Being in the 21st century and looking back, it is difficult to believe that Rosy, heroine of the first Malayalam film Vigathakumaran, had to face public wrath, with angry mobs pelting stones on the screen when the film was first screened. Feminity has always baffled men, and male film-makers were no different.
The easiest way out of this male bewilderment with feminity was to portray them as mythological characters, or mere objects, or as ignorant and helpless creatures. ‘’In a majority of Hindi films, the portrayal of women has remained largely the same over the years - the male fantasy of a perfect woman, who will put her husband’s family before hers and who can never be an individual. But with a lot of women coming up as directors and technicians, things are getting a little better,’’ said Sharmila Tagore, who is in the city to attend the 14th IFFK.
For a long time in the history of Indian cinema, the actual woman and the male inscription had nothing in common. It took many years for Malayalam cinema to portray women with a character and will of their own. Tracing this evolution of women on screen, probably also a reflection of what was happening in the society, is Sajitha Madathil, deputy director (programmes) at the Chalachitra Academy. An exhibition conceived and curated by her, ‘Aval Vellithirayil’ opens on December 12 at Kanakakkunnu Palace. The show will be inaugurated by none other than Sharmila Tagore in the presence of Malayalam’s own versatile actress KPAC Lalitha.
‘’The evolution of female characters in Malayalam cinema is much more interesting than other Indian cinema. For example, it is after women started getting educated that we had films such as ‘Collector Malathy’ and ‘Lady Doctor’ and so on. Every social or political change, as in the case of the naxalite movement, was reflected on screen and especially in the female characters.
But unfortunately, the still photographs are all missing and collecting these many for the show, itself was a Herculean task,’’ said Sajitha.
While films like ‘Woman is the future of man’ is being made in other parts of the world, such a relook on our women characters is truly enlightening. Malayalee actresses, be it Sheela, Sharada or Manju Warrier, have enchanted and captivated, loved and nurtured, fought and cried, suffered and rebelled. The women characters who broke taboos, gave a jolt to power structures and changed the very perceptions about womanhood will also be featured in the exhibition.
However, dubbing artist Bhagyalekshmi is not so sure whether such strong characters are made anymore. ‘’Lately, I dubbed for Sharbani Mukherjee in ‘Soofi Paranja Katha’ and ‘Madhyavenal’, and both gave me a sense of satisfaction. But that’s it. Strong female characters are not made anymore because the attitude of women actors are such that they just want to stick around for a few years, do some glamorous roles, make money and then go,’’ Bhagyalekshmi said.
‘’Even at this international festival venue, where you can learn a lot about cinema, you hardly see any of our current women actors. They are not interested. Manju Warrier was different though, she always looked for avenues where she could contribute and probably she is the only one who expressed such a passion,’’ she added.
One very interesting section of the show is about the women characters of some of our greatest film-makers such as Padmarajan, Bharathan, T.V.Chandran, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and last, but not the least K.G.George.
While Padmarajan’s heroines brought a certain charm to the celluloid as Alice in ‘Koodevide’ (Suhasini), Shari as Sofiya in ‘Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal’ and Shobana as Maya in ‘Innale’, Bharathan introduced a raw and earthy kind of sensuality to female portrayals. Jayabharathi as Rathi in ‘Rathi Nirvedam’, and Madhavi as Sussannah in ‘Ormakkayi’ are characters who had a vibrant and intense language of their own.
Strong female characters have been the forte of K.G.George and T.V.Chandran. The characters essayed by Suhasini, Srividya and Soorya in ‘Adaminte Variyellu’ stand testimony. Real and live, George’s female characters are rooted in the complexities and struggle for everyday existence.
Chandran’s heroines are all fire and fury, who fight for a space of their own, daring the existing social codes and thereby raising disturbing questions on sex, gender and sexuality. Susanna is brave, audacious and independent. She challenges all social conventions, power structures and the various roles thrust upon women. Yet she is a wife, sister, daughter, lover, companion, guide and even philosopher. Vani Viswanath, who portrays the many manifestations of feminity as Susanna in ‘Susanna’ and Jalaja in ‘Alicinte Anweshanam’ among a host of other strong characters represent the female society in Kerala in the midst of such struggles and frustrations.
‘’Some of our collections on themes such as lesbianism are open-ended and whoever having information can contribute,’’ said Sajitha. She has also made a unique attempt to find out how women and their body are represented in film posters and covers of the then popular song-books. And apart from the serious study of women characters, it is these posters that lend a touch of humour to the show with lines like - ‘Innolum ningal kandittullathil vachettavum mahonnatha chitram......’.
reema_narendran@expressbuzz.com