When it was taking its first steps, Malayalam cinema had heroines sharing equal screen place with the heroes. Sheela, Ambika, Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini top the list. But it was Sharada, a Kannada actress, who won the National Award for best actress (Urvashi Award) for the first time in Malayalam for her role in 'Thulabharam' (1969). She won again in 1973 for 'Swayamvaram'.
The 1980s saw the birth of two superstars: Mammootty and Mohanlal. The influence of action movies, remakes, and two-hero subjects dominated the screens. Nevertheless, directors like Hariharan were confident of crafting movies like 'Panchagni', in which Geetha portrayed the character of her lifetime, Indira. It was through the Hariharan-M T Vasudevan Nair combination in 'Nakhakshathangal' (1987), that the late Monisha bagged the Urvashi Award to become the youngest actress to win the honour.
Actors like Seema, Suhasini, Sumalatha, Parvathy, Shari, and Urvashy also got good roles in commercial movies. Urvashy won the state award for the best actress for three consecutive years - for 'Mazhavilkkavady', 'Thalayanamanthram', and 'Kakkathollayiram'. Shari’s role of Sophiya in 'Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal', and Sumalatha’s character, Clara, in 'Thoovanathumbikal' are still cherished by many.
Meanwhile, the 1990s saw the superb comeback of Shobhana. Her performance as Ganga and Nagavally, the dual-faced character in 'Manichitrathazhu' (1994), won the Urvashi Award. In the mid-1990s, Manju Warrier emerged as the heroine of the decade. With her superb performance in her debut movie Sallapam itself, Manju established her credentials. Her role in 'Ee Puzhayum Kadannu', 'Pathram' and 'Kanmadham' were much appreciated. But the actress quit, following her marriage to actor Dileep.
"I will rate Manju's role as Bhadra in 'Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu' as one of the best," says young director Ashiq Abu. For writer-director Babu Janardhanan, the most memorable role was that of Ammukkutty played by Seema in 'Aalkkooothatil Thaniye'.
Then why are scripts with strong women roles not being generated?
"Frankly, I have not made any of the lead women characters in my movies as scarecrows," he says. "Even in 'Vaasthavam', in which Prithviraj won the state award, three strong characters are portrayed by Kavya Madhavan, Samvrutha Sunil and Sindhu Menon. In my directorial debut 'Bombay March 12', Roma played a strong role, along with Mammootty."
Ashiq's super-hit film, 'Salt and Pepper' (2011), has a notable character, Maya, portrayed by Shweta Menon. "'Salt and Pepper' is not a 100 per cent women-oriented subject," he says. "We tried to narrate the feelings of a modern-day woman. While selecting such themes, the biggest challenge is to identify an actor to play the female lead."
Ashiq says experience is the key to help heroines do strong characters. "Shweta, who has been nearly 20 years in the industry, handled the role of Maya well," he says. But he also admits that the lack of experienced actors who can play mature characters like Bhadra was one of the reasons that stymie directors here.
Meanwhile, the last time a Malayalam actress won the Urvashi award was in 2003 (Meera Jasmine for her role in T V Chandran’s 'Padam Onnu Oru Vilapam'). It took another seven years to see the release of a strong women-oriented theme, 'Gaddama', by director Kamal, which helped Kavya bag the state award.
"When the movies become hero-centric, the female characters will get sidelined," says Babu. "We have good actresses, but they are not provided with right opportunities." Another reason is that the attitudes have changed in the last decade. "I was surprised to see families laughing to the comic numbers with double meaning in a recent movie," says Babu. "This shows that women have a broad-minded attitude now. So, portraying a woman as an object chained within the constraints of the home and her ineffectual protests will not work anymore."
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