Angry Indian Goddesses (2015) User Reviews

Excellent film for the urban audience despite its flaws

[utpal_das · 8/10 · 25 October 2016]

The story is an average one of a all girl bachelor party, that being the set up and the focus on issues that are related to Indian women. Nothing out of the box issues or the way it is handled. The ending had to have some drama, and it has, again nothing out of the box. The editing could have been crispier, will give a 6 out of 10 there.

Those were the flaws, now comes the good part.

Genuinely superb acting from 3 of the 7 leads, I know 2-3 of them and not by name or at least I didn't. I do not know whether to credit the director or the actors, but it was a superb performance from the actors.

Hilarious at times, crude at time, raunchy at times but you will enjoy it. That the director took the initiative of making these girls as crude as 'Masti', was enough for me to watch the movie. I do not see too many Hindi movies, but I never expected words like D*#do, Or#$@sm and stuff like that ad the way the scenes were handled were brilliant.

The characters were genuinely alive, you see them everyday. You feel like you know them, the problems they face in everyday life is very common to me and you and girls lusting over shirtless guys and things like that captured the free spirited modern Indian lady so well.

The script could have been tighter, but still it was very very good. The director really took the best from the actors, especially (let me check the name) Pavleen Gujral, brilliant as the ex-gold-medalist-now-housewife r,ole showing her hesitations as a typical Indian woman and Sarah Dias's superb restraint acting towards the end of the movie. Sandhya Mridul was a little over the top, still good, Anushka was good at times, never bad and the rest were also good, if not great.

Watch the movie just because of the acting, timing and mainly the way the director has beautifully set up the screenplay. I fast forwarded the Salman starrer super predictable Sultan in 1.15 hours, couldn't complete the hamming of the legendary AB in Te3n and Piku, but I was able to watch this movie in one go. If you are getting my drift, you will enjoy the movie.

It is a must watch for every urban man and woman of the age group of 20 to 50. Forget the theme, just enjoy the movie and make sure your kids are not nearby.

Hats off to the new generation of Indian women and to the director

Enchanting and powerful!

[Hillchaser · 8/10 · 2 November 2017]

As a foreigner, coming from a country with a very high degree of gender equality, I am not native to the realities portrayed in this film, nor have I watched many Bollywood movies. Yet it is my opinion that the film in an emotionally moving and very aesthetically pleasing way,through captivating music and great cinematography, raises the important themes of women equality, emancipation and the hardship of discrimination in today's India. From the ease of the intimate dialogue among the varied women, the viewers are allowed to experience the challenges first hand, in the voice of the characters themselves. The viewer is included, almost as if he is sitting there beside them as they laugh, quarrel, debate, cry and grief ...

I loved this movie and I still listen to the songs: the "Dil dola re"is very catchy and energetic, while the "Zindagi" ("life") is profound in all its beauty and tenderness (look them up at Youtube). If you're new to Bollywood movies this seems like a good place to start, while at the same time you are exposed to a very important theme in contemporary Indian society.

Uplifting and Inspiring

[Jini-B · 7/10 · 18 December 2018]

There are movies that are pitched as being Feminist but preach all the wrong ideas, corrupting the progress of the actual movement. There are movies that try to inspire but make a mess of it in the end. And then there are movies like this one- talking about the right things, using the right analogies, and not mincing words while they are at it. The first half of the movie was a buddy movie- women from different parts of the country coming to Goa to be a part of their friend's wedding. These women occupy different social benchmarks, fulfill different roles in their respective positions and it is the diversity in the characters that push the movie forward. The diversity is not in their socioeconomic status or in their behavior- the main difference lies in the way they view the world. Some of these women are forward-thinkers while some ascribe to different notions about womanhood and the conversations between these women bring out a lot of positivity and understanding- serving as an example of how different backgrounds can meld together and create a beautiful congress of thoughts and ideas.

The second half takes on a different tone. The plot is darker and there are complex issues to be dealt with. The movie tries to talk about a lot of different things at the same time and at times it felt like it was going to be a hotchpotch of widely-varying topics. Thankfully, the director and the cast bring things together effectively, making it a remarkable package. The moral of the story was truly beautiful and I hope would serve to inspire people to broaden their horizons and stand up for what is right.

A beautiful movie. Definitely much better than most commercial films in Bollywood.

A must watch for every Indian male...

[rollingrahul73 · 10/10 · 9 December 2015]

Angry Indian goddesses may be good movie for world cinema but is an important movie for Indian cinema. Though there have been movies showing difficulties faced by females in Indian society none has been so comprehensive.

