Meet the ‘Auto Queens’: This Tamil documentary highlights Chennai’s women auto drivers

“Rowdy Baby, please come forward,” announces Mohana Sundari.

And, Leela Rani takes centrestage.

Leela Rani and Mohana Sundari confidently step on the stage at the Chennai screening of documentary feature, Auto Queens. Even as these two lady auto drivers share their stories, cheering them on among the audience are many other auto drivers in the city along with their families.

These two are the protagonists of Auto Queens, which raises a toast to many a strong-willed woman trying to make a name for themselves in a male-dominated transport sector.

As the camera veers through the busy lanes of Chennai along with the autorickshaws, a story emerges – that of joy and laughter, sandwiched with tales from their own lives. Leela Rani says, “As a lady auto driver, we have been pushed to the brink. We have been abused and taunted, but today, we feel that we have a voice in this society.”

She is referring to the birth and growth of Veera Pengal Munetra Sangam (VPMS). Registered in April 2024, the VPMS aims to ensure better working conditions and monetary benefits for its 600-plus women autodrivers.

The team behind ‘Auto Queens’ at the Chennai premiere of the film

Shot within 16 days in various locations in Chennai, Auto Queens, directed by Sraiyanti for Storiculture, showcases the everyday life of lady auto drivers in the city and the trials they undergo. It was also recently showcased at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), making it the first Tamil short documentary to be screened there. Sraiyanti says about the experience, “The audience loved it and the response was overwhelming. Though they were unfamiliar with the language, they were able to grasp its essence clearly and watch it with deep emotional engagement.”

VPMS, supported by a non-profit organisation called the Alliance for Community Empowerment (ACE), represented by Vijay Gnanaprasad, has been making waves since their inception. Their team members won prizes and hearts at Coop, a competition held at IIM-Kozhikode that promoted cooperative entrepreneurship. More recently, earlier this month, one of its key members and protagonists of Auto Queens, Mohana Sundari, won the Kamla Bhasin Award 2025, awarded to celebrate individuals working to challenge patriarchy and promote gender justice; she is the first winner from Tamil Nadu to bag this prestigious honour. Mohana says, “The film battles for equality. We (VPMS) should be an inspiration for women, especially in those transport sector, all across India.”