The year 2016 was regarded as one of the worst in recent history due to the number of hate crimes and acts of terrorism that happened all around the world. However, there were a few good things that came out too. According to a study by The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, a record number of Hollywood films with female protagonists were made during the year. The study suggests that of 100 top grossers, about 29 per cent of the films including Arrival and Hidden Figures had female protagonists. And when you strike a parallel with Indian cinema, we too have churned out blockbusters with lead female characters like Pink and Parched. If you further zoom into Kodambakkam, films like Iraivi, Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum, Irudhi Suttru, and Ammani ruled the roost. DC asks actors and directors from K’town if things have really changed for good, or if it is just a short-lived trend.
Actress Viji Chandrasekar, who was lauded for her film Aarohanam, says, “Earlier, there used to be a lot of such films with females playing the lead like Achamilai Achamilai, Thaneer Thaneer, etc., but for some reason, such movies stopped. However, recently, things are definitely getting better, not because the filmmakers have changed but because the mindset of people has gone through a paradigm shift. They don’t take nonsense anymore. I am really lucky and happy to have played the part in Arohanam and Madhayanai Kootam.”
Actress Sshivada, who made a mark with her commendable performance in the film Adhey Kangal, says the changes are real and that it is just the beginning —
“The changes are not like a trend, I’m sure. There is a gradual increase in the number of female-centric films. Like how we have male superstars like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan — down the line, I would like to see female superstars as well (laughs).”
On the other hand, there is a long road ahead, and it will take a really long time to see the much-needed change, says Janaki Vishwanathan, director of films like Kutty and Devadasi. “Forget about female-centric roles, I would like to see our mainstream cinema portray women in a dignified way first. That’s far more important than talking about women-centric films. I don’t mind even if the film is male-centric, but the female characters in the film should not be belittled, as is being done now. In an attempt to glorify the hero, women are shown as vulnerable, defenceless, and shown as someone who need the hero’s protection. These are things that should stop before we talk about women-centric films,” she asserts.
Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, director of Nil Battey Sannata and Amma Kanaku, says there is a need for a change in the way we look at women-centric films. “As a country, we have been having woman oriented films for a very long time. Otherwise, films like Mother India in Hindi or Balachander’s films, which were mostly women-centric, would have never happened. Such films need not just be about women, it can be a normal love story, where a male lead plays the supporting role, instead of the other way around.”
Actor Rahman, who played the lead in 36 Vayathinile, echoes the same, “The audiences have changed, the problem is only with the filmmakers. Now, the severe obsession with big budget films is the issue. Producers who cared about scripts are long gone. Currently, it is a matter of making big-budget films with big heroes to enter the ‘biggies league’. So, when it comes down to making a film, no one cares about what the script really demands.”
