The top five highest-grossing Tamil films of 2023 were Jailer, Leo, Ponniyin Selvan 2 (PS 2), Varisu and Thunivu. Barring PS 2, which is based on Kalki’s historical fiction novel, none of the other films had substantial roles or screen time for women characters. They were either extraneous to the plot or did not have a fleshed-out arc. However, smaller films like Dada, Good Night, and Chittha did better in this aspect.
This Women’s Day, we asked five women actors who work in the Tamil film industry about the roles they wish they could do and what they’re looking forward to accomplish in their respective careers.
Rohini made her debut in 1974 as a child actor. Since then, she’s acted in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films. An award-winning actor with a keen interest in social issues, Rohini is far from hanging up her boots.
“There’s a long list of characters that I wish to play,” said Rohini. “I’d like to play a female fighter or leader in the Maoist movement of the Sixties or Seventies. I’m currently reading a Telugu book about communist revolutionary Kondapalli Koteswaramma. Like her, there are many comrades who’ve given their life, time and money for their movement.”
Noting that it was unusual for a woman to pick up weapons, Rohini added that there must be compelling reasons behind such a decision. “I’m greatly moved by their sacrifices,” she said. Another role close to her heart is that of a person from the tribal community who wants to protect the forest. “Someone who has the forest in their mind, body and soul,” she said.
Now in her 50s, several opportunities to play a mother come her way, but the actor wants characters with shades. “It’s not about playing the mother but what that character experiences. Does she go through extreme anger? Jealousy? Pain? Maybe she encounters something unexpected,” she said. Rohini has done a slew of roles where she has portrayed maternal affection or the sad mother but now, she wants more. “More than the character being a mother, lawyer or homemaker, there should be an arc for her. Her stand shouldn’t be the same from the beginning to the end. I’d like to explore dark emotions,” she said.
Witness (2022) is among Rohini’s recent films where she plays a mother but there’s more to her character – she takes on the system after her son is forced into manual scavenging and dies as a result. “Another film where I got a great mother role and is yet to be released is Kaadhal Enbathu Podhu Udamai. I love films that portray a change of mind in the character,” she said. Sattai director Anbazhagan’s next film also has Rohini playing a strong mother role.
Rohini believes that she now has the opportunity to play a wide range of roles, thanks to new directors who think beyond the love stories that defined earlier generations. “I’d say things have changed for the better in the last 10 years. OTT platforms have also made a difference, with the audience watching content across languages. So, Tamil filmmakers are also thinking of meaty roles for middle-aged women. Look at Urvashi doing a film like J Baby (2024)” she pointed out. “There are many talented women actors from my generation, and so, filmmakers are assured that they will deliver if they are cast in their films in impactful roles.”
Jyotika made her debut with the Hindi film Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998), but it was in the Tamil film industry that she found her footing. She has since also acted in Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. An actor with several awards to her name, she took a break from cinema when she was at the peak of her career and returned with 36 Vayadhinile (2015), the Tamil remake of the Malayalam film How Old Are You? (2014).
In her second innings, Jyotika has played the lead in several films, including Naachiyaar (2018), Kaatrin Mozhi (2018) and Raatchasi (2019). She also played Omana in the critically acclaimed Malayalam film Kaathal: The Core (2023), which is about a gay man coming to terms with his sexuality when his wife files for divorce.
But like Rohini, Jyotika too is hungry for more. “I’d love to do grey women characters,” she said. “Most times, I get crusader roles or that of someone running a home and unifying the family. I’d love to play a thief! Why not a negative character? I enjoyed playing the antagonist in Pachaikili Muthucharam (2007). In real life, people have good and bad within them. We see this in web series, but we’re yet to explore it much in women characters in cinema.”
Now 45, Jyotika wants to experiment. Not that she hasn’t done it earlier. “I played someone with a psychiatric disorder in Chandramukhi (2005), I was a deaf-mute woman in Mozhi (2007)...so I have done a variety of roles. But I want more of that now, especially rounded characters that have shades to them,” she said. Women actors of her age seldom get roles beyond that of the ideal housewife who keeps the family together. But why not an action film?
“Gal Gadot was pregnant when she acted in Wonder Woman (2017). It was still possible for her to play a superhero. I think we need to understand that women are really strong physically,” said the actor, adding that once women hit middle age, they’re seen differently.
One look at Jyotika’s Instagram where she posts her fitness videos, and you know that the actor is more than ready to take on an action film if it comes her way.
Jyotika has the Hindi horror-thriller Shaitaan releasing this week. Directed by Vikas Bahl, the film also stars Ajay Devgn, Madhavan, and Janki Bodiwala. “I loved the story. It was very different from what’s usually made in this genre. I play a mother, but it’s a very powerful role. I don’t have to be the protagonist for me to say yes to a film. I’m looking for that film which will have two good scenes that allow me to perform and showcase what I can do,” said the actor.
Another upcoming release is the Netflix web series Dabba Cartel where her co-stars are Shabana Azmi, Shalini Pandey, Nimisha Sajayan, Anjali Anand and others. “It’s the most different of my roles, and every woman will connect to it. It’s very real and is the closest to my heart. When you have a web series, you have enough leeway to perform because the runtime is so much longer,” said Jyotika.
Aishwarya Rajesh made her debut in 2010 and has since acted in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. One of the most talented women stars in the southern film industry, Aishwarya is known for her natural dialogue delivery and convincing performances. She is also outspoken – a rare quality in the film industry where stars tend to keep their opinions to themselves.
Aishwarya said that she feels jealous whenever she watches Hollywood films. “Seventy percent of the films, be it action, horror or thriller, it’s a female actor who leads the movie even if there is a male star in the cast. Sometimes, she’s also the hero of the film,” said Aishwarya. “When are they going to do it in our films?”
