Gargi (Tamil):
Starring Sai Pallavi, Gargi revolved around her fight to save her father from a wrongful conviction in a POCSO case. The film itself dealt with a very sensitive topic- child sexual abuse, very beautifully. While the movie predominantly showed women characters, the topic itself was a woman-centric one, and the show was led by Sai Pallavi. As a daughter, she tries her best to save her father. But, what she does when she realizes her father is not falsely convicted, is what makes the film stand out, at the end of the day. The movie was one with a message, and no doubt Sai Pallavi rocked it center stage.
Ammu (Telugu):
Directed by Charukesh Sekar, Ammu dealt with domestic abuse, yet another very important topic of concern. There has been an increasing case of domestic abuse and violence in India, especially after the COVID-19 lockdown. Dealing with such a topic, Ammu starring Aishwarya Lekshmi truly portrayed the struggle of a victim of domestic violence. While the story could have been written with a little more conviction, the movie had its heart at the right place, trying to create awareness amongst audiences about the problem at hand. With such a heavy topic, performance is an important factor. One scene in the film, where Aishwarya Lekshmi washes her face after she first gets beaten by her husband is a testimony to her performance throughout the film.
Sundari Gardens (Malayalam):
An unexpected woman-led film, Sundari Gardens revolved entirely around the life of the character Sundari, played by Aparna Balamurali. Directed by Charlie Davis, the film dealt with the theme of life after divorce from a toxic marriage. Instead of showing the downside of a divorce, Sundari Gardens portrayed how Sundari moved on in her life. She falls in love all over again, with her colleague, who seems to reciprocate the feelings. The movie is a romantic one at the end of the day. But, it deals with important topics like mental health, toxic marriages, life after divorce, etc. There is a question about who she actually has in life after her family. In spite of the difficulties she has faced, Sundari takes life with a pinch of salt, a message we must all carry from the film.
Saani Kaayidham (Tamil):
Directed by Arun Matheswaran, Saani Kaayidham had Keerthy Suresh leading the show in a terrific character. The movie dealt with the concept of ‘An eye for an eye”. While the story wasn’t very novel or unseen, it is the rage of the woman that was noteworthy about the film. Wearing the sleeves of the character Ponni, Keerthy Suresh wanted to take revenge against all those who raped her and destroyed her family. Just as how a mother dog or cat would take revenge when we attack its little one, Ponni takes revenge, fiercely and with all gruesome, to avenge her daughter. Movies rarely portray women in blood, hungry for revenge. Saani Kaayidham stands out for that very portrayal of a bold and frightening woman.
Virata Parvam (Telugu):
Generally, for a love story set in warfare, especially where the protagonist is a revolutionary fighter, the movie will be testosterone-filled and packed with energy. The story will be narrated from the eyes of the Male lead, and how he accepts or declines the female lead’s love. However, Virata Parvam, directed by Venu Udugula, dealt with a sincere love story in a very different way. The movie is a first-hand account of Vennela’s (Sai Pallavi) life and love for Ravi (Rana Daggubati). It is about how she starts falling in love with Ravi Shankar, and how she finds ways and means and shortcuts to somehow reach him. It is about how she struggles to convince him of her love when he rejects her. It is also about how she ends up joining the revolution as it is the only way she can be with him. We need more love stories like Virata Parvam because most love stories in Indian Cinema revolve around the feelings of the Hero and never the Heroine. We need more love stories like this one, that narrate to what extent women can go for love, not only men.
Kumari (Malayalam):
Directed by Nirmal Sahadev, Kumari is a mythological fantasy film starring Aishwarya Lekshmi as Kumari. Leading the show, Kumari (Aishwarya Lekshmi) tries to save her child from an ancient practice of tradition and belief. An out-an-out fantasy, some sequences in the film seem scary to even watch, let alone perform with conviction. The movie shows the extent a mother would go to protect her child, and it positively shows Kumari becoming the Matriarch of her tribe with the help of the local Goddess. With strong woman-centric ideas, the movie was very interesting to watch, more for Aishwarya Lekshmi’s stint in it.
Cadaver (Tamil):
Starring Amala Paul as a pathologist, Cadaver was a serial-killer murder mystery led by the actress. As Dr. Badra Thangavel, Amala Paul headlined the film solving the mystery of murders through autopsy. While the movie’s writing was extremely flawed and had a lot of logic issues, Amala Paul, Athulya and Rythivika had very interesting character arcs. Amala Paul’s look in the film was also something unique. A kind of comeback film for Amala Paul after Aadai, Cadaver worked mostly because of her.
Yashoda (Telugu):
After a long time, Hari-Harish’s Yashoda gave us good stunts and action sequences performed by a woman character, Yashodha played by Samantha. The story revolves around the conspiracies surrounding surrogacy, a concept a man can never uncover. Taking that as the underlying point of the film, Yashoda shows the world of good women, bad women, and women who want to do good for society. Both Samantha and Varalaxmi got compelling characters, which they played brilliantly. The entire idea to show the dark world behind surrogacy was novel, although the movie could have been made better. All said and done, Samantha really ensured that the movie was progesterone-filled (instead of the usual testosterone-filled) with her action stints!
Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey (Malayalam):
As mentioned above, just like there has been a rise in the number of domestic abuse cases off-late, there has also been a rise in the number of movies that deal with the topic. Similar to Ammu, Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey starring Darshana Rajendran in the lead deals with domestic abuse and patriarchal husbands in general. The movie resorts to a more sarcastic and humorous manner to deal with the topic, as the message needs to reach society in some way. We watch the difficulties a married woman goes through just because of gender stereotypes and patriarchal beliefs. Easily, this film is one of the best-made women-centric films of the year.
Anel Meley Pani Thuli (Tamil):
A simple film revolving around rape and abuse, Anel Meley Pani Thuli had Andrea Jeremiah leading the show. Known for her presentation in Taramani, Andrea once again hits the nail hard with her sincere performance as Mathi, the victim. The movie dealt with Mathi’s fight to get her rapists convicted, nothing more, nothing less. Yet, the movie was important, for the conviction of rapists is what we lack in the country today. Sexual abuse is something that will continue to remain a topic of discussion. This film becomes yet another movie trying to make the world a better place for victims of sexual abuse and rape.
Archana 31 Not Out (Malayalam):
Marriage is a subject that most women are bothered with as soon as they reach their early twenties. Archana 31 Not Out, directed by Akhil Anilkumar, is a bold attempt to speak against the pressures women face when they don’t get married at the “right age”. Aishwarya portrays of an unmarried woman (Archana) in her 30’s who struggles with a dilemma, confusion, and stress over something that’s not really in her hands. The movie is important, as it reiterates that women should not agree to tie the knot until and unless they’re fully prepared for the same.
Wonder Women (English):
In a world full of movies with testosterone-filled action sequences and Heroism, Anjali Menon has brought to the table a film about motherhood, rather sisterhood during a vulnerable stage of pregnancy. While ‘women-centric’ films these days have a pre-set format of bold dialogues and modern choices, Wonder Women portrayed flawed women who are all moody, irritable, and hungry because of their pregnancy. The movie is a different take on womanhood and is a mixed bag in terms of the movie-watching experience. The movie does not have much of a purpose or a message. It is a concept to make people realize that pregnancy is not a joke, which is unfortunately still not understood by many in the real world. Kudos to Anjali Menon, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Nithya Menen, Padmapriya, Sayonara Phillip, Nadiya Moidu, Amrita Subash and Archana Padmini for representing all the women and mothers out there.