The Grammar of Glamour in KFI

They set the screen on fire, and they are as talented as any of their male counterparts. But in an industry where showing the skin is more important than getting into the skin of the character, most of the current day heroines in KFI are relegated to playing fluttering Barbie dolls to a macho (sometimes not so macho) hero. Really, sometimes we wonder what is given first to them; the script of the film or the costumes they wear in the film. The former is smaller in significance, and the latter is smaller in size!

A cursory glance at the current heroines of KFI tells you that all that glitters is not always sold. Ramya, arguably the most marketable heroine among the current crop, makes more news off screen than on screen. Pooja Gandhi has done the most number of films in 2009, and consequently, she has given the most number of flops too! Her sister Radhika Gandhi is not even in the picture except may be Harikathe.

The Bengaluru based Bengali beauty Aindrita Ray has hits to her names (thanks to YB and Suri); but the roles that she gets are as varied as her proficiency in Kannada. Radhika Pandit’s career, spiraled off from Moggina Manassu, is yet to bloom in its full glory. Shubha Poonja is allegedly enjoying her married life and Sharmila Mandre is yet to make her mark in the big league. But on a whole, none of these actresses have recently done a role that were female oriented and that brought them accolades from the public.

Come to think of it, this was not always the case in KFI. The yesteryear leading ladies landed meatier roles and meaningful scripts in their career, although they were paid less by today’s standards. Kalpana left an indelible impression in the industry with her roles in films like Sharapanjara, Bayaludari, Belli Moda, Gejje Pooje, and many other movies. Others like Jayanti, Bharati and Aarati were not too far behind, with each actress acting in at least half a dozen films that they could have been proud of.

And then began the golden phase of Malashri who ruled the industry more powerfully than any of her contemporary male counterparts. Of course, most of her films had crude narration and age old story line; but strangely, her star power lied in these very drawbacks. She could draw the crowd to the theatres without a great story or direction or even music. But she was forced to oblivion as her body weight started overshadowing the weight of the roles she did.

Still, commercially, Malashri is the biggest female superstar Kannada has ever witnessed, and looking at the current scenario, that will remain a record for some time to come.

But now, the role of a heroine has changed in KFI. Her roles these days have less substance and lesser clothes. If the local gals are not bold enough to do that, we get paid cheer girls from other states and they are given everything they ask for, except the clothes, of course. In the modern day KFI, there are no writers and directors who dare to write a heroine oriented subject; and even if they do, there are no producers bold enough to back their creative visions.

That brings us to a question that is both commercial and philosophical in nature. We as a society do not accept female domination in any field as easily as we accept the male domination. Even in films (all over India), it’s not very easy to come across a heroine oriented film which has been successful at the box office. Barring a few like Sharapanjara, Edakallu Guddada Mele and recently Moggina Manassu in Kannada and films like Damini (Hindi) and Arundhati (Telugu), there have been very few female oriented hits in the Indian film industry.

Also, the kind of publicity our heroines get off the screen forces the public to form an image about them in their minds. Mostly, heroines these days are seen in page 3 parties (there are exceptions, like Ramya, who visited the Kidwai hospital on Valentine’s Day to spend time with kids) or known more for the male company they keep.

So, the question lingers on. Do the heroines have it in them to deliver the goods if the films rely completely on them? Or will they just continue to be a decorative piece in the more violent scheme of things for the hero?

Keep watching.

-Article by Raju Shanbhag