Nine Women-Centric Films That Make 2021 A Year of Female Stars

Women-Centric Films 2021: With Mimi, Tribhanga and Sherni among other films with prominent female-led stories, the year 2021 has been successful so far.

While some films presented the usual run-of-the-mill narratives, others came out with powerful and pathbreaking stories that added value to the women-led cinema.

We are almost in the second of the year with a long list of promising film projects yet to be released. Due to the second wave of the pandemic, many films had to push their release date over the year and are expected to hit the screens as soon as the COVID-19 gets better in India.

Here is the list of some unique and promising women-centric films scheduled for release in 2021:

Thalaivi

One of the most awaited films of this year, Thalaivi is a biopic of late J. Jayalalithaa, former chief minister of Tamil Nadu who went from being one of the most admired female actors to being one of the most worshipped politicians. Actor Kangana Ranaut will essay her role in the film which will be directed by Vijay.

Since the second wave pushed Thalaivi’s release date multiple times, the makers are yet to announce the final date of its release.

Gangubai Kathiawadi 

Alia Bhatt starrer is based on a book titled Mafia Queens of Mumbai. This Sanjay Leela Bhansali biopic is also yet to come out with a release date. As per the plot details released so far, the film is going to narrate the life story of a woman named Gangu who established herself as Gangubai, the leader of yesteryear’s red light area, Kamathipura. The has been produced by Jayanthilal Gada and written by Hussain Zaidi.

Rashmi Rocket

The film starring Taapsee Pannu is said to be a sports drama written by Nandha Periyasamy, Kanika Dhillon and Aniruddha Guha. The film’s narrative follows a country girl in her journey towards winning international athletic contests. Pannu will essay the role of a girl named Rashmi who is called Rocket by the people because of her fast running skills. Even though the film concluded its shooting earlier this year, it is yet to come out with a release date.

This will be the third sports film starring Taapsee Pannu after Soorma and Saand Ki Aankh. The film has been directed by Akarsh Khurana and will be released under RSVP Films.

Shabaash Mithu 

Another film featuring Taapsee Pannu in the lead role is a biopic of the Indian female cricket team’s skipper and record-breaking batswoman, Mithali Raj. The film will narrate her sports journey, her achievements through the years and the struggles she had to go through.

As per reports, Taapsee Pannu had to go through rigorous training to be able to play Raj’s role. In fact, she has been trained by Raj’s friend and former Indian cricketer Nooshin Al Khadeer.

Boomika 

The upcoming horror film recently released its trailer on August 8. The film is based inside a campus that is believed to be haunted by ghosts. The Aishwarya Rajesh starrer was called an ‘eco horror’ by the film’s producer Karthik Subbaraj. Though the trailer did not reveal much about the plot, it is safe to assume that the film will be one of the rare horror-comedies made in Indian cinema. The film will be released on August 22 at 3 pm on Vijay Television.

The film has been directed by Rathindran R Prasad who has also written the film. Boomika will be his first feature film to be released so far.

200 Halla bol 

The drama will be the first film in almost a decade with Amol Palekar starring in it. The film is based on a real-life event when 200 Dalit women barged into the courtroom where rapist Bharat Kalicharan aka Akku Yadav was being tried.

Yadav was accused of sexually assaulting 200 women from a slum in Nagpur. The women came in with knives, chilli powder and other household weapons and attacked their abuser openly in the courtroom. Directed by Sarthak Dasgupta, the film has starred Barun Sobti, Rinku Rajguru and Sahil Khattar among others. It is scheduled to release on August 20 on an OTT platform.

Dhaakad 

The Kangana Ranaut starrer recently wrapped its shooting in Budapest and went into post-production. The film has been directed by Razneesh Ghai. It is a spy thriller story with a female lead, played by Ranaut. Ranaut’s character in the film is named Agent Agni. More details of the film are awaited as it's said to release on October 1 in 2021. The film also has Arjun Rampal and Divya Dutta playing pivotal roles.

Looop Lapeta 

The official remake of the German film Run Lola Runa has Taapsee Pannu and Tahir Raj Bhasin in lead roles. It will be directed by Aakash Bhatia and produced by Aayush Maheshwari, Sony Pictures Films and Ellipsis Entertainment. So far, the film’s release date has been set for October 22 this year.

In the German film, the character of Lola does the unexpected by running around town to get a handsome amount of money for her boyfriend to save him from looting a bank.

Darlings 

In collaboration with Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Production, Darlings will be the first film released under Alia Bhatt’s production banner Eternal Sunshine Productions. The film is set in Mumbai. Touted to be a dark comedy, the film will have Shefali Shah playing the lead role with Alia Bhatt.

The film is set in a lower-middle-class neighbourhood of Mumbai and has Bhatt and Shah playing a mother-daughter duo. The film’s teaser came with a warning that read, “Offending women can be very dangerous for your health.”