Just like direction, screenwriting is one of the many departments in filmmaking that is usually considered to be a man’s job. Here are some female screenwriters in Indian cinema who have reshaped the narrative with rich, content-driven stories and showed us that even women can be good at writing stories.

1.Kanika Dhillon

Kanika Dhillon has written movies that have some unconventional female characters who break stereotypes. Rumi from Manmarziyaan and Rani from Haseen Dillruba are a few of those characters. These women are so outspoken, deadly yet in a charming way that it is hard to not fall for them. Kanika Dhillon started her screenplay career with the Bollywood movie Ra.One. She also wrote the screenplay for Telugu movie Size Zero which started Anushka Shetty. Apart from writing screenplays for movies, Kanika has also authored books like Bombay Duck is a Fish, The Dance of Durga and Shiva, and the Rise of Shadows. She previously worked as a script supervisor for Shahrukh Khan’s production house Red Chillies Entertainment.

2. Juhi Chaturvedi

Personally, Juhi Chaturvedi is my favorite screenwriter. Her stories have characters with rich and complex emotions that we are instantly drawn to them. Be it Piku from the movie Piku or Dan from the movie October, the characters are so raw and real that we long to become them for a while. Juhi’s association with Shoojit Sircar has never disappointed the audience. Her brilliant work in the film Piku fetched her the National Award for Best Original Screenplay.

3. Zeenat Lakhani

Zeenat Lakhani is an Indian screenwriter who has been involved with writing some commercial Bollywood movies. Hindi Medium starring Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar, Shaadi Ke Side Effects starring Vidya Balan and Farhan Akhtar are a few of her noted works.

4. Reema Kagti

Reema Kagti is known for her association with Zoya Akhtar in movies like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Dil Dhadakne Do. She started her career with Honeymoon Travel Pvt. Ltd which she wrote and directed. Her screenplay association in movies like Gully Boy, Bombay Talkies, and the series Made in Heaven has earned a great reputation as a screenplay writer. She will be next seen co-writing Jee Le Zaara alongside Zoya Akhtar. The movie will stars Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, and Katrina Kaif and is one of the most anticipated movies for next year.

5. Bhavani Iyer

Bhavani Iyer is a screenwriter who has been involved with the screenplay of some rich movies like Raazi, Black, and Lootera. If you have seen these movies you can see how they are intense and full of life. These are stories that touch our souls and leave an indelible mark.

6. Tanuja Chandra

Tanuja Chandra is the sister of popular film critic Anupama Chopra and writer Vikram Chandra. She is well known for her screenplays and dialogues in movies like Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Zakhm, and Tamanna. Apart from writing screenplays, Tanuja is also involved with directing some good movies. Her latest popular movie both as a director and screenwriter is Qarib Qarib Single which starred the late Irrfan Khan and Parvathy Thiruvoth.

7. Anjali Menon

I remember mentioning Anjali Menon in my previous post- Female directors who redefined Indian cinema. But not giving her credit as a screenwriter as well would be cruel. Anjali Menon has scripted her won movies so far and also written the screenplay for Anwar Rasheed’s directorial Ustaad Hotel. All of her movies have been a slice of life drama that we cant detach ourselves from. Her contribution in taking Malayalam Cinema to greater heights is unmatchable.

Image Courtesy: Instagram