With glam diva Kajal Aggarwal essaying a tough cop role in her maiden female-centric film 'Satyabhama,' she is bound to give a fillip to reeling lady-oriented films in Tollywood. She went in for a makeover to don khakis for the first time in her career and is all set to showcase her fiery side in a subtle but impactful manner in her upcoming film. "When she instantly gave her nod for our female-centric film, we had a pleasant surprise," says Tikka Mohan, producer of 'Satyabhama,' and felt that she was apt for this author-backed role. "She proved her mettle with lover girl roles and performance-centric roles but has turned into a fiery cop in our film. Her look and intense performance will enthrall her huge fan following besides reviving women-centric movies," he adds.
New sensation Rashmika Mandanna, who shared screen space with big stars like Mahesh Babu and Allu Arjun, has now resolved to do solo-heroine films like 'Rainbow' and 'The Girlfriend' and joins the elite list of Anushka (Bhagmathie), Samantha (Yashoda), Tapsee (Anando Brahma), Keethy Suresh (Mahanati and a new thriller) and Anjali ('Geetanjali') who carried films on their shoulders and spun box office magic.
"No doubt, some actresses have become crowd-pullers these days. But the hero count is much higher in comparison. However, women play important roles in our lives, but on screen, their roles are limited, so more lady-oriented films will showcase women's perspective much better,' says producer Lagadapati Sridhar.
Regarding author-backed roles, actress Payal Rajput, looking forward to her upcoming film 'Mangalavaram,' says, 'I'm playing a very important role and it is quite challenging. Other characters carry the film forward, but I enjoyed many moments in the film where the spotlight is on me. Such roles allow us to showcase our versatility, which is otherwise restricted in other movies," she informs.
Giving a director's perspective on this emerging trend, director Hemanth Madhukar, who made 'Nishabdam' with Anushka Shetty, says, "If we cast a heroine as the protagonist, we can bring out varied emotions through their performances, unlike a hero-centric movie, where directors are restricted to just depict action and romance. Of course, many heroines want to jump into the lady-centric bandwagon, but only a handful are able to make a mark," he says and adds, "I am readying an exciting script for an actress and will soon announce a women-oriented movie because it is challenging for every director to attempt this genre," he concludes.
