India, July 8 -- One complaint that often comes up in Telugu cinema is the representation of women. The discourse last month around Janhvi Kapoor's objectification in Peddi was deafening. Samantha Ruth Prabhu's action-driven Maa Inti Bangaaram, which released in the middle of that storm, only put it into sharper focus with the contrast. But this conversation is nothing new.

While Maa Inti Bangaaram isn't the norm but an exception in Telugu cinema these days, director Nandini Reddy says change in the industry will come only when it first reaches the audience. She also says her film's box-office performance is a reminder to Tollywood that women-led films work.

When I ask Nandini where the change needs to come from to better represent wome...