Top 10 Indian Movies That Explore Female Desires

Female sexuality and desires are one of the least explored topics in Indian cinema. Sex is either portrayed in a crass or vulgar manner; there is absolutely nothing in between. There are a few filmmakers and writers who dared to explore female sexuality and desires. Here are the top 10 Indian movies that explored female sexuality and desires:

1. Lipstick Under My Burkha (2017)

Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, this film explores the lives of four women played by Ratna Pathak Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aahana Kumra, and Plabita Borthakur, who are on a journey to explore their sexual desires. Way before its release, the film faced much backlash for its contagious sexual visuals, language, and portrayal from the public and censor board alike. Alankrita portrayed women from different ages, religions, and financial conditions in this film.

2. Pink (2016)

Directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Pink is a courtroom drama that revolves around the lives of three independent Delhi women. Minal, one of the women, is molested, and Deepak, a retired lawyer, fights for justice and helps them win the legal battle. This film portrays how women’s lifestyle will be blamed when they're abused, completely disregarding the concept of consent. The film features Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, and Andrea Tariang in lead roles.

3. Parched (2015)

Four women in Gujarat talk about men, sex, and life as they struggle with their demons. Directed by Leena Yadav, this film explores the sexuality and freedom of women in rural Gujarat. Lajjo, a widow, develops a physical relationship with Rani, her friend who gets beaten by her husband for not getting pregnant. The other two women are Bijli, an erotic dancer who seduces men, and Jaanki, a child bride who has been disowned by her husband.

4. Masaan (2015)

Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, this film explores the lives of Devi, who is guilty of her sexual encounter ending tragically, her father, who is helping her deal with the consequences, and the couple Deepak and Shaalu, who have to deal with class and caste differences in their relationship. Richa Chadda, Sanjay Mishra, Vicky Kaushal, and Shweta Tripathi delivered phenomenal performances and received critical acclaim.

5. Angry Indian Goddesses (2015)

Freida invites seven of her friends to Goa, where she announces that she is getting married to a girl. The night of the announcement leads to so many unforeseen occurrences, which include fights and murder. The film deals with the topics it touches on subtly.

6. Astitva (2000)

Directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, this movie explores the life of Aditi, a homemaker who has a purely physical relationship with another man as she is unsatisfied in her marriage. Tabu and Sachin Khedekar have delivered commendable performances.

7. Margarita with a Straw (2014)

Directed by Shonali Bose, this film's plot revolves around Laila, a wheelchair-ridden girl with cerebral palsy who explores her bisexuality after she falls for a visually impaired woman.

8. Fire (1996)

Directed by Deepa Mehta, this is the first film from her Elements trilogy. This is one of the first films to touch on the topic of homosexuality in India. It portrays the romantic relationship between two women whose husbands choose celibacy or mistresses over their wives. This leads to them developing an intimate relationship. Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das played the lead roles in the film.

9. Water

The last film from Deepa Mehta's Elements trilogy, this film explores the lives of widowed women in pre-Independent India in Varanasi and the sexual awakening of Kalyani after her encounter with a young law student. John Abraham and Lisa Ray play the lead roles in the film.

10. Anaarkali of Aarah (2017)

Anarkali is a dancer who dances on erotic numbers and gets molested by a Vice-Chancellor. After she receives no support from the law to punish the molester, she decides to take revenge on her own. Swara Bhaskar, Pankaj Tripathi, and Sanjay Mishra played the lead roles in the film.