A look at the works of 20 trailblazing women directors, who are expanding the horizon of cinema, one movie/series at a time
Women bring a different sensibility, and sensitivity, to filmmaking. Here are 20 trailblazing women directors (mostly of Hindi films), who are redefining cinema, one movie/series at a time:
1. Alankrita Shrivastava (44): Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016; if you have seen its subversive poster, you’d know what lipstick can show to patriarchy) created waves (and courted controversy) for its bold depiction of women’s sexuality, which sparked a conversation around censorship and gender in India. While her directorial debut, Turning 30 (2011) was a lacklustre affair, she carved out a niche as a filmmaker preoccupied with women’s sexual desire and liberation with her subsequent projects, including her film Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, and the series, Made in Heaven, and Bombay Begums. Not to forget her short film, My Beautiful Wrinkles in the anthology, Modern Love: Mumbai!
2. Aparna Sen (78): Bengali Actress-filmmaker Aparna Sen made her debut as a director with 36 Chowringhee Lane in 1981, which received national and international recognition. She is known for exploring complex social issues with sensitivity and depth. Her films often delve into issues such as gender dynamics and identity; they offer insightful commentary on contemporary Indian society. Notable works include Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002), The Japanese Wife (2010), Iti Mrinalini (2011), Sonata (2017) Goynar Baksho (The Jewellery Box, 2013), and The Rapist (2021).
3. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (44): Having made her debut with the Swara Bhasker-starrer comedy-drama Nil Battey Sannata (2015), Tiwari went on to direct its Tamil remake, Amma Kanakku. Its story was inspired by a contestant from the quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati, hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, which inspired many Indian viewers. Though it didn’t do well commercially, it earned Tiwari the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director. Her knack for crafting films around strong, relatable female characters continued with Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), a romantic comedy.
4. Deepa Mehta (74): Known for her Elements Trilogy — Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005), Toronto-based Deepa Mehta’s work is celebrated for its exploration of social taboos, gender issues, and the Partition of India. In the season of the awards, we must not forget that Water was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Notable films include The Republic of Love (2003), Anatomy of Violence (based on 2010 Delhi gangrape and murder), the adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children (2012), and Funny Boy (2020), based on Sri Lankan writer Shyam Selvadurai’s 1994 novel of the same name.
5. Farah Khan (59): A choreographer-turned director, Farah Khan’s entertaining masala films such as Main Hoon Na (2004) and Om Shanti Om (2007), starring Shah Rukh Khan, have been huge commercial successes. Her recent directorial ventures include Tees Maar Khan (2010) — a heist comedy, it was met with modest commercial success at the box-office, but it made the whole nation obsess over Katrina Kaif’s raunchy dance number Sheila Ki Jawani — and Happy New Year (2014), the action comedy which marked her third-time collaboration with SRK.
6. Gauri Shinde (49): Gauri Shinde’s storytelling focuses on personal growth and the inner lives of women. She made her directorial debut with English Vinglish (2012), which was a critical and commercial success. It features Sridevi as Shashi Godbole, who sells laddoos as a home-run business, and enrolls in an English-speaking course after her husband and daughter start mocking her lack of English skills. In the process, she gains self-respect. Four years later, she directed the sublime coming-of-age drama, Dear Zindagi, featuring Alia Bhatt and SRK in the lead roles.
7. Kiran Rao (50): Though she has directed fewer films, Kiran Rao made a big impact with Dhobi Ghat (2010), which received critical acclaim for its portrayal of Mumbai and its residents. Her second film as a director, Laapataa Ladies, generated the buzz in the international film festival circuit, and has been the toast of critics after it released in theatres on March 1; the story of a newly married man’s search for his veiled wife after he loses her in crowded train in a case of mistaken identity, it takes on patriarchy head-on.
8. Konkona Sen Sharma (44): Apart from being an exceptionally amazing actress, Konkona Sen Sharma is also a director of considerable merit. Her critically acclaimed film, A Death in the Gunj (2016), starring Vikrant Massey, Gulshan Devaiah and Tillotama Shome, among others, is both an astutely observed character study, and a psychological thriller that keeps us on the edge. Sharma, who wowed us with her portrayal of the dangerously unscrupulous and cunning nurse and wannabe restaurateur Swathi Reddy in Abhishek Chaubey’s Netflix series centred on love and betrayal (Killer Soup) in January, had received rave reviews for her treatment of the female gaze and voyeurism in her short film, The Mirror, which was part of the anthology, Lust Stories 2 (2023).
9. Leena Yadav (53): She is best known for writing and directing the internationally acclaimed, incendiary and endearing female-centric film, Parched, which revolves around four women in rural Rajasthan who struggle to find their space in the male-dominated, tyrannical society. She has also directed the Rishi Kapoor-starrer 2018 film Rajma Chawal. Her lesser-known films include the psychological art film Shabd (2005) and Teen Patti (2010), starring Amitabh Bachchan, Ben Kingsley, R. Madhavan, among others, which follows a mathematics professor (Bachchan), who relates probability to the Indian card game.
10. Meghna Gulzar (50): The daughter of filmmaker-poet-lyricist Gulzar and actress Raakhee, Meghna Gulzar has directed memorable films like Talvar (2015) and Raazi (2018), Chhapaak (2020) and Sam Bahadur (2023). Having made her debut with Filhaal... in 2002, a film about surrogacy that was ahead of its time. She got critical acclaim for Talvar, a gripping drama based on the 2008 Noida double murder case. With Raazi, a spy thriller, she came into her own.
