Biriyani, screened at the 11th Indian Film Festival, Bhubaneshwar, is a stark reminder of the relative, and absolute position of a woman, within the Muslim samajam, society in Kerala today.
In the Indian imagination, an ‘Aunty’ is a middle-aged, usually fat woman who is married and has children. Young women, especially unmarried ones, either do not want to associate with the term or are expected to steer clear of it.
In Biriyaani, Kani Kusruti plays the character of Khadeeja, who is in a loveless marriage with an older man and is battling the stigma around the identity of a Muslim woman in India.
Amol Palekar's movie Anaahat (2003), a Marathi film (Anaahat means Eternity), poses several questions about Niyog Pratha and emphasises on a woman's choice to explore her sexual freedom.