Where are the women? Debates erupt over lack of heroines in Malayalam blockbusters

The Malayalam film industry is experiencing a wave of back-to-back hits this year. However, a significant trend in these successful films is the absence of prominent female characters. This has sparked numerous discussions about the lack of heroines in Malayalam movies.
Amidst these conversations, director Anjali Menon highlighted the issue by sharing a poster with the question, 'Where are the women in Malayalam cinema?' She expressed her happiness that the media is addressing this concern.

Criticism has been directed at films like 'Manjummel Boys', 'Aavesham', 'Bramayugam', and 'Kannur Squad'. In particular, 'Aavesham' faced scrutiny for not having a strong female character, despite its university setting, and only featuring a token mother character.
The discussion also points out that recently, only two movies—'22 Female Kottayam' and 'The Great Indian Kitchen'—have been truly women-centric. Amid these debates, actress Nikhila Vimal's remark has garnered attention. Nikhila stated that it is better not to have female characters if their roles are insignificant. However, some netizens argue that films like 'Premalu' and 'Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey' feature strong female characters.