It’s not that the Tamil film industry doesn’t make any films revolving around women. Aishwarya herself has played the main lead in films like the sports drama Kanaa (2018), thriller films Driver Jamuna (2022) and Farhana (2023), and the Tamil remake of the feminist drama film The Great Indian Kitchen (2023). But not only are such films few and far between, the space for women characters in films led by men is minimal.
“We also need fun scripts for women. Not only films that are about women’s issues but films where women are enjoying themselves,” said Aishwarya. Like Jyotika, she too wants to see more action films with women characters. “I’m not sure if I will suit the genre, but we have actors like Regina and Andrea who are tall and have the physique necessary for such roles. They’re capable of performing action roles, just like women in Hollywood.”
Aishwarya pointed out that narrating stories from a female point of view would make a script interesting because we haven’t seen enough of that happening. “It will automatically elevate the script,” she opined. A role she really wants to play is that of a warrior princess in a period drama. “It’s a genre I’ve never done, and I’d love to do it. I’d like to play a queen or a goddess too. It’s not that I’m not happy where I am, but I want to explore more.”
Aishwarya has frequently spoken about the colour bias she has faced in the film industry. While dark skin isn’t considered a barrier for male stars, the preference in the industry for female leads is fair-fairer-fairest. This bias, too, has come in the way of the actor bagging roles in big-budget flicks.
When the Ponniyin Selvan films were announced, many wondered if Aishwarya Rajesh would be part of the cast. After all, she’s among the few heroines in the Tamil film industry who speak the language fluently and also fit the description of some of the women characters in the novel. Acknowledging that many did ask her why she was not cast in the film, Aishwarya said that she was happy people had imagined her in such roles. “It makes me proud that they thought of me. But the fact is that I’ve never been offered a period drama,” she said.
Keerthi is a fairly new entrant to the Tamil film industry. She made her debut in 2019 and her latest release is the sports drama Blue Star (2024), which talks about caste politics. Like Aishwarya, Keerthi too has faced colour bias in the Tamil film industry. She’s also had established filmmakers tell her that she’s the wrong body type to play the heroine. But slowly and surely, this actor who speaks her mind has gathered a fanbase for herself.
“I’d love to do comedy. Not just me, I wish more women got to do humour on screen. We’ve hardly explored this genre with women in the lead. I can only think of Magalir Mattum (1994) which came out such a long time ago,” said Keerthi. “Of course, there was Kolamaavu Kokila (2018) which is more recent, but it’s still a dark comedy.”
Women laugh in life, too. They don’t just go from one struggle to another. This aspect of women’s lives is something Keerthi wants to see on screen. “All stories about women don’t have to be serious,” she said. “I also want to do characters that have grey shades. It doesn’t have to be all good or all bad. Why should it be a binary? That’s why I enjoyed playing my role in Kannagi (2023)...because it had shades of grey.”
Since female characters seldom have well-written arcs in mainstream cinema, the transitions that women go through in real life are rarely represented on screen. “There’s so much more to show for women,” said Keerthi. As an actor, she often gets roles that require her to seek revenge on screen. “It’s true that women face a lot of things in life and that includes sexual harassment. But that doesn’t mean that every story with a woman as the main character has to be about surviving rape.”
Keerthi is conscious of the power of cinema to influence the audience. In that sense, such films are indeed important. “But after a point, they become redundant. It doesn’t always have to be about a girl who goes through a very bad experience followed by a “penne ezhundhu va” situation. It can just be her life journey,” she said. While women are subjected to a lot of violence and discrimination in society, the perpetual role of the victim on screen only pushes them further into a place of powerlessness. “The sad part is that filmmakers tend to think only such stories will be impactful for a woman character,” she added. “I’m happy to be an actor who can give her voice to such issues, but that isn’t the only kind of story we can tell about women.”
Gouri made her debut with the romantic drama 96 (2018), playing the schoolgirl version of Trisha. She also reprised the role in the Telugu remake of the film, Jaanu (2020). The young actor has since acted in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films.
“I’d love to play roles where my character arc isn’t predictable,” said Gouri. “For example, I watched the Netflix web series Killer Soup (2024) recently. Konkona Sen Sharma’s character Swati Shetty starts with a backstory, her goals and ambitions in life, and the journey she makes is mind-blowing. Another character is Tillotama Shome in The Night Manager Part II. It was so real. She plays a pregnant woman who is on a mission. She carries the plot forward, but we also see her pregnancy tiredness and crankiness. It is intertwined.”
Gouri also enjoyed watching Shome and Amruta Subhash in The Mirror, one of the films in Lust Stories 2. “The beauty with which they have imagined a househelp in a very different role – it’s so amazing and you can never predict it,” she said. Among Tamil films, Gouri cited Nimisha Sajayan’s Malaiyarasi from Jigarthanda DoubleX (2023) as a recent example of a well-written female character. “It was a kickass character. She had agency. She wasn’t just the wife of a gangster. She had a say. She was strong, bold and outspoken. She had a voice of her own, and she took a stand until the very end,” said Gouri.
Gouri is keen on doing crime thrillers and period dramas in the future. “I’m tired of getting roles that are used to garner sympathy,” she said. “I’m told that I have a likeable face, a face that draws affection. But this also means that I end up getting roles that are in the victim bracket. It’s very easy to brand me as a character who gets raped or something happens without her consent…like forceful marriage.”
It’s not that such characters by themselves are weak, said Gouri. “But they seldom have agency. They don’t have a say about things. I’m not saying I have to do bold characters or women-centric films. But I’m tired of getting roles where something happens to the woman and the people around her respond to it,” she said. “Regardless of their situation, I feel women characters should have a say in what is happening. They don’t have to be damsels in distress.”