Kollyowood’s singing grannies have faded

Slick creations rooted in realism or based on tales of

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oppression from young, tech savvy directors have changed Tamil cinema beyond recognition. No longer do you get to watch films based on rural life, steeped in nativity and Tamil culture and dominated by grannies who sang, danced or fought their way into viewers’ hearts.

Whether it was Paravai Munniyamma, whose recent passing signalled the end of an era, or Kollangudi Karuppayi, who was a regular fixture in the 1980s and the 1990s beginning with Pandiarajan’s ‘Aan Paavam’, these effervescent women, most of them folk artists, breathed life into every film they starred in – combining innocence, energy and naughtiness effortlessly. Karuppayi last came to the limelight in 2019 when her lament about not being able to cast her vote in the elections of the Nadigar Sangam, embroiled in legal tangles, grabbed public attention.


There have been many who dallied with village-based themes, but it was probably P Bharathiraja who had the biggest role in highlighting the roles of these women - their behaviour, their speech, their attire in perfect sync. When Ganthimathi in Bharatiraja’s ‘Mann Vasanai’ (1983) uttered the non-lexical “chithada kalli viragu odaika ponalam kathala mullu kothoda kuthidichan” (A lazy girl forced to chop firewood may complain she has been poked by a bunch of aloe vera thorns). The dedication with which directors introduced such characters made them last decades, their complex mix of honesty, brutality and ugliness taking the audience along.

When offered a role opposite thespian Sivaji Ganesan in Bharathiraja’s 1985 flick ‘Muthal Mariyathai,’ Vadivukkarasi, as she later mentioned, imagined her role would be akin to K R Vijaya’s in ‘Thanga Pathakkam’ (1974). The role of ‘Ponnatha’ that she ultimately got, in her own words, was a rude shock, but the actor’s portrayal of the woman with elongated earlobes and unkempt habits remains unforgettable. Vadivukkarasi considers it one of her best ever.

Filmmaker and writer Amshan Kumar wonders how folk artists or village-based themes can remain relevant when music itself is being slowly phased out, but believes this phase too shall pass. “For years, our movies depended on songs. There will be a time when scripts reinvent themselves and the grand old ladies will get back their rightful place. How can one forget the contribution of K B Sundarambal? An acceptable format to cater to mainstream audience imbibing our culture is bound to happen when the transition takes place,” he says.

Kumar, who won a national award for his documentary ‘Yazhpanan Thedchanamoorthy,’ says caste-based scripts are presently ruling Kollywood, but cautions that no medium can survive on a single topic. The need to adopt old formulas mixed with modern ideas is imperative for art to survive, he adds. “I must say this period is a lull for grand old ladies but there will be opportunities spread across various spectrums in.”

Patience of the audience is limited, says Blue Ocean Film and Television Academy (BOFTA) dean G Dhananjayan. “When movies are sometimes made with just four characters, how do we create such characters? Often, movies do not run for more than two and half hours. That gives directors little imaginative quotient, making them go for water-tight scripts.” But there is hope, he adds, pointing to actor Keerthy Suresh’s grandmother Saroja whose roles in movies are still talked about.

It was with trepidation that director Dharani introduced Paravai Munniyama in his ‘Dhool’ (2003), not sure if she would fit the bill. The performance she came up with worked wonders for the films as well as Munniyama, who was a big draw for her singing skills in stage programmes.

Munniyama and Karuppayi, says T Dharmaraj, head of the folklore department at Madurai Kamaraj University, were symbols of rural talent in an urban setup. “They were romanticized by directors and that gelled well with the script. With the advent of television, the grand old ladies have taken a beating. The need for such characters has dwindled and the landscape too has changed. Villages are not so remote. So it is quite unlikely that we can revive such characters in today’s context.”

Dhananjayan says the fun part of story-telling seems to have gone. “When we deviate and go beyond the content, we may lose time, which is crucial in today’s moviemaking. Within two hours how much can you show?”


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