SOME UNCONVENTIONAL HEROINES IN MOLLYWOOD

 When coming to heroines, Mollywood certainly always has had particular standards. Starting from beautiful eyes to long hair touching the lower back, some things were thought to be mandatory until recently. Even fair skin was there in the list of so called unwritten stereotypes, otherwise called as “Malayali thanima”. Kavya Madhavan and Shobhana to name a few, were always been considered as an ideal Malayali woman.

 New generation revolution in Malayalam cinema visibly changed every aspect of the industry. Now Mollywood became more of a freestyle industry. Thanks to the youth! They began accepting diverse genres and thus became a push to new creative and innovative filmmakers.

 An evolution like this was pivotal in breaking at least some of the heroine stereotypes. Without question, some unconventional heroines have managed to make a space in the mind of Malayali audiences within the span of past few years. Particularly, the cementation of boldness and self-respect as the beauty definition for women is quite commendable.

 Let us take a look into some modern unconventional heroines.

1. Malar- Premam(2015)

 Who would have thought that Malayali audience will love a heroine with pimples? A simple yet bold heroine with no show offs. Loosely tied hair and pimples being her signature, she went on becoming the coolest teacher in the college. Sai Pallavi did an amazing job as Malar .Confidence lies in how one presents themselves and not in mere physical appearance. By the way, her pimples have a separate fanbase.

 Isn’t Malar miss “powerful”?

2. Sarah- Banglore Days(2014)

 Sarah was a fresh breath among the heap of women stereotypes in Malayalam cinema. Although she is physically disabled, she never limits herself. Sarah exudes confidence and willpower. Radiating positivity is of course her job. Kudos to the director brilliance! Sarah is not at all portrayed as a sympathy seeking girl and also at the same time, is very much normalized. Undeniably, she is one of the powerful female presence in the movie despite lacking all the beauty stereotypes. Parvathy Thiruvoth was iconic in this role.

3. The Wife- The Great Indian Kitchen(2021)

 The character being nameless itself is a tight slap to the patriarchal Kerala society. She represents a lot of Malayali women who are emotionally imprisoned in their own homes. The journey of the particular character made most female audiences relatable to her at least at some points.

 Although the wife character is a cliché in the Kerala Society, it is not the same when it comes to the Mollywood screen. It was a film which dared to openly challenge the fake morality of at least some people. Special appreciation must be given to Nimisha Sajayan for her top notch acting. Nimisha always stays in lime light for her readiness to embrace her makeup less look, if the character requires the same.

4. Khadeeja- Biriyaani(2019)

 Khadeeja was added to the list, because she is the crude portrayal of a woman. What the society doesn’t see about women is portrayed through this character. Many things that are still unacceptable to the society are shown in this film. Even if many of the actions of the character cannot be justified, the factors that led to those actions also must be open to social discussion. Kani Kusruti won Kerala State film Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Khadeeja. Khadeeja is called unconventional because, a “khadeeja type character” doesn’t often appear on a film screen.

5. Tessa- Charlie(2015)

 At least some of us wish to be a “Tessa”; a carefree girl living her life to the fullest. She literally lives for herself and not for anybody else. Although Charlie is the protagonist of the movie, we can’t help but notice Tessa. Again Parvathy Thiruvoth does an amazing job as Tessa. Tessa stands alone from the usual family oriented heroines.

 

 A heroine being unconventional was very rare in Malayalam cinema. These are only a very few selected characters. Many more can be added to the list. What do you think? Does new generation heroines have some other role than just dancing and singing? Who will you add to the list?