Almost every other dialogue quips the hypocrisy of Indian mindset. They have been allowed to fly,but, that like a kite with everybody actively controlling their limits. With such different characters, common thread joining them all is anguish against the society venerating and denigrating females at the same time.

Nalin has given another brilliant piece of cinema with strong female characters like the ones we worship. Cinematography is enchanting using the right balance of light and dark.

Only God knows what censor board has been trying to censor when everything is so true...

Do watch this realistic soul searching journey into a woman's life in spite of an avoidable filmy climax and few clichéd insertions.

[bobbysing · 6/10 · 2 August 2016]

Clearing the misconception one might have reading the tag line of the review first, this is not any heavy, off-beat, slow moving artistic film, over indulged in the self-realization of its various characters pointing towards the suppressed woman-power in our Indian society. Instead this is thankfully a pleasant fun loving film that begins on an interesting note and then keeps you engrossed for a major chunk of time till the writer-director fall short of ideas and bow down to a predictable Bollywood kind of ending spoiling the great buildup. However the exceptional USP of the film remains that the fun element here completely belongs to the ladies alone without any major male-bashing, talking more about themselves than the people (or men) around in their individual lives.

As far as story plot goes it doesn't have anything substantial to deal with revolving around a Goan girl inviting her group of old time friends for an undisclosed special occasion, with the entire focus on how they all live those few days revealing, discussing and sharing their individual stories of joy, pain, sorrows and doubts together in a spirited manner. So it begins as a fun time watch with some fine innovative introductions and then the first half turns out to be quite a fresh, light & breezy experience for the viewers, especially the women relating to the proceedings on a more personal level. But sadly as soon as the focus shifts from their individual characters to some unfortunate, shocking happening on a beach party in its second half (forcibly justifying its title with a reference of Goddess KALI), the film starts faltering and you wish they could have found a different culmination maintaining the excellence thoroughly enjoyed in its superb first half.

Having said that ANGRY Indian GODDESSES still deserves to be seen as a must, not only because of the fresh look given by a remarkable camera-work capturing the free-spirited locations of Goa but more importantly for the ladies and their entertaining performances with minimal make up and all natural expressions in their free, effortless conversations on screen (that sadly also get screwed up by the beeps added by our honourable Censor Board as usual). Nevertheless the good news is that at last here we have a film specifically celebrating the womanhood that can easily be called 'A rare female buddy film' surprisingly coming from a male director Pan Nalin, perfectly understanding the subject (talking about the opposite sex) in an amazing, worth-praising manner. No doubt the credit here also goes to the dialogue writer penning some highly relatable lines spoken in the language of our daily vocabulary. But the biggest applause surely has to be for the ladies who do contribute the most in this fun-filled ride that would instantly find a connection with the women audience in particular.

In short here we have a bunch of old time friends, remembering their nostalgic times spent in the college and then sharing the later years fighting their individual battles with the inner and outer world together dealing with the men (and women) in their lives. They complain, tease, laugh, cry and hug each other with love and affection along with mentioning the known atrocities widely practiced against women in our male oriented society. But still don't get into any major male bashing mode unnecessarily, that truly works for the film in totality.

Yes, the film does try to cater too many themes in its limited duration of two hours like career struggle, suicidal tendencies, homosexuality, childlessness, divorce, social outburst against capitalists, rape, comment upon the modern dress code of women, role of police & politicians in tackling gruesome crimes and revenge considered as the last resort by the common man or woman. Yet a pretty balanced handling of the sequences by its thoughtful director doesn't let the film become anything close to a heavily preachy or a message oriented one until its last 20 minutes to be precise. Plus a few experimental kind of tracks (and background score) keeps the fun spirit alive till it all gets down to a highly unoriginal and avoidable climax that certainly should have been given a second thought by the makers rectifying the big mistake.

Anyway, coming to the best feature of the film, i.e. its performances, here we have Sarah Jane Dias as the Goan photographer inviting them all, Rajshri Deshpande as her lonely local maid, Sandhya Mridul - the tough businesswoman having a young daughter , Anushka Manchanda - a disturbed struggling singer, Amrit Maghera - a half British actress trying her luck in Bollywood, Pavleen Gujral - a typical housewife suffering the pain of being a childless wife and Tannishtha Chatterjee - a strong minded social activist along with Adil Hussain playing the uncaring police officer making a last moment entry in the film's lackluster finale.

