They are not just striking, but are also known for their power-packed performances in Sandalwood. Namma leading ladies are a mix of bombaat beauty and brains, but their portrayal in films has a long way to go in the Karnataka film industry, where heroes are worshipped like demi-gods and have movies revolving solely around them. On International Women's Day, Kannada film actresses tell us what change they’d like to see in the industry when it comes to the portrayal of the leading ladies...
Parul Yadav
I would like to see many more strong female characters. Why are most movies about heroes who have to save the damsel in distress? Why can’t there be movies about women who are as important as the man in the story. This idea of a heroine being part of five songs and 15 scenes is antiquated. I find the term women-centric film rather offensive — the terms exists because so few movies have central women characters. And in terms of the process of making movies, I would really like to see women actors be part of pre-production creative discussions. Currently, we are just supposed to show up, say our lines (as few as they are) and leave.
Manvitha Kamath
When it comes to pay scale, treatment, potential or even energy levels, we woman have always been underestimated. It’s time people here stopped judging a girl’s potential just because of her gender. Today, I had to drive a jeep at a shoot, and most underestimated me. But once I started driving, I shocked everyone and they were like — we never knew you had so much energy and they started complimenting me. Why would you doubt someone’s capability just because she’s a girl? Also, there’s a wide gap between the payscale of actors and actresses — that needs to be bridged. As for the kind of roles we are offered, we have a long long way to go compared to other industries.
I’m very choosy and always make sure I have a significant role to play in a film. I don’t want to just appear in two to three songs — honestly, it depends on how you want to take your career ahead. In all my roles till now, I’ve shared almost equal screen space with the male protagonist, but sometimes, we have to do small roles in commercial films for remuneration. You have to strike a balance between good roles and remuneration.
Shraddha Srinath
Most of us want to portray characters that are a reflection of reality. Yes, cinema is larger than life but it’s an orthodox way to look at films. A lot of content that’s working for audiences today stems from real events or incidents. A lot of actresses want to be shown as real and inspiring women, with stronger and author-backed roles written. When you look at most of the films, if you cut out the heroine’s character, the movie will move on smoothly without anyone batting an eyelid. There are so many times women have been onscreen without having to contribute anything to the film.
Samyukta Hornad
There are so many films which I’ve said no to because it makes no sense to fall for a hero who is not educated, is an alcoholic and is just plain stalking a girl. I don’t get why the girl gets impressed by this! It’s perpetuating such a wrong idea — if someone stalked me in real life, I’d go to the cops. We’ve normalised stalking and harassment and that's not right. Also, I have an issue when people treat the “girl next door’s” role in a condescending manner, and call it “just another girl next door.” I think they should bring in more dignity to the character.
