Dhanush’s mother-in-law in Mappillai is one
and other is that of Nadiya who came back after
a long long hiatus as mother-in-law to Sundar C
in Sandai. But then, there are also not too many
instances where yesteryear heroines make comebacks
to the big screen.
What has grabbed attention is not the fact that
all actresses have featured as mothers-in-law. That
is a part of the natural progression of time, only
accelerated a couple of decades by cinema. The reason
for interest is the nature of the mother-in-law
roles. It is never a normal mother-in-law, it is
always someone who is at loggerheads with the hero,
wants her daughter married off elsewhere, is extremely
arrogant, snobby, devious and always wears far too
much make up than is appropriate for her age. It
is almost as if they are one of the villains of
the movie; the only difference being that by the
end of the movie they awaken to the fact that their
son-in-law has a heart of gold; whereas the usual
villain would never learn his lesson and end up
getting bashed or even killed.
The odd movie here and there is fine! But this seems
to be building up into a pattern, especially when
we look at actresses like Ramya Krishnan who have
done similar roles in Telugu. These actresses are
never used in the role of a caring and understanding
mother-in-law; it always has to be the impulsive
and villainous type. There are specialized character
artistes who can do the job when it comes to the
more normal mother-in-law characters; actresses
who never enjoyed a period as a top heroine.
Of course, we admire the courage of these actresses
to play roles that are far above their age. But,
then that is what actresses routinely do in cinema
these days; become heroines at 16, get phased out
before 30 and then return before 40 as a mother-in-law.
The surprising fact however is that none of these
actresses have ever been seen as the mother of a
leading hero. It is not as if they are too concerned
about the age of the character. If that was the
case they would have even refused the mother-in-law
roles. But, again we also do not know whether they
have ever been offered those roles. The fact is
that in our movies, the hero’s mother is seldom
a strong character; mostly it is just a passing
screen presence or at best an emotional song. The
strong portrayals, stinging dialogues and long scenes
are usually reserved for mothers-in-laws in movies
that are specially designed for the purpose.
Yes, actresses are regularly returning as mothers-in-law.
And, who plays the biggest part in this? The directors
of course! Why does a director always think of a
yesteryear heroine as the ideal candidate to play
a strong mother-in-law who has to stand up against
the hero of the movie? Well, it must be the fact
that the directors want a person with immense screen
presence and who knows better about screen presence
than an actress who has been heroine. That must
be the thinking.
But, there seems to be more than just that! The
looks definitely seem to be a factor here. For example;
let us compare the original Mappillai and the recent
remake. Look at the difference in the way that Srividhya
and Manisha Koirala dressed up. Watching the new
Mappillai gave one the feeling that Manisha was
nothing but a showpiece or a model of the most expensive
sarees in town.
That was OK. But, watching Sandai, one wondered
whether the director had roped Nadiya in for more
than just a mother-in-laws role. We could actually
detect some glamour and a duet featuring her and
Sundar C (her son-in-law in the film). Same with
Simran too! Well, she did not play mother-in-law,
but came as sister-in-law and even she too had a
duet on the beaches with Sundar. C (Ainthaam Padai
was the movie).
The bottom line is; actresses can make their comeback
any time they want and in whatever role they choose
to. But, the funny fact is that, even after giving
up on being a heroine and getting ready to do character
roles, they seem to be getting picked only for their
looks.
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