In all, ANGRY Indian GODDESSES needs to be seen for its collective on screen chemistry between the seven leading ladies performing superbly in their respective roles having a real good time together. Thankfully the film is not interested in making any strong social statement about the plight of an exploited Indian women (as expected by many) and remains more like a DIL CHAHTA HAI or ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA kind of attempt made from the women's perspective giving them the much deserving space and attention on the silver screen like never before. So the soul searching here is more about the individual identities alone and not as a society as a whole that might disappoint a major section of viewers expecting the same.

Hence coming out of that 'routine mode of expectancies', do watch it as a fun filled 'women oriented' film featuring some fabulous natural performances, that could have been a much more enjoyable enriching experience with a different uplifting climax unarguably.

Interesting movie--well, actually two movies

[Red-125 · 9/10 · 11 October 2016]

Angry Indian Goddesses (2015) is an Indian movie co-written and directed by Pan Nalin. In my summary, I wrote "actually two movies." By that I meant that the first three-quarters of the film is a happy "buddy movie" among six intelligent, capable women. Each of them encounters misogyny and sexism in their day-to-day lives. They deal with this negative aspect of their lives in different ways, but none of them can avoid having to deal with it.

One of the women has returned to her home in Goa, the former Portuguese colony. She invites her friends to join her for her wedding. For the next hour-and-a-half the women sing together, dance together, talk together, and sometimes argue. There's a serious conflict between two of them. One is a local activist trying to stop the ecological destruction caused by a factory. The factory is being built by a company whose CEO is another one of the guests. So, it's not all love and laughter, but mostly that's what it is.

After the "first movie" has run its course, the "second movie" begins. This is a serious, terrible part of the film. In retrospect we might have seen it coming, but I didn't expect it. The film takes on a serious documentary-type aspect, and ends with an extremely dramatic scene. You may like or dislike the last half-hour of the film, but you won't forget it.

The actors in this film were all excellent. They played well in ensemble. Also, they are all extremely beautiful. It struck me as unlikely that all the friends would be so attractive. However, that's the decision director Nalin made. Nalin is male. I don't know if a female director would have made the same choice.

The movie will work best on the large screen, because you'll have a better feel for the scenic beauty of the Goan location. However, even if you have to watch it on the small screen, I'd still recommend it.

We saw the film at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre, as part of the outstanding ImageOut LGBT Film Festival. I suggest you seek it out and see it. It's not perfect, but it's still a great movie.

7/10

[wildlife-ptech · 6/10 · 1 December 2017]

Good film despite all the clichés. Really this is a film of two halves. The first two thirds is a female bonding melodrama. This part seems scripted. All the story threads collapse into a high on emotion last third. Somehow it all works. My favorite scene remains the pre credit introduction of all the characters. It promises a great movie. A few other throw away scenes also suggest the ability of the director. Better writing might have helped.

Still watchable.

7/10

I am still in awe with this movie...Remarkable!!!

[AdityaChaphekar · 10/10 · 9 November 2015]

What a delightful film to watch! A must see film for all women because you'll find a connect.. It has been one of the best films screened in the MAMI festival 2015. It has beautiful distinct characters which makes the movie stand out among others. Joanna-the elegant one, Suranjana the angry one, Pam, Mad, and last but not the least Lakshmi. Adil although played a cameo, has done well again. Freida was the most splendid one :) Hats off to the performances guys!!! No doubt I am rating 10/10. Throughout the film, it never occurred to me that its a reel film. Loved the song and the music!!! It is super...Guys go for it. Worth Watching! looking forward for such films more Pan Nalin.Kudos AIG Team!!!

Pathetic

[lediscipledessocrates · 1/10 · 14 July 2016]

The title seemed interesting , so did the promos and the soundtrack. The movie, sadly , turned out to be worse than a damp squib.

The truth actually is that the movie is not so to blame as are the shoddy and laughable notions of "women-lib" that popular culture is trying to promote .

The story is weak and the director fails to create any memorable character in the movie. It is actually unclear why the director chose the settings. The cinematography is mediocre.

The issues raised in the movie are not by any means unique and have been tackled much more sensitively in other films.

As expected the movie indulged in relentless male bashing . There is a scene where the leading ladies actually mimic stalking a guy ( undoubtedly as an expression of freedom).

The film ends like a 90's or 80's bollywood flick , where "the common man" unites to own up responsibility for a murder.

Please, the audience deserves better stuff.

