The women directors in Indian cinema have created some of the finest films over the years. They have gone out of the way and taken creative freedom to come out with films on the offbeat topics. What’s more, some these films went on to win critical acclaim not only on national but on international circuit and bagged awards, too.  

Mira Nair
Mira Nair is the internationally recognized woman director renowned for depicting touching human stories on silver screen.  Her first film 'Salaam Bombay', was critically acclaimed on international circuit. This followed by films including 'Namesake' and 'Monsoon Wedding' which were well received.

Sai Paranjpye

The audiences liked Sai Paranjpye’s films as these were simple and fresh.  Sai made films like 'Sparsh' which won National Awards and three Filmfare Awards. Her film  'Chashme Baddoor' is  a classic comedy which is loved even to this day. Sai created musical film 'Saaz' in 1997. This film starred  famous  tabla artist Ustad Zakir Hussain. Sai received  Padma Bhushan Award for her contribution to cinema

Deepa Mehta

Deepa Mehta is an Indo-Canadian filmmaker. She made films on controversial  subjects like homosexuality, which was considered a daring attempt. Her films included 'Earth', 'Water', and 'Fire.'  The way she presented her subjects is appreciable. Mehta  has received international recognition, too. Her films  '1947 Earth' and 'Water' were  in the fray  to be nominated for the Oscar awards.

 Aparna Sen

Apana Sen is a prominent  Bengali  actress and director. She acted in several hit Bengali films and some Hindi films as well, in a career spanning several decades. When she started directing the films, the masterpieces like ‘36 Chowringhee Lane', 'The Japanese Wife', 'Mr. and Mrs. Iyer', 'Goynar Baksho' and 'Iti Mrinalini' were appreciated by the audiences. Sen received the Best Director award at the Indian National Film Awards for ‘36 Chowringhee Lane.’ This film won the Golden Eagle award at the Manila International Film Festival, too.

Kalpana Lajmi

Kalpana Lajmi's  is daughter of painter Lalita Lajmi and niece of actor-director Guru Dutt. Lajmi created several films including  'Rudaali'. The film  starred  Dimple Kapadia who received the National Film Award for Best Actress and a Filmfare Award. Lajmi  also made  'Daman', which starred  Raveena Tandon, who won a National Award for her role, too.  Lajmi is liked by both the audiences and critics alike for her approach to women empowerment through films.

Leena Yadav
Leena Yadav made film, ‘Shabd,’ which was critically acclaimed. Later, she created film ‘Teen Patti’ starring  Amitabh Bachchan and Oscar winner actor Ben Kingsley and several others. Leena is open to take challenges and risks in films.

Reema Kagti

Reema Kagti  made offbeat film ‘Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd’. Later she made ‘ Talaash’ starring Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Kareena Kapur, which turned out to be a blockbuster . It was a hit at the box office, too. Reema  pulls off sudden twists in her films and the audience keeps on asking for more.

Zoya Akhtar

Zoya is daughter of noted film writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar, but has made her mark in her own right as a film director and screenwriter. She made ‘Luck By Chance’ . She directed commercially successful film ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara ‘ for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Director.

Rajshree Ojha
Rajshree Ojha  created  commercially successful  film ‘ Aisha,’ starring  actress Sonam Kapoor. Her hallmarks are realist narration of story and honesty. She made ‘Chaurahen,’ too. Rajshree’s  creations  portray real life characters and human relationships on  the silver screen.

These are but only a few of many talented woman directors who made their mark in Indian cinema and there are definitely many able and competent ones whose names deserve mention and acclaim. It is important to note here that their work is respected for their talented filmmaking and not just because they happen to be female directors.