Women's Equality Day: Sherni, Thappad & Five More Films That Celebrate Women In All Their Power
Women's Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26, to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Women's
Equality
Day
is
celebrated
in
the
United
States
on
August
26,
to
commemorate
the
1920
adoption
of
the
Nineteenth
Amendment
to
the
United
States
Constitution,
which
prohibits
the
states
and
the
federal
government
from
denying
the
right
to
vote
to
citizens
of
the
United
States
on
the
basis
of
sex.
So
why
should
we
be
celebrating
it?
Well,
because
the
fight
for
equality
never
really
ends
for
women
regardless
of
which
milieu
they
may
inhabit.
On
this
Women's
Equality
Day,
watch
these
rare
films
that
depict
women
as
beings
with
agency,
self-belief
and
yes,
a
hunger
for
equality.
Thappad:
In
a
society
where
even
marital
rape
and
severe
domestic
violence
are
considered
to
be
a
family's
'internal
matter,'
can
you
make
a
big
deal
over
one
slap?
The
protagonist
of
'Thappad'
does
exactly
that
even
though
she
is
an
utterly
devoted
wife.
The
slap,
randomly
delivered,
is
a
wake-up
call
that
reminds
her
just
how
much
she
has
erased
herself
to
accommodate
her
husband's
needs.
Produced
by
Bhushan
Kumar
of
T-Series,
and
directed
by
Anubhav
Sinha,
this
Taapsee
Pannu
starrer
is
a
reminder
of
how
patriarchy
numbs
women
to
their
own
humiliation.
And
how
important
equality
is
in
a
marriage.
200:
Halla
Ho:
Caste
and
gender
discrimination
are
usually
treated
via
subplots
in
mainstream
cinema
but
Yoodlee's
'200-Halla
Ho'
puts
them
right
at
the
heart
of
the
story.
This
just-released
Sarthak
Dasgupta
directorial
explores
how
violence
and
caste
prejudices
keep
pushing
Dalit
women
into
corners
they
cannot
escape
from.
The
film
also
shows
powerfully
what
can
happen
if
such
women,
after
being
pushed
too
far,
decide
to
fight
back
and
win
some
amount
of
closure
and
justice
for
themselves.
The
film
reveals
how
the
law
and
order
machinery
grinds
the
poor
and
the
vulnerable
into
nothingness
as
it
continues
to
serve
the
interests
of
the
powerful
and
the
privileged.
Through
the
eyes
of
Asha
Surve
(Rinku
Rajguru),
we
see
the
pain,
anger
and
power
that
lies
hidden
and
unexpressed
in
violated
women
till
they
decide
to
address
the
rot
in
the
system
with
one
stunning
blow.
This
ZEE5
Original
film
also
stars
veteran
actor
Amol
Palekar,
Barun
Sobti,
Sahil
Khattar
in
leading
roles.
Nil
Battey
Sannata:
Released
internationally
as
The
New
Classmate,
this
fun
and
yet
thought-provoking
film
directed
by
Ashwiny
Iyer
Tiwari,
underscores
the
importance
of
education
for
women
in
underserved
communities.
Produced
by
Aanand
L.
Rai,
Ajay
Rai,
and
Alan
McAlex
under
the
banners
of
Colour
Yellow
Productions
and
JAR
Pictures,
the
film
starred
Swara
Bhaskar
as
Chanda
Sahay,
a
high-school
drop-out,
housemaid
and
single
mother
who
dreams
big
for
her
daughter.
And
soon,
begins
to
dream
of
a
new
future
for
herself
too.
The
film
gently
forces
the
audience
to
recognise
the
humanity
of
those
who
have
been
deprived
of
equality
in
all
respects
of
life
by
poverty.
Axone:
Yoodlee's
production
'Axone'
is
a
film
about
the
importance
of
holding
on
to
your
identity
along
with
your
traditions
and
the
freedom
of
choice
in
a
milieu
where
you
are
treated
as
an
outsider.