Stupendous| Mix of humor & thrill| Indian women setting free|

[shashankmistry · 9/10 · 3 November 2015]

Well, I was fortunate enough to watch this movie in Mumbai Film Festival which I believe was the first screening in India. The movie portrays the dichotomy as to how the people in India have preconceived notions about women in general and the 21st century women setting itself free from such prevalent credence. The movie begins with friends getting together after a long time for the reason initially unknown and later revealed as woman's bachelors party before Freida gets married. The friends later learn some astounding facts which makes the movie more exhilarating while raising some paramount questions against the prevailing system in India. The movie revolves around the chronicles of each character's personal life and how they forget their individual despairs and banalities while they hang out in Goa. The second half of the movie takes an unanticipated change which takes the recourse of begrudge and retribution. The movie is juxtaposition of humor; Thrill; Resentment among Indian women against the conventional system; Vindication; Courage; Love and Friendship!

D grade move from a D grade movie producing house

[TheNonSmoker · 1/10 · 24 March 2022]

The movie has nothing, no good entertaining content, just kept a provoking name and a cover, to offend a certain section of the society and generate cheap publicity through controversy.

A must watch

[lifezspell · 10/10 · 29 March 2016]

Loved this movie.

It was so apt and to the point. The problems most of the women face irrespective of their family backgrounds, professions and the perk that they get. The way they are treated and judged by others. The difficulty to get the acceptance of who they are and always trying to prove themselves.

The movie was perfect. Great scripting; portraying the actual issues. Amazing actors. Amazing music.

Ladies you need to watch this movie. I'm sure you'd be able to connect at least at one point. And guys you should too. It'll give you an insight of the struggle that the women around you go through.

The best movie of the year 2015 in terms of Storyline and PErformance

[bobby_ganguly · 10/10 · 6 December 2015]

"If you would like to watch just one movie in theater for the year 2015 and haven't watched any yet, then that one movie which you should quickly watch is Angry Indian Goddesses.

This is by far the best flick i have seen in the year 2015, Being a guy i could totally relate with the characters shown in the movie, they could be your Girlfriend, Wife, Cousin, Friends, colleagues, a girl you dislike or feel who is a rotten boss, mother and what not. SO if you are a guy watch this movie to remind yourself that girls are human's as well and if you are a girl then it's a must watch as this flick will remind you that you are no less than any guy and have it in you to deal with this anything in this world.

I believe all the 7 actress in this movie truly deserve the best actress award this year. Be warned the character of Joanna will make you cry and because of her you will seethe with anger and also clap.That said it goes without saying that the other 6 leads in this movie tend to show the world what natural effortless acting is all about. Every character is so real without any hint of overdone gloss and glitter. Hat's of to every actress in this movie.

In less than 124 hours of running time i could Laugh my heart our, felt anger, joy, pain. I mean its truly a feat for the maker's to make such a movie, I really wish it could earn millions like other stupid movies do and this movie should be made a compulsory viewing for especially those people who think woman are lesser life forms.

The only spoil sport are the Censor board who looked like they were given money to mute every normal work like F***? I mean that's how we people generally talk these days and its an Adult movie so give us adults a choice to decide. Its not a semi porn movie which are releasing in Bollywood these days.

Do yourself a favor and go watch this movie in theaters before the so called big budget crap movie take away the few screens allocated for Angry Indian Goddesses.

Refreshing story; must watch for everyone!

[courtney_london · 9/10 · 31 October 2017]

Oh my goodness, this movie was amazing! I recently re-watched the movie via Netflix and still love it. The beginning scene of the movie where you are introduced to the characters and their personalities is perfect, diving into their backstory without having to do flashbacks throughout the movie. Within the first few minutes of the movie you get a sense of the underlying story beyond the main characters. I watched this movie at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) back in 2015 where, I believe, it was still looking for a major film distributor. The movie was so popular that the festival added a 4th screening and it came second for People's Choice Award (almost unheard of for a foreign movie without a major distributor going into the festival). I remember the actors being introduced with the director after the movie and the group seemed to be good friends, which helped with the on screen performance. Interestingly enough, some scenes, especially at the beginning of the movie, were almost entirely improvised and the director just kept the camera rolling (cool right?). What you get is a completely realistic friendship between the actors which helps the audience relate to the story. The story has a very strong feminist plot, but I believe this is an incredibly important story to watch with its relevance in the world today.

I watched this on Netflix trying to find something cool! lol...

