This Women's Day, South First brings you Malayalam films which have discussed less talked-about issues faced by women.
Women's Day Special: Recent Malayalam films that deal with women's issues. (Supplied)
A discussion on the representation of women’s issues in Malayalam films would be incomplete without mentioning Jeo Baby’s The Great Indian Kitchen (2021).
The movie was later remade in Tamil in 2023 with the same name. Well, the flick was a tight slap on the patriarchal society.
Its acceptance by the audience gave a much-needed boost to Malayalam cinema, propelling the industry to take up more revolutionary and taboo subjects.
Jeo Baby’s Kaathal-The Core (2023), which dealt with the issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community is the latest addition to the list of films that dealt with less talked-about topics.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday, 8 March, South First brings you some must-watch Malayalam films, which became the talk of the town by discussing women’s issues that rarely get attention.
Director Indu Lakshmi’s ‘Nila’. (Instagram)
Nila (2023), is yet another female-oriented movie helmed by a woman director.
The film portrays the life of a wheelchair-bound elderly woman. It deserves a huge round of applause for its bold theme.
Directed by Indu Lakshmi, Nila is widely appreciated for its daring take on relationships and womanhood.
The flick also disrupts the notion that age restricts women in many ways.
The protagonist Malathy (played by Shanti Krishna) is a gynaecologist. She stands out with a more nuanced role compared to typical female characters in commercial films.
Her bold move at a crucial juncture in the story sends chills through the audience.
Writer-director Indu Lakshmi gives significance to Malathy and presents her as a woman with an iron heart.
A jovial person, Malathy feels lonely after her son returns to the US. Additionally, the home nurse hired to take care of her keeps acting weirdly.
The film also focuses on her philanthropy work, through which Malathy helps the downtrodden women via a women’s forum.
Nila is now streaming on C Space.
‘B32 Muthal 44 Vare’ is now streaming via C Space. (Supplied)
Director Shruti Sharanyam’s B 32 Muthal 44 Vare (2023) showcases the issues faced by five women and a transman living in Kochi.
Ramya Nambeesan, Zarin Shihab, Ashwathy B, Anarkali Marikar, Krisha Kurup, and Raina Radhakrishnan played the lead roles.
Despite addressing significant subjects and vocalising issues deeply ingrained in our cultures and society — such as gender discrimination, aversion towards women, and challenges faced by the queer community, the movie did not secure sufficient theatrical screenings.
In B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, the filmmaker introduces these women with their bust size—a daring attempt to reflect the realities of women.
Each woman in the film has issues related to their breasts. One is queer and the other undergoes a mastectomy. Another woman is worried about her small bust size and believes that good looks are important for her career in the hospitality industry.
The flick is now available on C Space, the first-of-its-kind OTT platform introduced by the Kerala government.
Parvathy Thiruvothu played the lead in ‘Uyare’. (Supplied)
One of the milestone performances of Parvathy Tiruvothu came in Uyare (2019).
In the Malayalam film, she played the role of Pallavi, who aspires to become a pilot and overcomes the odds after an acid attack.
The movie revolves around her life and how it changes after an acid attack.
Based on many real-life incidents of acid attacks on women, Uyare also throws light on intimate partner violence and abusive relationships.
Asif Ali portrayed the character of Govind, Pallavi’s partner. They have an intense relationship and her love towards Govind is true.
Directed by Manu Ashokan, Uyare was scripted by Bobby and Sanjay.
The body language of Pallavi and her father 9played by Siddique) in a particular scene showed their calibre as amazing actors.
The actors had differences of opinion on various issues regarding the film industry, which was reported widely. However, Parvathy’s willingness to accept the role of an acid attack survivor was applauded by everyone.
Pallavi’s ambition to become a pilot gets shattered by the acid attack.
Her friend Saariya, played by Anarkali Marakkar, stands by her and is a role model for female friendships.
The film’s major highlight is how Pallavi doesn’t give up and decides to become an air hostess. This shows that strong-willed women will surely win in their lives.
In one of the stand-out scenes, Govind’s father pleads with Pallavi to back out from the case filed by her. She removes her scarf and looks at him with her semi-burnt face. He then leaves.
In the scene, the writers establish their lead character as a strong woman who takes up a fight until justice is served.
Uyare is a must-watch movie, for it deals with a serious issue—how jilted lovers treat women.
Rajisha Vijayan in ‘Stand Up’. (Supplied)
Stand Up (2019) is another women-centric Malayalam film, helmed by award-winning director Vidhu Vincent.
The movie is a sincere effort from the filmmaker on the burning issue of rape and how society tries to silence the survivors. Vidhu Vincent revealed that she was a survivor, too.
Stand Up kicks off with a standup comedy show. Nimisha Sajayan (Keerthi) plays a standup comedy artist—a pretty cool aspect in a mainstream movie.
Keerthi is a brave girl who encounters a difficult situation, where her brother rapes his girlfriend who is also a friend of Keerthi.
Director Vidhu Vincent, who won a state award for her debut feature film Manhole (2014), did a commendable job of depicting a serious subject and providing the minute circumstances faced by a rape victim.
How the patriarchal society considers her and tries to victimise her were all captured well in the flick. But Stand Up differs from other mainstream movies, where a male character becomes the saviour of the survivor.
Stand Up is a must-watch movie for its brave concept that is portrayed realistically.
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