Karan Boolani's film, "Thank You For Coming," produced by Rhea Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor and starring Bhumi Pednekar, Shehnaaz Gill, Dolly Singh, Shibani Bedi, and Kusha Kapila, attempts to address the vital themes of female pleasure, desires, and the orgasm gap. However, upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that the film falls short of adequately addressing this critical topic.
If you find yourself in agreement, here is a curated list of films that have artfully tackled the subject of female pleasure, offering a more nuanced and genuine portrayal.
Lust Stories
The 2018 anthology film, "Lust Stories," directed by Karan Johar, features a short film with Kiara Advani, Vicky Kaushal, and Neha Dhupia. Additionally, the short films in this anthology by directors Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, and Dibakar Banerjee explore female pleasure and desire with great finesse. In "Lust Stories 2," directed by Konkona Sen Sharma, the short film titled "The Mirror" features Tillotama Shome and Amruta Subhash, deftly delving into voyeurism and exhibitionism.
Margarita With A Straw
Directed by Shonali Bose, this film starring Kalki Koechlin tells the story of an Indian teenager with cerebral palsy who navigates her bisexuality while discovering self-love and self-acceptance.
Lipstick Under My Burkha
Alankrita Shrivastava's black comedy film stars Ratna Pathak Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aahana Kumra, and Plabita Borthakur. The film delves into female desires, pleasure, and sexual empowerment. It not only found commercial success but also garnered acclaim from critics.
Angry Indian Goddesses
This film features Sandhya Mridul, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Sarah-Jane Dias, Anushka Manchanda, Amrit Maghera, Rajshri Deshpande, Pavleen Gujral, and Adil Hussain. While exploring various women's issues, including female pleasure and desire, it also delves into subjects such as sexual harassment, homosexuality, rape, and patriarchy, weaving them into the narrative.
Water
Directed by Deepa Mehta, this film confronts the taboo surrounding women's desires, particularly widowed women in Indian society. Starring Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, John Abraham, and Sarala Kariyawasam, the screenplay for this 2005 film was penned by Anurag Kashyap.
Veere Di Wedding
Before Kiara Advani's memorable scene in "Lust Stories," Swara Bhasker's iconic vibrator scene in "Veere Di Wedding" sparked conversations about female pleasure and desire. Starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhasker, and Shikha Talsania, this film unapologetically addresses issues related to sex, female pleasure, the orgasm gap, and the dynamics of female friendships.
Parched
Featuring Tannishtha Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Surveen Chawla, Sayani Gupta, and Riddhi Sen, among others, this drama film directed by Leena Yadav and produced by Ajay Devgan delves into various aspects of female desire, pleasure, and confronts social evils such as child marriage, dowry, marital rape, and other challenges faced by women.
Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare
Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, this film, released on Netflix in September 2020, stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Bhumi Pednekar, Vikrant Massey, and Amol Parashar. The film deals with multiple issues with female pleasure and desires like hypoactive sexual desire disorder, virginity, phone sex and more such taboo topics.
