Female directors are a rare commodity in the Indian film industry despite the success of women artists in front of the camera.

But a soul-stirring film by actor-cum-filmmaker Revathy -- "Phir Milenge" -- that released Friday and follows an out-an-out commercial hit by choreographer-cum-filmmaker Farah Khan -- "Main Hoon Na" -- could well usher in a sea change in attitudes towards women filmmakers.

"Phir Milenge", starring Shilpa Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan and Salman Khan (in a cameo), is a film that not only deftly handles a sensitive issue like HIV/AIDS but also appraises the situation through a woman's point of view. Glowing reviews for the film have adjudged Revathy's craft to be at par with the best in Indian cinema.

The film's protagonist Tamanna, essayed beautifully by Shilpa Shetty, is a well-sketched character of a regular Indian urban woman (not one who is playing out male fantasies) who contracts the AIDS virus. Her struggle against social stigmatisation with the help of a cynic-turned-supporter, lawyer Tarun (Abhishek Bachchan), makes this a story about the triumph of human spirit.

Onscreen, women have been calling the shots with even newcomers managing better box-office initials than established male stars. But the failure of recent films by women directors, like Pooja Bhatt's "Paap" and Aruna Raje's "Tum", had put a question mark on the feminine presence behind the camera.

In the world's biggest film industry, the number of women filmmakers in mainstream cinema can be counted on the fingers of one hand. A case in point is when Pritish Nandy pulled out of producing Aparna Sen's "Gulel" and Saif Ali Khan backed out of the project, despite the success of her earlier production "Mr and Mrs Iyer".

With no finances at their disposal, women end up making small films usually based on women's problems. Clearly, audiences do not want to see clichéd women's empowerment films. In "Phir Milenge," Revathy seems to have got the mix just right by not making it an overtly woman-centric film.

If "Phir Milenge" manages to be a commercial success too, Revathy will join the very small clutch of women filmmakers who have stuck it out in mainstream cinema like filmmaker Tanuja Chandra who is ready with her latest movie "Film Star", set within the industry and featuring Mahima Chowdhary in the title role.

"I have continued to make films my way even if I've been accused of not being commercial enough. My films like 'Sangharsh' and 'Dushman' had big stars. But they were as commercial or non-commercial as my later films which didn't feature a Sanjay Dutt, Kajol or Akshay Kumar," says Chandra.

Revathy's success in casting a leading star like Salman Khan is another rarity in Bollywood. Even Kalpana Lajmi, who worked with stars like Raveena Tandon, Shabana Azmi and Dimple Kapadia in the past, had to opt for newcomers in her film "Kyon".

She has been struggling to cast her next two films, a film called "Postman" about the relationship between a prostitute and a postman, and a film on the ULFA terrorists in Assam for which Lajmi wants John Abraham.

Meghna Gulzar, whose directorial debut "Filhaal" was a dud, had to wait a long time before Pritish Nandy Communications agreed to fund her next.