International women’s day which is marked globally on 8th March is right around the corner. Therefore, we bring you some Indian movies about women which raises many social issues and heroic stories of ordinary ladies, that stood against all odds. From real-life biopics to powerful stories which left a strong impact on our minds, we have curated a list of movies that everyone should watch at least once.
15 Indian Movies About Women
Mardaani
Mardaani is an action thriller movie Directed by Pradeep Sarkar and produced by Aditya Chopra. The film stars Rani Mukerji along with Jisshu Sengupta, Tahir Raj Bhasin and Saanand Verma in supporting roles. The story follows Shivani Shivaji Roy who is a Senior Inspector in Mumbai Crime Branch.
She sets out to catch the mastermind behind a child trafficking racket, who kidnaps and smuggles teenage girls, and among them is a girl named Pyari. Following a game of chase between a fearless cop and a young and ruthless mafia kingpin. The brutality done to teenage girls is an unfortunate reality of some in current times and its depiction will haunt you to stand up against such crimes if you ever come across them.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
The Great Indian Kitchen
The Great Indian Kitchen is a Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Jeo Baby. It stars Nimisha Sajayan and Suraj Venjaramoodu in the lead, while it also has a remake in the Tamil language with Aishwarya Rajesh and Rahul Ravindran in the lead roles.
The movie depicts how a woman is perceived after her marriage. As she moves into her husband’s house prepared to adapt to their customs and make it her home. But the conservative traditions and culture of her new family leave her torn between her duties as a wife and as a human being. While her in-laws do care for her but problems arise when her kind mother-in-law has to be away and she struggles to cope with the mountain of seemingly endless household chores, differences in opinion and unfamiliar traditions.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Thappad
Starring Taapsee Pannu and Pavail Gulati in lead roles, Thappad is Directed By Anubhav Sushila Sinha and is produced by Bhushan Sudesh Kumar, Krishan Krishna Kumar and Anubhav Sushila Sinha. The film talks about the topic of domestic violence and how common it is considered in Indian marriage.
It tells the story of Amrita whose seemingly perfect married life is shattered when her husband slaps her in an argument. While everyone around her urges her to let go as a small mistake but is it truly right to go back as if nothing happened? Amrita thinks otherwise and stands up again any kind of violence – big or small, as she fights to get a divorce.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Pari
Directed by Prosit Roy, Pari is a supernatural horror film starring Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chatterjee, Rajat Kapoor & Ritabhari Chakraborty. The story follows Rukhsana, who is found as a chained woman in a hut who is probably a victim of abuse. A kind-hearted man tries to help but soon realises that things are not as they appear to be. It deals with the theme of a satanic cult and the abuse of women in such cases.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Abhimaan
Abhimaan is a 1973 film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Asrani, Bindu and David. The film follows the story of a professional singer who is at the height of his career and falls in love with an aspiring singer. But as his career slowly falters, his wife’s career takes off and creates a rift of jealousy. Having some influences from 1954 hit A Star is Born, the music and the emotional story are to look out for.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Also Read: 8 Best Art House Movies That Will Introduce You to Unconventional Cinema: The Tree of Life, Malèna and More
Bulbul
Bulbul is a supernatural thriller, written and directed by Anvita Dutt. Starring Tripti Dimri in the lead role alongside Avinash Tiwary, Paoli Dam, Rahul Bose and Parambrata Chattopadhyay. Set in the late 19th Century Bengal, it tells the story of a child bride who grows up to lead her household while holding on to a painful past. But the legend of a haunting supernatural casts a looming shadow over her world.
Watch it on Netflix.
Mala Aai Vhhaychy
The title can be literally translated to I want to be a mother is a Marathi film produced and directed by Samruoddhi Porey. Starring Urmila Kanetkar as Yashoda, Stacy Bee as Mary, Samruoddhi Porey as Nanda, Aiden Barkely as Madhav and Vivek Raut as Ganpath among others.
It deals with the topic of surrogacy and shows how foreigners come to India, looking for surrogate mothers who would bear the child. Shown through the perspective of such a surrogate, it’s an emotional story which asks some hard-hitting questions.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Ammu
This thriller drama film is written and directed by Charukesh Sekar and stars Aishwarya Lekshmi as Amudha, Naveen Chandra as Ravi, and Bobby Simha as Prabhu among others. It follows Ammu, who thought marriage was a fairy tale – full of love and magic.
It all changed when her cop-husband Ravi hit her for the very first time. What Ammu thought was a one-off incident turned into a never-ending cycle of abuse, trapping her and breaking her soul and spirit. Pushed to her limits, Ammu teams up with an unlikely ally to break free.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Uyare
Uyare is a Malayalam thriller film directed by Manu Ashokan and the screenplay written by Bobby & Sanjay. It stars Parvathy Thiruvothu, Asif Ali and Tovino Thomas with Siddique, Anarkali Marikar and Prathap Pothen in supporting roles. It tells the story of an aspiring pilot who fortunately survives an acid attack by her boyfriend and fights for her future and justice against such heinous crimes.
Watch it on Netflix.
Pink
Directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, the film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Tapsee Pannu, Piyush Mishra, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang, Angad Bedi, Vijay Verma and others. It is a social thriller that reflects on the dubious morals of today’s times.
The story follows Mrinal and her friends who face more troubles while trying to file an FIR against a politician’s kin on the charges of molestation. It shows how society blames the victim for a crime rather than holding someone accountable.
You can watch it on Disney+ Hotstar.
English Vinglish
English Vinglish is written and directed by Gauri Shinde and stars Sridevi as Shashi Godbole, Adil Hussain, French actor Mehdi Nebbou, and Priya Anand among others. It follows Shashi, a homemaker who enrols in English language classes to get fluent and be able to upkeep with her family. As she becomes fluent in the language, she also understands her own worth.
Watch it on Zee5.
Bandit Queen
It is an action-adventure biographical film about the life of Phoolan Devi, a revered criminal who eventually went on to become a politician. It was written and directed by Shekhar Kapur and starred Seema Biswas in the lead role. It shows how a girl who belongs to a lower caste faces sexual abuse and discrimination in society. But a turn of events leads to her becoming the most feared leader of a gang.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Neerja
Neerja is a biographical film directed by Ram Madhvani and written by Saiwyn Quadras and Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh. With Sonam Kapoor in the titular role, it tells the true story of a flight attendant named Neerja Bhanot, who selflessly sacrificed her life for the safety of her passengers when terrorists hijacked Pan Am Flight 73.
Watch it on Disney+ Hotstar.
Mary Kom
Starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Darshan Kumar, Sunil Thapa, Kenny Basumatary, Shishir Sharma, Robin Das and others, Mary Kom chronicles the life of an Indian boxer who braved all odds to make her place in male-dominated sports. Being a daughter of a rice farmer she had a tough time overcoming the objections of her father and later the society to pursue her passion for boxing.
Watch it on Netflix.
Mahanati
Mahanati (The Great Actress) is a Telugu biographical drama film based on the life of actress Savitri. It is written and directed by Nag Ashwin and stars Keerthy Suresh as Savitri while Dulquer Salmaan plays her husband Gemini Ganesan, Samantha Akkineni, Vijay Deverakonda, along with Rajendra Prasad, Prakash Raj, and Bhanupriya appear in supporting roles.
It depicts the life of Savitri, the most admired actress from South Indian cinema, who goes through various tragic incidents in her personal life. As she falls from grace and gets indulged in alcoholism and depression, which is shown from the perspective of a journalist and a photographer.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Have you watched any of the mentioned movies? Which one will you be adding to your watchlist? Let us know in the comment section below.
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