TALK Tamil TO HER

Kollywood's new-age heroines know the lines, the language, and the legacy — and they're here to stay

- BY GAUTAM SUNDER

Kollywood's obsession with the fair-skinned heroine from the north has been welldocumented for years.

Say what one may about changing tides and liberal mindsets, but the fact remains that, outside of a handful of leading women from Tamil Nadu who have solidified their place in the industry over decades, most male stars and production houses routinely prefer casting heroines from outside the state in the big-budget projects.

A few directors have routinely complained about working with performers who don't speak or read the language; others bemoan the difficulty of mounting a female-centric script for the same reasons. The pan-India fixation hasn't helped either, as actors from other industries are often brought in with the hopes of widening the market before a release.

Yet, there is hope. A slew of smallscale projects — some theatrical, but mostly on streaming — have introduced Tamil audiences to several homegrown talents in the past five years. Women who don't just know the language, but have also grown up with the culture of Tamil cinema in their families and homes, understanding the legacy of the craft and profession. Fangirls who have hit theatres for first-day-first-show outings, and have thronged crowds to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars from a distance. Most importantly, actors who are willing to bet on themselves to bring about progressive change in an industry that is teeming with potential.

“For me, it’s not just about actors who can speak in Tamil coming to the fore, but those who look like they are Tamilian too,” says Harini Sundararajan, most recently seen in the second season of Suzhal. “I look up to powerhouses like Aparna Balamurali and Nimisha Sajayan (from the Malayalam film industry) for defying what were considered ‘heroine standards’ for so long and paving the way for others.”