[juanmuscle · 10/10 · 20 October 2018]

I laugh at my own jokes that's pretty sad, but I'll tell you what is really sad, the way women get treated over in this country whence the story was told. I don't know where, or what language but it was a very cool tale I was riveted. The end was very very depressing... (spoiler) yeah, what can I say, women's rights is a good thing, people should just be people helping other people in a world full of happy nice people but like in this tale, its not always the case. I like finding out about things in storytime format because the news and arbitrary facts here and there don't really stick with me like identifying to the universalities in story besides storytime is fun. Someone here said the ending was "movie cliched" I don't , I mean it could be but it felt so right, it just fit, I mean everyone stands up all guilty like and we fade out with the lil' girls dark very dark eyes as if we are trying to work together for the betterment of the next generation, no? Watch it and tell me you didn't think the ending was totally cool or just plain fit!

Boldest movie .

[vashisthapiyush · 10/10 · 19 August 2018]

This movie is so damn awesome . First, it is for liberal people out there. We need these kind of cinema not movies like veree di wedding. Great story-telling great music and great performances by each cast especially this girl who played Jo's character man she made me laugh she made me cry.

Don't miss this crucial message of the film

[harikansal · 8/10 · 19 September 2017]

The film is about the problems that women (especially Indian women) face on a day to day basis, just because they are women.

Throughout the film we see their issues weaved into the narrative, and it all climaxes to the sobering message at the end:

"Society, don't wait till we're raped and murdered for you to stand up for us or with us. We are a part of you, society, we are mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins, wives, lovers, family, colleagues, and friends. You worship Devis, the goddesses, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga, but you don't stop and think that maybe the women we see every day deserve some of our respect too."

Beautiful and heartbreaking

[jennymorotskaka · 8/10 · 13 May 2021]

I too am angry. So angry. The way these women express their love towards each other is beautiful, and the anger and unhappiness they express towards their lives and their possibilities to be free in every way is heartbreaking.

We, women all over the world, know this anger and feel that love. It has to be a change coming.

I was very moved by the entire story.

Out of the box film.

[halarkhoso · 8/10 · 31 July 2018]

It's something that you don't usually get to see from indian cinema, hitting the progressive topics and questioning the society's hypocritical attitudes towards woman. Its a worthwhile film.

Good though may not appeal to all

[indianature · 8/10 · 24 November 2017]

I had heard of Angry Indian Goddesses and meant to watch it earlier but never got the chance, then I forgot about it.

Last night it screened on Tata Sky's Film Fest TV channel so I watched it.

The story is about a group of women, most of them old friends. The film is set in the house of one of the girls in Goa where they all meet up for her forthcoming wedding. The plot touches on the lives of these girls, their relationships and so forth - for the first part. This does drag slightly in parts and could have been shorter, though the acting, cinematography etc. is superb.

The film takes a macabre turn when on the eve of the wedding, one of the girls is brutally murdered. The movie concludes with the events that transpire thereafter.

The plot may not appeal to all viewers. I thought it was a good film and worth watching

Films that you need

[mayankmalviya · 9/10 · 16 March 2020]

I loved the premise of the film, it could have gone anywhere from there, and they have actually gone somewhere you don't expect them too, that's what makes the film intresting. This films deals with lot of issues with a very subtle tone until it becomes dark just like it needs to be. Screenplay is fast. Performances are good. Pan Nalin did a good job.

this is how you do it

[loobeyloo · 8/10 · 26 July 2020]

Now this is how you tell a gay story. a randomly assorted group of young Indian women staying over at their mutual friends' place in Goa for a week, all at different stages in life with vastly different personalities. Having a real vibrant time with each other, basking in feminine energy... partying together, genuinely supporting each other, sharing their struggles in romance, at work.... AND THERE'S A BIG LESBIAN PLOT IN THE CENTRE. To top it off, there's a strong, empowering, Indian, feminist, anti-rape culture vein running through it. It's also funny, and genuinely engaging. nah this is really how you do it guys. perfect balance.

Most feminist bollywood movie of all time

[Snowflakes-43475 · 10/10 · 3 March 2023]

The best feminist movie of bollywood of all time. This movie touches some very serious and important issues of our society like feminism, homophobia, etc. I personally could relate to the characters a lot. First time I got to see beautiful dark indian actresses in prominent roles showing the true Indian beauty. I seriously loved the ending of the movie. This movie also highlights the incapability of our justice system. Our society and justice system has a very long way to go. These type of movies are really needed in bollywood. Each character has an interesting backstory showing their struggles in establishing their worth in the society.