Auto Queens
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AUTO QUEENS
ஆட்டோ குயின்ஸ்

A film by Sraiyanti with Mohana & Leela Rani
India | 2025 | Creative Documentary | 30' | Tamil
Produced by Storiculture

Earthbound
Earthbound
Earthbound
Synopsis

Mohana, the visionary president of Tamil Nadu’s first women-led auto-rickshaw union, shoulders the exhilarating and daunting task of building something that has never existed before. What begins as a dream of dignity and access soon reveals its true cost: leadership, risk, and the weight of carrying many futures at once.

At her side is Leela Rani - fellow driver, confidante, and counterforce - whose fiery, unyielding spirit collides with Mohana’s quiet resolve. Together, they navigate the systemic discrimination of a deeply male-dominated profession.

Despite their differing approaches to daily injustices, their bond remains an unshakeable force. In their wake, a growing network of women drivers begin to take shape, each drawn by the promise of equal opportunity and the possibility of something larger than themselves.

On the bustling streets of Chennai, their daily negotiations for space build into a quiet mobility revolution fueled by grit, the enduring power of sisterhood, and collective strength.

Trailer Preview

THE TRAILER

Mohana

MOHANA

Mohana has the uncanny ability to turn the longest, most winding thought into a crisp sentence in under a minute.

President, Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam – Tamil Nadu's first women-led auto drivers' union. In 2025, she was recognised by WRI India for her leadership in transforming Chennai's streets.

Leela Rani

Leela Rani gives the best hugs if you're in her good books and the deadliest stares if you get her upset.

Among the first women in Chennai to train as an auto driver, and one of the senior-most members of Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam.

LEELA RANI

A note from the
Filmmaker

Director
Autorickshaws — or “autos,” as they’re known in India — are a familiar sight across South Asia. In Chennai, these yellow-and-black three-wheelers weave through traffic, their drivers as quick to navigate congestion as they are to negotiate a fare. But women behind the wheel remain a rarity, still treated as spectacle, something to be stared at, admired, or ridiculed.The 370 women of the Veerapengal Munnetra Sangam (VPMS), Tamil Nadu’s first women-led auto-rickshaw union, defy that gaze every day. I first met them in April 2024, through Storiculture’s Auto Queens campaign, and was struck by their pride and determination to be seen as equals on the road.
IDFA

Official Selection – IDFA 2025
Competition for Short Documentary

Network

Participated at The Good Media Lab &
Pitch by The Good Media Network

Omidyar Network

Supported by Omidyar Network India
Equal Opportunities Lab

In the Press

request epk

RIDE WITH US

Host a Screening

Credits:

STORICULTURE PRESENTS AN EARTHBOUND ORIGINAL IN ASSOCIATION WITH VEERA PENGAL MUNNETRA SANGAM ECTE FOUNDATION A NOISE PICTURES & BAAKI PICTURES PRODUCTION "AUTO QUEENS" DIRECTED BY SRAIYANTI WITH MOHANA & LEELA RANI PRODUCERS MATHIVANAN RAJENDRAN SRUTI LODHA SARABHI RAVICHANDRAN SHILPA KUMAR EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ANIL ARJUN DEEPA TRACY VIJAY GNANAPRASAD CINEMATOGRAPHY PREM AKKATTU EDITED BY SRAIYANTI SOUND DESIGN RAGHAV RAMESH – SAB STUDIOS COLORIST ADHITHYA KRISHNAN – PROMOWORKS SOUND RECORDIST PUTHIRA BALAN