Anjali Menon hires an incredible ensemble of actors for Wonder Women, a film that attempts to perceive the pregnancy phase a little differently. Some pregnant women from various walks of life have gathered at Sumana, a pregnancy care center run by Nandita (Nadiya Moidu) to address their feelings, anxieties, and struggles. It's a pertinent, poignant theme, of course, and in the able, feel-good hands of Anjali Menon. But at just 75 minutes, the film lacks a definite flow to it. Scenes are simply stitched together without connective tissue, and it's just the warm performances that keep it afloat. Nithya Menen and Padmapriya look dashing and offer some solace in a largely inept and cursory screenplay.
Parvathy Thiruvothu felt wasted in an emotionless role which probably could have been impactful in a longer film. Amruta Subhash puts up a good act, but the predictable writing renders her a mere unifying device in the rushed climax. Nadiya Moidu is lovely, and I wish her character too had better emotional payoffs. The men are conceived more kindly through Menon's eyes, and while that's a breath of fresh air, they end up being mostly inconsequential and forgettable, with generic problems and generic solutions. Noone's questioning the intent of hope yet it's hard to see why a writer like Anjali Menon chose this specific storytelling style for this subject. Govind Vasantha's music and Manesh Madhavan's cinematography also don't do much to elevate the film.
