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Looking to catch up on some Telegu movies? With strong women characters and interesting storylines, here are my top 5 favourites!
Telugu Cinema has always been praised for its versatility and cinematography. There are some movies which we should not miss watching at any cost. Recommending some of my favorite Telugu movies with strong and interesting female characters.
The last few years in Telugu movies has seen a rise in biopics. One of the first biopics of women is of the superstar Savitri, fondly christened Savitramma by her countless fans. Mahanati literally means the supreme actress.
Starring in more than 250 films, she was bestowed titles like Kalaimamani, Nadigaiyar Tilagam (also the name of the Tamil version of this movie) and Mahanati in Telugu. The movie explores the rise and fall of the epitome of beauty and talent. She was an actor in multiple languages, director, producer and above all, a philanthropist.
Her life is stellar, undoubtedly, but another reason to watch is the character of Madhuravani. The movie is narrated through the lens of Antony, a photographer and Madhuravani, a journalist. While covering a story for their newspaper about the actress, they understand and find themselves in the process. Savitri’s is a story of success, love, confidence, endurance and above all, kindness.
Apart from commercial success and critical acclaim, the film bagged three national awards at the 66th National Film Awards, 2019. The movie is available on Amazon Prime.
The movie is about a female cricketer, Lilly, which is a unique subject in itself. The male lead, Bobby and his friends initially laugh at her when she desires to play cricket; only to be stunned by the sixes of a state-level cricketer. Later, Lilly and her teammate are sexually harassed by a selector.
Dear Comrade, is one of the very few, rare movies where the heroine takes a stand for herself, and the hero is her comrade. Of course, it isn’t easy for him, as he grapples with anger management issues and often loses his cool. For an audience habituated to the hero grabbing the spotlight even on the heroine’s stage, this movie comes as a surprise.
The movie deals with fresh and unexplored topics and does an awe-inspiring job at that. It depicts sexual assault in the realest way possible, without making it all about tragedy or a cause to show the hero’s combat skills. This movie is an answer to all those who ask, “But why didn’t she report?” Because it shows how the power equation, influence, financial and societal status join hands to keep sexual harassment under the carpet forever. The movie is available on Amazon Prime.
Pelli Choopulu means the traditional arranged marriage meeting between the potential bride and groom. A jobless Prashanth who hopes to marry a rich girl and settle with the dowry he’d get, accidentally meets Chitra (while he had to go to her neighbour’s house for Pelli Choopulu).
Chitra is a businesswoman who desires to open her own food truck. She is bent on proving to her father and everyone else that she can run her business successfully. Though they part ways after realizing that Prashanth came to the wrong house, he joins her business in dire need of work. Working with her on the food truck, Prashanth finally realizes that cooking is his passion. How they enrich their cooking, the truck and their love forms the rest of the story. Chitra doesn’t just run a business but shows Prashanth that he can do better in life than wait for some dowry.
Also, the movie is a laughter riot with Prashanth’s two jobless friends. Pelli Choopulu is a wonderful attempt at showing female entrepreneurship and the idea of food trucks. The film won two National Awards among several other accolades. The movie is available on MX Player.
Karthik, 22, Telugu Hindu. Jessie, 24, Malayali Christian. You can imagine the rest, can’t you? Scoldings, breakups, threats, fixed marriages, arguments, some physical attacks, leaving the house, tears and did I mention threats? And finally, love.
Jessie is a matured and understanding woman. She tries her best to convince her dad about Karthik. She had always obeyed and never lied to her dad. (Before meeting Karthik, obviously).
It is a modern love story of a couple belonging from traditional families. Jessie continues to be one of the most memorable and beautiful characters in Telugu cinema even today and a dream debut for Samantha. It was shot simultaneously in Tamil too and is now available on Amazon Prime.
Anushka Shetty’s brilliance beyond measure isn’t a surprise to those who have watched her Arundhati, Bahubali and Rudramadevi. She portrays Chanchala IAS, an assistant and close aide to a politician who is supposedly impeccable. An interrogation is started against Chanchala to unravel the minister’s crimes, if any. As it isn’t safe to interrogate in public view, she is kept in the abandoned palace of queen Bhagamathi.
Soon, she becomes possessed by the spirit of the dead queen. Whether she reveals the crimes of the minister, are there any crimes as the investigating officer believes, is for you to watch. It is a mystery thriller with a touch of horror. Anushka brings Bhagamathi to life with her involvement in the role. The story is also enticing enough you linger in your mind for a while after the movie ends.
If I had to categorize it into a genre, I’d say it is a political-crime-horror-thriller! The movie is available on Amazon Prime.
Image source: Stills from above-mentioned Telugu movies
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