HYDERABAD: The stereotypes should be broken. Women should not lose their femininity in the name of feminism — that’s the change I would like to see,” said author and director Mrithika Santhoshini at the Devi Awards organised by TNIE on Sunday.
The panel discussion, ‘Finding Your Own Voice’, was chaired by journalist and author Kaveree Bamzai, with Nikitha Umesh, chef; Geetha Bhaskar, actor; and Mrithika Santhoshini, author-director, as speakers. The panellists stressed the need for gender balance and financial independence to empower women.
“It’s a male-dominated industry,” said chef Nikitha Umesh, recalling working in a kitchen where she was “the only woman chef among 80 men”. She added that it was time to change that narrative and “monetise the skill we grow up with and inspire more women to join.”
Actor Geetha Bhaskar shared that she began acting at 58 with Fidaa, after a small role in her son’s award-winning film Anukokunda. “Women should be financially independent. You shouldn’t have to depend on anyone,” she said.
Kaveree noted that Mrithika’s women-oriented films challenged commercial norms. “Why don’t women-centric stories inspire more filmmakers?” Mrithika asked. “We’ve grown up hearing stories of women heroes — why not put them at the centre?”
On her latest venture, Mrithika said, “My roots inspired me. My grandmother was an independent woman, and my mother has been my greatest strength. That’s how this script was born. It’s not a heroine-centric story — it’s about a woman who is the hero. We often talk about child abuse, but rarely about how many boys are victims. Even boy children aren’t safe. I wanted to tell the story of a mother protecting her son — because in real life, a mother is the true hero.”
