Indian cinema’s most compelling stories are increasingly being crafted by women who write and direct their own work. These fierce filmmakers are unafraid to blur genres, scale massive budgets, and cross mediums while holding onto a distinct, uncompromising point of view.
From a National Award-winning storyteller taking a massive leap into big-budget action to a debutant building her first feature on pure conviction, this year’s roster of women writer-directors proves that the industry is widening its horizons. Room is finally being made for original, deeply personal, and genre-defying storytelling.
Here are five trailblazing female filmmakers contributing to that pivotal shift.
1. Geetu Mohandas: The Indie Darling Taking on Big-Budget Action
Known for her critically acclaimed independent films like Liar’s Dice and Moothon, Geetu Mohandas is making a dramatic leap into mainstream blockbuster cinema.
This year, she helms Toxic, a highly anticipated period gangster epic starring Yash. This marks one of the most ambitious swings by any Indian director in recent memory, proving that female directors are ready to command Rs 800-crore PAN-India spectacles.
2. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari: Grounded Stories Meet Gripping Drama
The creative force behind beloved slice-of-life films like Nil Battey Sannata, Bareilly Ki Barfi, and Panga, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari returns with System.
A gripping legal drama starring Sonakshi Sinha and Jyothika, System continues Tiwari’s successful run of deeply grounded, character-driven narratives. This time, she ventures into the realm of the courtroom thriller, anchored by powerful women leads.
3. Meghna Gulzar: Mastering the Investigative Thriller
Following the massive commercial and critical success of Raazi and Sam Bahadur, Meghna Gulzar is shifting gears with her upcoming film, Daayra.
Slated for release later this year, Daayra is an investigative crime thriller starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film delves into how a single, isolated act can irreversibly fracture public opinion, showcasing Gulzar’s signature ability to handle complex socio-political themes with nuance.
4. Radhika Bansal: The Outsider Perspective
A former corporate professional turned first-time filmmaker, Radhika Bansal is one of the most exciting new names on our radar. She has written and directed her feature debut—a highly anticipated Diwali release slated for a leading OTT platform. Bansal’s debut brings a refreshing outsider’s perspective to the industry, utilizing a deliberately warm and understated cinematic register to reinvent the festive family genre.
5. Indira Dhar: The Prolific Independent Voice
Following the success of her Oscar-shortlisted Bengali film Putul, Indira Dhar has rapidly expanded her cinematic footprint. She has lined up a rapid slate of new work, including her Hindi-language feature Echoes of Valour and the highly anticipated A Tale of Two Women. With both projects launched at Cannes, Dhar has cemented her place as one of the most prolific and vital independent voices in modern Indian filmmaking.
The Future is Female
Taken together, these five filmmakers represent the incredible diversity of modern Indian cinema. Whether they are directing massive gangster epics or intimate, festival-bound family dramas, they share a common thread: they are telling stories entirely on their own terms. As the film industry expands its definition of what is commercially and critically viable, these are the women writer-directors whose careers are worth following closely.
