‘Wonder Women’ movie review: Anjali Menon charts a heartwarming story of sisterhood

Starring the likes of Nadiya Moidu, Nithya Menen and Parvathy Thiruvothu among others, the film tells the universal story of a sisterhood born on the journey to motherhood

Anjali Menon’s Wonder Women, the story of a group of women at a prenatal class, will leave you feeling warm. It is an honest, refreshing and ‘unfilmy’ take on a woman’s pregnancy whether planned, unplanned, unwanted, or assisted. Each woman has her backstory, and their feelings about pregnancy range from joy and hope, to anxiety and ambivalence even — all those feelings that many new and expecting mothers/parents feel. Menon effortlessly normalises that mixed bag of complicated emotions and we don’t need to take sides.  

It is as much a story of sisterhood as the journey to motherhood, the kind that extends beyond the biological definition of a mother; after all, not all mothers give birth. So there is Nandita (Nadiya Moidu) who runs Sumana, the prenatal centre, who, for the duration of the classes is a kind of ‘mother’ to the six pregnant women attending the classes. The ‘classmates’ are Krishnaveni, Nora, Jaya, Saya, and Mini, essayed by Padmapriya Janakiraman, Nithya Menen, Amruta Subhash, Sayanora Philip and Parvathy Thiruvothu respectively. The sixth woman is Gracy, Nandita’s help, portrayed by Archana Padmini.    

They bond over yoga sessions, a WhatsApp group [called, no surprises… Wonder Women], gossip, and photographs of ideal positions to give birth in and make their way to friendship despite their varied backgrounds. Menon conveys things only a woman would know; the conversations, the conspiratorial giggling, and the exchanged looks between women friends. 

Menon has picked a powerhouse of talent to people her story. Padmapriya and Nithya Menen as Veni and Nora, two effervescent women looking forward to their first babies; Marathi/Hindi actor Amruta as Jaya who has conceived after three miscarriages and is terrified of yet another loss; Archana Padmini as the shy but ambitious-for-her-kids Gracy who is expecting her second child; Sayanora as the free-spirited Saya who demands space from her ‘over-supportive’ boyfriend; and Parvathy, as Mini a single mother with no support, angry and lonely — the casting is apt and the women relatable. Nadiya Moidu as the prenatal coach is restrained — be it playing peacemaker when disagreements rise or when there is a personal crisis.  

Parvathy’s understated performance as Mini brings a lump to the throat, especially the scene where she buys food she craves and eats alone in a cafe. In the context of Indian families, food cravings and pregnancy are a big deal, and this scene reinforces the character’s loneliness ever so subtly.      

Menon’s stories have always been layered, making you laugh while tugging at the heartstrings be it Ustad Hotel, Bangalore Days, Manjadikkuru or Koode. It would have been tempting — given the subject — to get carried away, but she reins herself in and keeps the narrative taut at an hour-and-a-half.

Motherhood is a recurring motif. Some characters introspect on their relationship with their mothers, Veni talks of arguing with her mother, while Nora says she would have to make an appointment to speak to her busy mother. For Mini, seeing her grandmother thaws her coldness and exposes her vulnerability, and Veni’s critical mother-in-law eventually becomes her ally and thereby a mother of sorts.