This
Nicholas
Kharkongor
directorial,
streaming
on
Netflix,
has
North-Eastern
protagonists
including
Upasana
played
by
Sayani
Gupta
who
negotiates
a
challenging
day
with
grace
and
grit
and
cooks
a
special
dish
for
a
friend's
wedding
against
all
odds.
Racism,
social
displeasure,
disrespect
and
unhealthy
curiosity
are
some
of
the
challenges
in
her
way
as
she
finally
finds
open
space,
perhaps
a
metaphor
for
freedom,
and
cooks
with
great
joy
and
care.
This
does
not
seem
like
a
big
achievement
but
it
is
a
major
breakthrough
because
Upasana
has
not
just
asserted
her
right
to
cook
what
she
wants
but
to
be
truly
and
proudly
herself.
There
is
also
Chanbi,
played
by
Lin
Laishram,
who
boldly
confronts
a
man
in
front
of
his
family
for
catcalling
and
abusing
her.
There
is
a
lot
of
stored
trauma
but
also
courage
within
her
that
demonstrates
how
resilient
women
have
to
be
in
order
to
just
fight
for
the
basic
right
to
dignity
and
safety.
Lipstick
Under
My
Burkha:
Alankrita
Shrivastava
is
emerging
as
one
of
the
strongest
feminist
voices
in
Hindi
cinema.
Her
2016
film
'Lipstick
Under
My
Burkha,'
broke
so
many
stereotypes
that
it
is
hard
to
encapsulate
all
its
path
breaking
female
characters
in
brief.
One
common
factor
in
all
the
women
we
meet
in
the
narrative
is
that
they
all
want
fulfilment
and
at
some
point,
break
free
from
fear
and
shame
to
reach
out
for
it.
The
film
dares
to
depict
women
as
beings
who
just
want
to
be
themselves
and
want
equal
access
to
joy,
freedom
and
self-expression.
Produced
by
Prakash
Jha,
the
film
stars
an
ensemble
cast
including
Ratna
Pathak,
Konkona
Sen
Sharma,
Aahana
Kumra
and
Plabita
Borthakur
in
lead
roles,
along
with
Sushant
Singh,
Sonal
Jha,
Vikrant
Massey,
Shashank
Arora,
Vaibhav
Tatwawaadi
and
Jagat
Singh
Solanki
in
supportive
roles.
Ajji:
How
does
a
woman
in
the
most
vulnerable
section
of
society
and
with
zero
privilege
fight
back
when
her
granddaughter
is
raped
and
dehumanised?
As
this
Yoodlee
production
directed
by
Devashish
Makhija
shows
us,
she
does
it
by
not
accepting
inequality,
oppression
and
injustice
and
meticulously
plans
a
revenge
when
the
society
whose
fringes
she
inhabits,
refuses
to
give
her
justice
and
closure.
In
a
powerful
performance,
Sushama
Deshpande
depicts
a
grandmother
who
rewrites
a
story
of
pain
into
one
of
vindication
if
not
triumph.
The
rest
of
the
cast
includes
Sharvani
Suryavanshi,
Abhishek
Banerjee,
Sadiya
Siddiqui,
Vikas
Kumar,
Sudhir
Pandey,
Kiran
Khoje,
and
Smita
Tambe
in
major
roles.
Sherni:
Sherni
directed
by
Amit
V.
Masurkar
is
one
of
those
rare
films
where
a
Hindi
film
heroine
is
not
driven
by
a
male
gaze
but
an
innate
sense
of
purpose.
Vidya
Balan's
Vidya
Vincent
is
not
a
box-office
bait
but
a
woman
on
a
mission.
As
she
leads
a
race
against
time
to
save
a
female
tiger,
she
also
reveals
layers
of
sexism
and
gender
biases
that
impede
even
women
in
supposedly
powerful
positions.
Produced
by
T-Series
and
Abundantia
Entertainment,
Sherni
also
stars
Sharat
Saxena,
Vijay
Raaz,
Ila
Arun,
Brijendra
Kala,
Neeraj
Kabi
and
Mukul
Chadda
in
supporting
roles.