Female characters in Telugu cinema appear to be moving beyond the conventional image of the idealised heroine, with a new crop of actresses taking on roles that are more independent, unconventional, and occasionally morally grey.
Vaishnavi Chaitanya’s character in the recently released Epic, for instance, is portrayed as a woman who is comfortable having a relationship before marriage. Her character also smokes and drinks, adding to the rebellious and unconventional nature of the role.
Similarly, Mamitha Baiju’s character in Vishwanath and Sons openly discusses Suriya’s overseas flings, drinks a lot and her lover’s relationships abroad. She plays a surrogate mother and falls in love with a 40 year old Suriya. Gauri Priya, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the talking points of Chennai Love Story, where she plays a young woman who drinks, smokes, lives independently and refuses to be overly concerned about her parents’ opinions.
Director Hemanth Madhukar believes such characters should not automatically be labelled “bold” simply because they reflect lifestyles that may still be considered unconventional by sections of the audience.
“Such roles reflect the reality of some young women, so it is better to avoid calling them bold. Young girls are smoking and drinking in pubs today. People who haven’t seen such women in real life may consider these characters unusual, but that is also a part of reality,” he says.
Hemanth also says he does not believe in moral policing when it comes to fictional characters. According to him, filmmakers should have the freedom to create different shades of female characters, and audience acceptance is ultimately what matters.
“In fact, I am happy that female characters are getting meatier roles in new-age films. It gives writers more freedom to explore different personalities and perspectives,” he adds.
He cites Wamiqa Gabbi’s performance in the Tamil-dubbed action film DC as an example of an actress making a strong impression in a genre traditionally driven by male stars. “Wamiqa definitely shined in a dark role with ease. Ultimately, these things are decided by the director, and audiences have shown that they are willing to appreciate strong female characters,” he says.
Producer Vishnu Induri agrees that the success of a well-written female character can encourage more filmmakers to create substantial roles for actresses.
“Once audiences accept a heroine in a meaty role, other filmmakers are likely to give actresses more substantial parts. A woman’s perspective also brings balance to a story. It adds a fresh dimension, and that needs to be captured,” he says.
Another noticeable change is the growing acceptance of grey-shaded female characters. Rukmini Vasanth, for instance, has attracted attention with her dark role in Kantara: Chapter 1, while Payal Rajput has also taken on unconventional characters in RX 100 and Nitya Menon in Awe.
“Grey is the new shade for some heroines,” Vishnu observes, pointing to the changing expectations surrounding female characters in contemporary Telugu cinema.