PremiumWomen’s Day Special: From Farhana to Natchathiram Nagargiradhu, here are 5 Tamil films with strong female characters to stream today
OTTplay compiles a list of Tamil films that have created some strong female roles, which you can watch with your female comrades
Last Updated: 12.25 PM, Mar 08, 2024
It’s March 8. The world celebrates this day as International Women’s Day, honouring women across the world. While it is an undeniable fact that women have been facing the brunt of oppression and denied privileges that men are accustomed to by birth, cinema has been changing the landscape one film and one character at a time to reverse this and give its two bits. With cinema being one of the most influential mediums of art, the filmmakers also come with a great sense of responsibility to craft strong and realistic women who possess the ability to be individuals of their own and exercise their rights.
On that note, OTTplay compiles a list of Tamil films that have created some strong female roles, which you can watch with your female comrades:
Aruvi – Prime Video
Aruvi, directed by Arun Prabu, follows the life of Aruvi, a woman who is not constrained by the rules of society and the stigmas that follow. Aruvi takes a sensitive approach to how society sees HIV-positive patients, while at the same time having a commentary on the consumerist and misogynistic nature of people. Aditi Balan played the titular role. The film opened to a positive reception upon release and earned several awards.
Natchathiram Nagargiradhu – Netflix
Directed by Pa Ranjith, Natchathiram Nagargiradhu has a woman as its protagonist amid an ocean of films headlined by men. Not only that, it also makes a strong case for intersectional feminist characters by having a Dalit woman at its forefront. With Dushara Vijayan playing Rene, a level-headed woman who has faced the brunt of oppression both because of her caste and gender, Natchathiram Nagagiradhu talks about love jihad and how often women from oppressed communities face the brunt of it. Kalidas Jayaram, Kalaiarasan, Shabeer Kallarakkal and others were part of the film, which received a positive reception upon release.
Gargi – SonyLIV
Headlined by Sai Pallavi, Gargi is a courtroom drama that deals with child sexual abuse. Gargi is a film that talks about the trials and tribulations of a woman who goes to great lengths to prove her father’s innocence. While the film may not entirely revolve around this, Gargi, in its underlying message, talks about how one has to take tough decisions in order to stand up for collective womanhood. Helmed by Gautham Ramachandran, Gargi made some people uncomfortable, some angry, and others guilty, as it highlighted how women camaraderie is important and need of the hour.
Farhana – SonyLIV
When there is a scarce representation of women across religions as protagonists, Farhana tries to mend it by having a Muslim woman headline the film. Farhana is about the titular character, played by Aishwarya Rajesh, who hails from a middle-class Muslim family. As she joins a call centre for a livelihood, her life takes a detrimental turn when she connects with a stranger, and their rapport begins to develop. Farhana makes a strong case for how empowered women can feel with their financial independence and how a flawed society isn’t a woman’s fault for not letting her be a successful person. The film is directed by Nelson Venkatesan and also stars Selvaraghavan, Jittan Ramesh, and Aishwarya Dutta, among others.
Chittha – Disney+ Hotstar
In Chittha, Nimisha Sajayan plays an author backed Shakthi. Even as the film focuses on the relationship between a niece and her uncle, Chittha is a film that sensitively handles the issue of child sexual abuse. It takes a beautiful turn when Shakthi opens up about her past trauma and echoes the voices of many women, saying that survivors need empathy and kindness more than revenge from their perpetrators. The film also talks about good and bad touch and how children should be able to raise an alert if it comes from their close relatives.