15 Films Directed By Indian Women That You Should Have Watched Like, Yesterday

    They are essential viewing!

    Sumedha Bharpilania
    by Sumedha Bharpilania

    BuzzFeed Staff

    While female directors are responsible for some of the best movies to have come out of the industry, they are still astonishingly outnumbered in Bollywood. Here's celebrating just some of the MANY fantastic films that are directed by Indian women:

    1. Talvar (2015)

    Junglee Pictures

    Directed By: Meghna Gulzar

    A Rashomon-style retelling of the horrific 2008 Noida double murder case, Talvar is gripping and heartbreaking in equal parts. Solid performances from Konkona Sen Sharma, Neeraj Kabi, and of course, the late Irrfan Khan have turned this movie into a cult classic.

    2. Fire (1996)

    Kaleidoscope Entertainment

    Directed By: Deepa Mehta

    The first ever mainstream Bollywood movie to depict a lesbian relationship, Fire was truly groundbreaking. It is about Sita (Nandita Das) and Radha (Shabana Azmi), who, having been trapped in loveless marriages, decide to pursue a relationship with one another despite the parochial society that they are a part of.

    3. Gully Boy (2019)

    Excel Entertainment

    Directed By: Zoya Akhtar

    At the outset, Gully Boy presents itself as a simple underdog story as it follows Murad (Ranveer Singh), an aspiring rapper who feels strongly about social issues and whose life changes when he meets Shrikant "MC Sher" (Siddhant Chaturvedi). However, the movie is a lot more than that — it is one of the most splendidly-crafted and truly hard-hitting commentaries on class disparities in India. Alia Bhatt's performance is the icing on the cake.

    4. Dhobi Ghat (2010)

    UTV Motion Pictures

    Directed By: Kiran Rao

    Four people who come from different walks of life, have their fates and paths intertwined in the dazzling metropolis that is Mumbai. Dhobi Ghat is Kiran Rao's heartfelt tribute to the city.

    5. Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017)

    Junglee Pictures

    Directed By: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

    Bitti (Kriti Sanon), a feisty girl from Bareilly, reads a book that changes her life and therefore ends up falling in love with the author, Pritam Vidrohi (Rajkummar Rao). She makes it her mission to look for him and does so with the help of Chirag (Ayushmann Khurrana), the local printing press-owner. The film boasts of stellar performances from the entire star cast, especially Pankaj Tripathi and Seema Pahwa.

    6. Sangharsh (1999)

    Vishesh Films

    Directed By: Tanuja Chandra

    A psychological thriller that masterfully addresses delicate topics such as childhood trauma and religious fanaticism, Sangharsh is an exceptionally underrated movie. Ashutosh Rana's character continues to give people nightmares.

    7. A Death In The Gunj (2016)

    MacGuffin Pictures

    Directed By: Konkona Sen Sharma

    A truly mesmerising piece of cinema, A Death In The Gunj feels like a Ruskin Bond novel with its setting in the colonial town of McCluskieganj and a tiny blue Ambassador as a character of its own. However, it actually is a rather dark and stirring commentary on the importance of mental health awareness. Watch it for Vikrant Massey.

    8. Margarita With A Straw (2014)

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures

    Directed By: Shonali Bose

    A moving, slice-of-life film, Margarita With A Straw is about Laila (Kalki Koechlin), a young woman who lives with cerebral palsy. But that is not her only identifier — she is also a rebel who writes and composes music and eventually attains a scholarship to study in New York, where she finds love.

    9. English Vinglish (2012)

    Eros International

    Directed By: Gauri Shinde

    A shining example of the "feel-good" genre, English Vinglish is about Shashi (Sridevi), who, having been continually mocked by her family for not being able to converse in English, decides to take up lessons to prove her worth as a wife and a mother. In the process, she ends up finding herself. This movie will make you tear up and miss the acting powerhouse that was Sridevi.

    10. The Namesake (2006)

    Fox Searchlight Pictures

    Directed By: Mira Nair

    While it is very much an English-language film, The Namesake (based on a novel of the same name by Jhumpa Lahiri) makes it to this list because of how beautifully poignant it is and how remarkably Nair depicts the Indian immigrant experience. Tabu, Kal Penn, and the late Irrfan Khan were perfectly cast.

    11. Mr. And Mrs. Iyer (2002)

    Tips Exports

    Directed By: Aparna Sen

    While it comes across as a love story set against the backdrop of communal riots, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer is so much more than that. For starters, the movie was way ahead of its time in capturing the current socio-political atmosphere of the country. Furthermore, it is easily the most satisfying depiction of human vulnerabilities.

    12. Peepli Live (2010)

    UTV Motion Pictures

    Directed By: Anusha Rizvi

    Perhaps one of the most wonderful satires to have come out of Bollywood, Peepli Live deals with the issue of farmer suicides in India's hinterland and in doing so, it brilliantly throws light upon TRP-hungry news channels and unprincipled politicians. You'll be thinking about this movie for days on end.

    13. Talaash (2012)

    Excel Entertainment

    Directed By: Reema Kagti

    Talaash is a great psychological thriller that revolves around the lives of Inspector Surjan Singh Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) and his wife Roshni (Rani Mukherji) as they cope with the death of their son. While struggling to deal with his personal loss, Surjan is tasked with investigating the mysterious death of a movie star.

    14. Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016)

    Balaji Motion Pictures

    Directed By: Alankrita Shrivastava

    There are very few films that celebrate the fact that women have desires and Lipstick Under My Burkha is one of them. It follows the struggles of four ordinary women — Usha (Ratna Pathak Shah), Rehana (Plabita Borthakur), Leela (Aahana Kumra), and Shirin (Konkona Sensharma) — in their quest for freedom in a deeply patriarchal society.

    15. Om Shanti Om (2007)

    Red Chillies Entertainment

    Directed By: Farah Khan

    It's been more than a decade and this out-and-out masala blockbuster continues to be a guilty pleasure for many. The story was gripping, the songs were (and still are) catchy, Shah Rukh Khan was in his element, and the world was introduced to a gem known as Deepika Padukone. What more could one ask for?