On the occasion of International Women’s Day we wish all our women readers greetings of the season. While we appreciate those who have the biggest influence on our lives we also look at how they are in the biggest influencing medium today. Kollywood had a long tradition of worshipping women in cinema but lately life has changed.
Unlike our neigbouring Malayalam cinema which is popular and also critically acclaimed for women centric films, Tamil cinema was never an attention grabbing entity when it comes to women centricity. This is the case right from the silent era. One reason for our immediate neighbor Malayalam cinema making films of women may be because the Malayalam society is principally matriarchal. Another reason could be that many leading lights of Malayalam literature like M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Thoppil Bhasi, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai etc. were and are actively involved in cinema and novels are habitually made into films there.
Unfortunately Tamil cinema has none of the above advantages. In our society we mostly - if not always – regard women submissive to men. This attitude is reflected in cinema even in 2011. And when it comes to literature, our film makers think novels are for reading only.
There were occasional barrier breakers like novelists Lakshmi, Anuradha Ramanan and Sivasankari. Films like Iruvar Ullam, Sirai, Avan Aval Athu had strong female characters and they were box office hits too. But they were occasional sparklers. If in Tamil cinema we had few women centric a film then that was mostly an effect of follow the herd syndrome. If a ‘Vidhi’ made a sensation, the producers were outside Sujatha’s house with blank cheques. If a ‘Sirai’ stirs up the market then they all went after Lakshmi.
However the inclination of making heroine oriented films was alive until the end of eighties. There were superstars who were willing to give more space to his heroine for the sake of the film. Sivaji in many films and even the Godly MGR did accept to do films in which the heroine is either equal or more to him. ‘Adimaipenn’ and ‘Raman Thediya Seethai’ are just two examples.
Also then there were revered actresses who commanded respect on their own merits. It is almost impossible to have films like ‘Annai’, ‘Pasamalar’, ‘Chithi’ or ‘Kai Kodutha Deivam’ made with actresses of today. Bhanumathy, Savithri, Padmini and KR Vijaya encouraged directors to challenge them with author backed roles.
In the later period, director K. Balachandar made many films portraying women as individuals with an ability to think and act intelligently. His heroines in most of his films were strong and influential. Perhaps he is the only director who consistently believed in women power. But or that he had terrific actresses like Sujatha and Saritha to realize his dreams. Particularly Saritha was the first choice of directors with a women centric script in the 80s.
Sujatha and Lakshmi have also done memorable films. ‘ Aval Oru Thodarkathai’, ‘Mayangukiral Oru Madhu’, ‘Annakili’, ‘Sila Nerangalin Sila Manithargal’ were effects of the directors’ movement and not a reflection of any fashion of the time. Even in the 80s, Sujatha and Lakshmi ruled for some time after ‘Vidhi’ and ‘Sirai’ respectively.
Like Sivaji and MGR, the following generation super stars Kamal and Rajini too were part of woman important films. ‘Mannan’ and ‘Chandramuki’ are two films of Rajini in which the heroines scored more than him and he let them it. So the heroes can’t be out rightly blamed.
It is also to be noted that before the 90s, even the so called glamour babes and most wanted heroines like Sri Priya and Sridevi longed for strong and powerful roles and they used to get them. When they did landmark heroine oriented films like ‘Aval Appadithan’ and ‘Moontram Pirai’ they were the top two saleable actresses.
There was also a brief period when actresses like Revathi and Nadiya commanded the same respect that is given to heroes. In fact after a long time films were sold using the heroines’ names. Radha and Ambika too made strong impacts with films like ‘Mudhal Mariyadhai, ‘Naan Paadum Paadal’ etc. but our script writers failed to seize the opportunity.
With globalaisation entering India in the 90s, cinema became a use and throw commodity from a valuable hobby remembered for life. In an already male chauvinistic cinema, women further lost ground. They built a temple for Khusboo but didn’t give her films to perform.
Soon actresses were imports from non Tamil lands and the girl power was lost. Simran ad Jyothika, the new millennium Tamil actresses could not imbibe Tamil culture for their films. In their career spanning a decade and a half they haven’t done fifteen films with strong women characters celebrating the spirit of the independent woman.
The women directors who made inroads too have not done many women oriented films. Director Madhumitha who started with ‘Vallamai Thaaraayo’ changed gear for her next film ‘Kola Kolaya Mundirikka’. Revathi Krishna failed miserably in ‘June R’ in spite of having marvelous actresses Saritha and Jyothika. Sudha K Prasad debuted with an action film ‘Drohi’. Priya is content with general interest films like Kanda Naal Muthal and Kannampoochi Enada. Nandhini JS debuted with a comedy ‘Thiru Thiru, Thuru Thuru’. We don’t see anything wrong in this. But they could have made a few.
What Kollwood could not do Bollywood is doing in style. Very recent films like ‘No One Killed Jessica’, ‘Mirch, ‘Turning 30 and ‘7 Khoon Maaf’ surely add a few feathers to its cap.
Today it may be difficult in Kollywood to write a heroine-centric movie story and portray unconventional female characters with only Tapsees and Hansika Motwanis, Anushkas and Genelias around. But if a Bharathiraja can do wonders with Radha we’re sure our new age directors too will have some ideas.
There is always hope. Happy Women’s Day.
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