Women’s Day Special: Women Directors Take The Lead

Only two days ago, the trailer of ‘Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge’ starring Ranveer Singh dropped, promising yet another spectacle of bloodshed and brute masculinity. Films like ‘Dhurandhar’, ‘Animal’, ‘Toxic’ or ‘Tere Ishk Mein’ continue to dominate the conversation with their loud, violent, male-driven narratives that thrive on raw adrenaline. But even as this brand of cinema grabs the spotlight, a quieter yet powerful shift is slowly reshaping the storytelling landscape of Indian cinema. Across languages and regions, women filmmakers are telling stories that are intimate, rooted, human and the world is listening.

From Lakshmipriya Devi’s Manipuri film ‘Boong’ to Rima Das’s ‘Not a Hero’; from Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine As Light’ to Shuchi Talati’s ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ or Kiran Rao’s ‘Laapataa Ladies’, these films are doing far more than entertaining audiences. They are asking questions, opening conversations and in many cases, sweeping international festivals with awards and critical acclaim. Add to that ‘Santosh’ by Sandhya Suri and ‘Bunnyhood’ by Mansi Maheshwari, which offer fresh perspectives.

Lakshmipriya created history with her 2024 Manipuri film ‘Boong’, which became the first Indian film to win a BAFTA in the ‘Best Children’s & Family Film’ category. The film traces the journey of a young boy searching for his father amid the turbulence of conflict. After travelling across global festivals, the film was finally released across India this week.

Meanwhile, Rima Das continues to chart her own path with remarkable consistency. The Assamese filmmaker, who earlier stunned audiences with ‘Village Rockstars’, has once again drawn global attention with ‘Not a Hero’. The film recently received a ‘Crystal Bear Special Mention’ at the Berlin International Film Festival 2026. Her earlier film ‘Village Rockstars’ not only earned the National Award for ‘Best Feature Film’ and ‘Best Editing’, but was also selected as India’s official entry to the 91st Academy Awards. ‘Village Rockstars 2’, which had its European premiere at the 75th edition of the Berlinale International Film Festival last year, has now been released in theatres.

“This recognition is deeply meaningful to me. ‘Not a Hero’ was made by listening closely and trusting children, their quiet strength, their courage and their right to choose who they want to become,” said Das after winning the ‘Crystal Bear Special Mention’ at Berlinale 2026 for ‘Not a Hero’.

Lakshmipriya, too, has spoken candidly about the journey of making ‘Boong’. In an interview with ‘The Hollywood Reporter’, she admitted they always knew they were not making a Rs 100-crore spectacle where every moment is meticulously engineered. Instead, the filmmaking process unfolded as what she described as a ‘series of happy accidents’, with the team simply waiting for the right platform to discover their work.

In the more mainstream corner of the industry, Alankrita Shrivastava has emerged as one of the most consistent voices. From the fearless ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ to series like ‘Made in Heaven’ and ‘Bombay Begums’ and films like ‘Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare’, Shrivastava has managed to navigate Bollywood while staying true to the stories she believes in.

In an interview, she had spoken about the invisible barriers women filmmakers still face in the industry.

“The entitlement that a male filmmaker will have, no matter how badly his film(s) have done, is shocking. The budgets they can demand and get... Women, on the other hand, even when successful, tend to be on the back foot,” she had said.

For decades, Indian cinema has largely been shaped by the male gaze. But that narrative is slowly, steadily being rewritten. Women filmmakers are challenging conventions, centring voices that were once pushed to the margins and bringing complex social realities to the forefront. In fact, a glance at major international film festivals today reveals a striking trend: many of the most celebrated Indian films are being directed by women.