gulposh: Reflecting on some of Mani Ratnam’s past female...

gulposh:

Reflecting on some of Mani Ratnam’s past female romantic leads, even from just a small subset of his repertoire, there are many strong types of female loves we’ve seen whom Tara could be an extension of. We’ve seen confidence in characters like Aaytha Ezhuthu’s Gigi, who stands by her activist love, and in Sashi, who takes a stand by leaving a toxic relationship for the sake of her own well-being and that of her unborn child. We’ve met Shakthi (Alaipayuthey) and Shaila (Bombay), who struggled with their instincts to quietly obey their parents and those that told them that they might eventually be respected for their conviction in love. Years ago we got to know Roja, arguably Mani Ratnam’s most daring leading lady of all, who literally fought against terrorists to rescue her husband, in the ultimate of all Tamil movie role reversals. These formidably written female characters are each desirable in their own way but are all linked in their appeal to audiences who appreciate authenticity and equality. By introducing the world to such characters Ratnam reminds us all to respect women for the independent, free-thinking and entirely capable equals that they are those that have the ability to fall, win and/or fail in love, and life, just like any hero does.

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