In the landscape of contemporary Malayalam cinema, Victoria emerges as a poignant and thoughtful exploration of a woman's inner world. Directed by Sivaranjini J and released on November 28, 2025, this 85-minute drama follows a young beautician on a day that forces her to confront the pressures of tradition and personal desire.
A Day of Reckoning in a Beauty Parlour
The film unfolds almost entirely within the confines of a beauty parlour, a space that becomes a microcosm of Victoria's life. On a crucial day, Victoria, played with remarkable restraint by Meenakshi Jayan, decides to elope with her Hindu boyfriend following a violent confrontation with her conservative Catholic parents. This act of rebellion is complicated by the arrival of an uninvited guest: a restless rooster destined for sacrifice at a church festival.
The rooster, initially a minor inconvenience, gradually gathers symbolic weight. Its presence, watchful and confined, mirrors Victoria's own condition—trapped and expected to surrender to the demands of faith, family, and community honour. The film cleverly uses this parallel to ask a profound question: what does liberation mean when every available path is shaped by someone else's authority?
Between Two Forms of Control
On the surface, Victoria tells a story of escape, but its heart lies in the emotional tension of a woman caught between two forms of control. The family she is trying to leave behind and the relationship she hopes will be her salvation both exert their own pressures, complicating her quest for autonomy.
The film's fragmented structure, set against the routine interruptions of clients and neighbours, mirrors Victoria's spiralling indecision. While this stylistic choice does not always achieve complete emotional clarity, it significantly carves out space for the confusion and hesitation that often shape women's lives, emotions rarely portrayed without judgment.
An Unchallenged Ritual
A striking aspect of the narrative is its treatment of the ritual sacrifice. The film invokes the legend of St. George and the centuries-old practice at Edapally Church in Kochi where hens are offered in gratitude. However, while the film critically probes the patriarchal pressures on Victoria, it offers no critique or empathy for the rooster's fate. This absence creates a poignant, unspoken tension about whose life matters and why certain traditions remain beyond questioning.
The supporting cast, including Sreeshma Chandran, Jolly Chirayath, and Darsana Vikas, add layers to the world Victoria inhabits. Produced by Anand Pandit, the film is not without its technical flaws, including uneven framing and abrupt tonal shifts. Yet, these imperfections somehow resonate with the structural challenges women filmmakers often face—constrained budgets and compressed schedules—adding a layer of sincerity to the project.
A Significant, Earnest Endeavour
Despite its inconsistencies, Victoria is a significant and earnest film. It refuses to reduce its protagonist to helplessness, instead presenting her interior world with curiosity and complexity. Meenakshi Jayan's lived-in performance anchors the film, making Victoria's quiet turmoil deeply relatable.
Rated 3.5 by both critics and users on The Times of India, Victoria may not provide easy answers, but it powerfully prompts reflection on who truly owns a woman's choices and how her silences are shaped. It is a definite thumbs up for its ambition, its subject, and the conviction behind its creation, deserving of a thoughtful conversation.
