The first look poster of the Malayalam film Victoria, which premiered at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala in the Malayalam Cinema Today category, was unveiled on Tuesday through actor Manju Warrier's social media handles. Headlined by Meenakshi Jayan, the film is written and directed by debutant Sivaranjini J, who received the FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film of a Debut Director at the IFFK last year.
Victoria, which is expected to hit screens later this year, follows the titular protagonist (played by Meenakshi), a young beautician who plans to elope with her Hindu boyfriend after clashing with her strict Catholic parents. Her day takes a chaotic turn when she must care for a neighbour’s festival rooster, manage quirky clients, and confront emotional turmoil that reshapes her perspective. The film also features State Award-winning actor Sreeshma Chandran, Jolly Chirayath, Steeja Mary, Darsana Vikas, Jeena Rajeev, and Remadevi in prominent roles. It is produced by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation under the state government's Women Empowerment Grant.
Victoria has cinematography by Anand Ravi, with cuts handled by Sivaranjini and music composed by Abhaydev Praful. Earlier this year, the film competed in the Asian New Talent at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, where Meenakshi clinched the prestigious Golden Goblet Best Actress honour in the same category. It has since then travelled across the world in various international film festivals.
An excerpt from the CE review of the film reads, "In a cinematic landscape often littered with overt declarations of empowerment, Victoria stands apart. It doesn’t shout about feminism; it embodies it. The film is unapologetically about women, their lives, their spaces and their choices. Men are conspicuous only by their absence, and yet their influence—their expectations, their judgments—lingers like a shadow. This quiet rising, this insistence on carving out a female-centric narrative without resorting to preaching, is what makes Victoria special."
