell him how she feels about him in Zoya Akhtar’s 2011 film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Kajol – My Name Is Khan

Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan brought back the Kajol-Shah Rukh Khan pair after a gap for one of their finest screen outings together. Rizwan (Shah Rukh Khan), a Muslim man with Asperger’s syndrome, begins to develop feelings for a Hindu woman, Mandira (Kajol), when he comes to live with his brother in San Francisco. Mandira, too, is taken by Rizwan’s innocence. When she promises to marry him if he can show her something in San Francisco she has not seen before, Rizwan brings Mandira to a hilltop where the sun is rising against a foggy San Francisco skyline. Mandira, moved by the gesture, asks the shy Rizwan to marry her.

Deepika Padukone – Break Ke Baad

Imran Khan romcoms were all the rage in the mid-2000s and so was Break ke Baad. The 2010 Danish Aslam directorial was quite unique for its time with Deepika’s Aaliya being the one to ask for a break from the relationship to pursue her dreams. Her ex-boyfriend/best friend Abhay (Imran Khan) follows Aaliya all the way to Australia to persuade her, only to be turned down. Things take a turn for the better when Aaliya realises her feelings for Abhay after she is presented with an invitation to his marriage. She not only flies down to India to stop the marriage but also goes down on one knee to propose to Abhay.

Konkona Sensharma – Wake Up Sid

No one does coming-of-age tales quite like Ayan Mukerji, something that he proved with his 2009 directorial debut Wake Up Sid. The comedy drama starred Ranbir Kapoor as an immature, dreamy-eyed Siddharth/Sid who leaves his home to prove his worth to his father. With no place to stay, Sid fortunately runs into Aisha (Konkona Sensharma) who helps him get an internship and also allows him to put up at her pad. Sid falls for Aisha but she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings. When she realises that she has fallen for him, Aisha reveals it to the entire world in an article she has written for her magazine.

Sonam Kapoor – Aisha

Based on Jane Austen’s Emma, the 2010 Rajshree Ojha directorial Aisha featured Sonam Kapoor as the privileged Aisha whose only purpose in life is to be a matchmaker. While her matchmaking skills are constantly criticised by her frenemy/neighbour Arjun (Abhay Deol), the two soon start developing feelings but Aisha doesn’t pay heed to it. When she understands her true feelings for Abhay, she confesses it in the midst of a wedding only to find out that Abhay isn’t there. The comedic scene ends on a romantic note when Abhay climbs up to Aisha’s balcony and seals it with a kiss.