Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic Fuels Debate Over Women Filmmakers

The mixed response to Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic has once again triggered a debate over the challenges faced by women directors in handling big-budget commercial cinema. The Yash-starrer, which was mounted as a high-scale action adventure, has received a mixed response in the Telugu states, with criticism directed at its screenplay, excessive violence and intimate sequences.

“Women directors cannot handle hero-centric action films on the scale of filmmakers like S.S. Rajamouli or Prashanth Neel, and Toxic is another example,” says a producer. “Yash built a larger-than-life image through the KGF franchise, but Geetu Mohandas could not live up to those expectations. She is also facing trolling after the film’s response.”

However, the debate comes at a time when a few women filmmakers have been challenging the perception that they are limited to certain genres. Noted filmmaker Nandini Reddy recently broke the jinx with the blockbuster success of Maa Inti Bangaram, which has reportedly collected around Rs 25 crore share worldwide.

“Nandini Reddy has proved that a woman director can deliver a commercial entertainer on par with any male filmmaker. But Tollywood needs many more such successes before women directors are widely accepted as a commercial force,” adds the producer.

At the same time, the recent box-office performances of films such as Padmavathi Malladi’s Gandhi Tatha Chettu and Neeraja Kona’s Telusu Kada have raised questions about the commercial challenges facing women filmmakers. Telusu Kada, in particular, featured an impressive cast comprising Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Raashi Khanna and Srinidhi Shetty, but failed to make a major impact at the box office.

“It is a fact that women directors have struggled to strike a chord with Telugu audiences in recent years and need to reinvent themselves. I don't want to single out anyone, but very few female directors have delivered commercial hits lately,” says producer Lagadapati Sridhar.

Tollywood has several talented women directors, including Sujana Rao of Gamanam, Seshu Sindhu Rao of Choosi Choodangaane, Sowjanya of Varudu Kavalenu and Sanjana Reddy of Raju Gadu. However, many of them have struggled to sustain their careers and move up the ladder with a consistent flow of projects.

The producer believes one of the challenges is the perception that women filmmakers are better suited to emotional, relationship-driven and family-oriented stories.

“They excel at handling emotions, relationships and family dramas, so they naturally gravitate towards romantic and family-oriented stories. At a time when action films dominate the market, they find it harder to secure projects,” he reasons.

However, actor-turned-director Jeevitha Rajasekhar strongly disagrees with the idea that women are incapable of handling action or other commercial genres.

“Women are capable of handling every genre, including action. Talent has nothing to do with gender,” she says. “Direction has traditionally been a male-dominated field, but women are steadily finding their rightful place.”

Jeevitha also feels that the industry is gradually becoming more inclusive. “Today, we are seeing more women working as costume designers, assistant directors and even assistant cinematographers. The situation is changing for the better. Some women from well-educated families may still have apprehensions about joining the film industry, but that perception will change as more women take centre stage and succeed.”