11. Mira Nair (66): Like Deepa Mehta, Nair has been one of the most visible ambassadors of Indian cinema on the global stage. Her filmography is replete with irresistibly charming gems — explorations of identity, interracial relationships, culture, et al — that you are drawn to dip into and revisit every now and then: from Salaam Bombay! (1988), which won the Camera d Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Mississippi Masala (1991), and Monsoon Wedding (2001). The range of her films will astound you: Hysterical Blindness (2002), The Namesake (2006), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012, based on Mohsin Hamid’s novel), and Vanity Fair (2004), based on William Makepeace Thackeray’s epic, and Vikram Seth’s adaptation of A Suitable Boy (2020), to name just a few.
12. Nandita Das (54): If you have seen Firaaq (2008) and Manto (2018), you would be familiar with actor-turned-director Nandita Das’s distinctive directorial eye. Firaaq, a critically lauded film which explores the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots, established Das as a filmmaker keen to tread a territory few would venture into. In Manto, a biographical drama centered on the life of Saadat Hasan Manto, stands out for Das’s unflinching approach in depicting Manto’s struggles against censorship and his commitment to telling the truth through his writings. With only two films, she cemented her reputation as a director of substance, capable of handling complex political, historical and psychological issues. Her 2023 film Zwigato is both a heartfelt ode to, and an indictment of, the gig economy.
13. Pooja Bhatt (52): As a director, Pooja Bhatt made a notable debut with the critically acclaimed crime thriller Paap (2003), starring John Abraham and Udita Goswami. She furthered this journey with films like Holiday (2006), Dhokha (2007), Kajraare (2010), and the erotic thriller, Jism 2 — a sequel to the 2003 Bipasha Basu-John Abraham-starrer sleeper hit Jism (one of its songs, MM Keeravani’s Awarapan Banjarapan, became a rage with those growing up in the 2000s; the emptiness in the soul (ek khala hai seenein mein) resonated with them like few songs of the decade) which marked Indo-Canadian adult star Sunny Leone’s debut in Hindi cinema.
14. Revathy (57): She stepped into the directorial chair with Mitr, My Friend in 2002, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English. Her 2004 film, Phir Milenge, a poignant drama, highlighted the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS in India. Over the years, Revathy has continued to direct films and television while maintaining an acting career. Her 2023 slice-of-life drama, Salaam Venky, starring Kajol and Vishal Jethwa, traces the emotional journey of a mother dealing with her son’s terminal illness and his desire to donate his organs. She has also contributed an episode each to the anthology films Kerala Cafe and the unreleased Mumbai Cutting.
15. Reema Kagti (52): Having made her debut as a director in the critically acclaimed Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), Kagti followed it up with the neo-noir, Talaash (2012) and the historical sports drama Gold (2018), starring Akshay Kumar, as inspired by India’s first Olympic gold medal win as an independent country in 1948. Kagti, along with Zoya Akhtar, founded Tiger Baby Films, a film and web studio, in October 2015. In 2023, she directed Dahaad, the police procedural crime thriller series about a serial killer who preys on women looking for marriage, with such finesse that it became one of the highlights of the year.
16. Rima Das (46): The self-taught Assamese filmmaker is a one-woman industry. She garnered international acclaim with her film Village Rockstars (2017), which not only won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in India but also represented the country in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars. She continued to explore similar themes of dreams and reality in her next film, Bulbul Can Sing (2018), which received critical praise for its sensitive portrayal of adolescence. Admired for her immersive, neorealistic filmmaking style, and often working with non-professional actors and using natural settings to tell her stories, Das came up with another proof of her quiet genius with Tora’s Husband (2023), set during the pandemic.
17. Tanuja Chandra (54): Tanuja’s directorials include Sur: The Melody of Life (2002) and Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017), a contemporary romantic comedy that gained critical acclaim for its refreshing take on modern relationships and mature storytelling. Her 2022 TV series, Hush Hush, featuring Juhi Chawla, among others, is set in Gurugram’s posh residential society La Opulenza, tells the story of four female friends haunted by the mystery of the death of a friend.
18. Sai Paranjpye (84): The grand dame of Indian cinema has tackled sensitive issues with aplomb in movies like the National Film Award-winning Sparsh (The Touch, 1980). It was her debut and she later directed comedies like Chashme Buddoor (1981) and Katha (1982); the latter was a musical satire based on the folk tale of the hare and the tortoise. A look at her filmography reveals her engagement with socio-political issues: Angootha Chhap (1988) about the National Literacy Mission; Disha (1990) about the plight of immigrant workers; Papeeha (Forest Love Bird) (1993); Saaz (1997) (believed to have been inspired by the famous singer-sisters, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle); and Chakā Chak (2005), an exploration into environmental issues.
19. Shonali Bose (58): She found a firm footing as a filmmaker with her debut feature film, Amu (2005), a biographical drama based on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots — an adaptation of her own novel of the same name. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English. The critical success of dramas Margarita with a Straw (2015) — about a young woman with cerebral palsy who finds ways to navigate her desires, and identity — and The Sky Is Pink (2019), starring Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, and Zaira Wasim, and based on the life of motivational speaker Aisha Chaudhary, who died in 2015 due to pulmonary fibrosis, has made her of the distinctive filmmakers of our times.
20. Zoya Akhtar (51): An ingenious storyteller, constantly trying to tell engaging stories that also force us to think about the larger issues. Her notable films include Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and Gully Boy (2019), which was India’s official entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. She made her debut with Luck By Chance in 2009. Her direction in Gully Boy, a film inspired by Mumbai’s street rap scene, and Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), has made her a chronicler of the pulse of contemporary India. She also co-created the Amazon Prime series Made in Heaven (2019, 2023), starring, among others, Sobhita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur, and lauded for its insightful dive into India’s wedding culture and social stratification. The Archies (2023), her adaptation of the iconic comic series set in 1960s India, exudes Akhtar’s ability to give classic tales a contemporary twist.
