Yearender 2025: Five films where women pushed back and took control

Wrong. The Girlfriend, directed by Rahul Ravindran, has Rashmika Mandanna turn the Arjun Reddy template on its head: the docile, submissive young student, overwhelmed by the attention showered on her by college Mr Popular Vikram, the kind of guy who always has an admiring entourage around him, pushes back. Played well by Dheekshith Shetty, Vikram turns out to be a scarlet flag, as does the other male figure in the motherless Bhooma’s life: her controlling father. Mandanna, who has made a booming career playing second fiddle to A-list male stars, comes into her own. And Ravindran, who plays a supportive literature professor, gives us a girl whom we can relate to, and applaud.

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The Bad Girl

A still from The Bad Girl.

Good girls are neither seen nor heard. Good girls never raise their voice. And wanting physical intimacy and talking sex? That has to be a very bad girl. The Bad Girl loses no time in stating its intent. Ramya, played by Anjali Sivaraman, lives with her disapproving parents and grandmother, and has no interest in self-effacement. Teenage is meant not just for pimples and angst, but also horny hormonal jiggling. Ramya’s into bad boys, smirks a college mate, and we know exactly how she feels about the weight of the judgement that is thrust upon her from her family, friends, and later, workmates.
Varsha Bharath’s sharp coming-of-age film (originally out in Tamil, now also in Hindi) feels like she’s talking of girls down the ages. This bad girl is a very good girl indeed.

Lokah: Chapter 1

A still from Lokah: Chapter 1.

Directed by Dominic Arun, Lokah: Chapter 1 is a female superhero film, all fizz and fun. Films with male superheroes are a dime a dozen; even Hollywood realised that it would need a Superwoman and Catwoman to fly alongside their male counterparts, Superman and Batman.

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What makes this Malayalam movie such a win is the unapologetic manner in which Kalyani Priyadarshan’s Chandra owns both the narrative, and the screen, while mining culture-specific mythology. Like all superheroes, she has a specific superpower or two, one of which which involves, gulp, human blood. And like the others of her ilk, the Bengaluru-based Chandra is terrific at keeping the bad guys at bay. Can’t wait for Chapter 2.

Su From So

A still from Su from So.

You could call Su From So ( Kannada), the quirkily-shortened form for ‘Sulochana from Someshwara’, a comedy. But that would be reductive. This debut feature, a surprise hit of 2025, is more than just a funny tale. A young man’s liking for a pretty village gal is apparently an invitation to a ‘female ghost’ lurking about, putting the fear of god into superior men. This is a feminist satire, with the dispiriting hypocrisies surrounding women and their desires being aired and dealt with in no uncertain terms. Directed by J P Thuminad, this is a bucolic tale with a well-deserved sting, leading us to go both haha and ouch.

Paradha

A still from Anupama Parameswaran’s Paradha.

Directed by Praveen Kandregula, Paradha is also set in a village. It is also a cautionary tale (Telugu), born out of age-old oppressions women face. The lovely Subbalakshmi aka Subbu, played by Anupama Parameswaran, is quite happy to keep her face veiled in public, because of an ancient saying that an unveiled woman will invite curses upon her people. Paradha. Parda, Purdah. Different spellings, same custom, universally employed to keep women in control : Subbu’s journey, from her isolated village to the world outside, helps her break those shackles and become free, with the help of two spirited women, played by Darshana Rajendran and Sangeetha Krish.