Two Bollywood films featuring trained female assassins as protagonists from the opening frame hit theatres today, July 3. Shiv Rawail's 'Alpha' stars Alia Bhatt and Sharvari as government-trained assassins equipped with elite technology, while Nachiket Samant's 'Baby Do Die Do' presents Huma Qureshi as a deaf-mute killer shaped by her father in a cramped, poor neighbourhood. Both films abandon the genre's traditional concealment of female killers.
Shift from Past Conventions
Earlier Bollywood films often hid the female killer's identity until the climax. In 'Kaun' (1999), Urmila Matondkar's character is revealed as the killer only in the final stretch. 'Kahaani' (2012) saw Vidya Balan's character disguised as a helpless widow throughout, orchestrating the hunt for her husband's killers. 'Alpha' and 'Baby Do Die Do' present women as killers from the first scene, with no misdirection.
Details of the Films
'Alpha' follows two government-trained assassins with professional handlers and advanced technology. 'Baby Do Die Do', produced by Saqib Saleem, also stars Sikandar Kher and Chunky Pandey. It is billed as a crime thriller with dark comedy, offering a rougher, grounded take on the premise. The trailer for 'Alpha' released on June 17, followed by 'Baby Do Die Do' on June 22.
According to the films' promotional materials, this dual release marks a significant shift for Bollywood, which has been building toward this archetype for years. The genre's earlier instinct was to hide violence behind a reveal, but these films commit to showing women as killers outright.
