#BeyondDamsels: Tamil cinema grows up in its portrayal of women in power

While Tamil cinema has featured women in positions of power as early as 1969, like Sowcar Janaki’s turn as a collector in Iru Kodugal, it’s only in recent times that we have been getting female characters who get to showcase the power of their positions. From Nayanthara’s righteous civil servant in Aramm (2017) to Kangana Ranaut’s and Ramya Krishnan’s portrayal of J Jayalalithaa, the industry has now got a handful of memorable powerful female leads.

‘Even fictional female characters have similarities to Jayalalithaa’

There have already been two biopics on Jayalalithaa in the last few years—Thalaivii and Queen (web series). On the former TN Chief Minister’s unwavering appeal, Thalaivii’s writer Ajayan Bala says, “When we look at fictional female characters who are politicians in Tamil cinema, we can find similarities to Jayalalithaa in many of them. Even if we take aside the political aspect, this is the story of a woman who succeeded in a male-dominated world.” He adds, “It is hard to imagine such a character and a story even if we are creating them in a fictional space. Such have been the experiences that she had faced throughout her life.”

“Rarely has a woman in a powerful position been the main character in a film in Tamil cinema,” says G Dhananjayan, film historian and producer. Historically, women with career aspirations have been boxed into one-note villainesses or props in the hero’s world. In Aani Ver (1981), Arukkani played by Saritha, even forgoes her job as a collector to be a ‘dutiful wife’. But it’s safe to say that our cinema has grown a lot from those painfully regressive portrayals of women. Case in point: Nayanthara in Aramm. A few of our creators, who have created formidable women in power, opened up to us about their thoughts on our cinema’s portrayal of such strong-willed women...

‘Even with grey characters, we have to portray their passion’

Trisha in Kodi and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar in Sark ar are among the few occasions when a big-hero film features a powerful female character with political aspirations. Kodi’s director, RS Durai Senthilkumar, feels that the hero also plays a role in this happening. He shares, “Rather than just showcasing Trisha’s character Rudra as an antagonist, we also put forth her perspective. For this to happen, the hero of a film, like Dhanush in Kodi, should be willing to give the actress the same standing as him in the story.” He adds, “Rudra can go to any length to get what she wants. Even though she was a grey character, I felt it was necessary to portray the passion that she had within her.”

‘How a male writer creates a woman depends on his perception of them’

Nayanthara’s character Madhivadhani in Aramm is a nononsense district collector without the usual cliches of a romantic interest or a family to take care of. About the characterisation, the film’s director Gopi Nainar says, “When a man creates a female character, how she is portrayed will depend on how that man wants to perceive a woman. As a man who has studied Marx, Lenin, Ambedkar, and Periyar, this is how I perceive a woman.” He adds, “I had initially approached many male actors for the lead role in Aramm, but none of them were interested. Some even told me that the film seemed more like a documentary to them.” Gopi informs that after Nayanthara came on board, no changes were made to the role just because it was going to be portrayed by a woman.

‘In Rajneeti, Katrina’s character contests elections after her family decides for her’Anjum Rajabali, who wrote Rajneeti (2010), says, “After we began writing the film, we gradually veered towards the Mahabharat narrative. Both Prakash Jha and I were quite clear that Indu – Katrina’s character resembling Draupadi – would eventually rise to power. As in most real-life cases, Katrina’s character contests elections after her family decides for her.”
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