The south Indian movie landscape has been subjected to appreciation and as a forerunner of innovation in terms of narration, type of stories and in reading the audience. Be it an effort from directors, writers or actors in laying out a certain style or genre that will be either totally out of the box or that sets off a few other styles of movies or stories to hit the big screens.
The upcoming new year holds such shifts in stories and plots, especially for the heroines who are consciously leaning towards action movies or stories that put them solely under the spotlight, leading from the front with bold and bloody characters. The sudden shift in idea is noticeable with the trailers of a few movies that dropped in a short span from Anushka Shetty’s ‘Ghatti’ to Nayanthara’s ‘Rakkayie’, dispersing the thought of how heroines are veering towards action for their upcoming ventures.
Keerthy Suresh in Revolver Rita
‘Revolver Rita’ is an out of the box movie for Keerthy Suresh as the actress is now making her debut in Bollywood with ‘Baby John’ and also has been keen on acting in woman centric films. Her last release ‘Raghu Thatha’ put her in a different light as a comedy drama while her breakthrough role as actress Savithri in ‘Mahanati’ was her first female lead movie. Revolver Rita teaser was released a month ago with Keerthy Suresh playing the lead as a full fledged action star with an unknown identity.
Anushka Shetty in Ghatti
The iconic and classy actress Anushka Shetty has already established herself to be a bankable star who can run a show on her own. With cult movies like ‘Arundhati’ that was a raging hit and made Anushka Shetty as a dependable actress and foray her into a leading woman in the industry. Now the same fire is lit as fans are excited to see her as an action heroine in ‘Ghatti’ directed by Krish Jagarlamudi, where Anushka looks every part unhinged and fixated. This role also marks her comeback after 2023 and as a sole lead.
Nayanthara in Raakayie
Throughout her career, Nayanthara as an actress has been appreciated for many roles, captivating the audience through her charisma, bold choices and lately for her movie selections. Movies like ‘Maya’, ‘Aramm’, ‘Dora’ placed her in a woman centric actress, it is in ‘Imaikka Nodigal’ that gave her a more adventurous side. Her upcoming ‘Raakayie’ directed by Senthil Nallasamy looks like a rural action drama where Nayanthara plays the role of a mother protecting herself and the baby from a mass of men.
A Trial between Hope and Destiny – “Pavithram” new serial arriving AsianetThese lineups from some of the busiest actresses came as a surprise but not because of the genre or suitability but for the sheer coincidence of how these trailers and previews dropped within weeks. This raises the question of whether Action is the new flavour for heroine centric movies or just the natural flow of progression? Even actress Samantha has been focussing lately on movies with stunning stunts like in ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’ and her role in ‘Family Man 2’.
It is also to be noted that there is never a question when an actor who starts as a Rom-com hero or even a Comedy actor seamlessly shifts towards action. This is seen as a natural merger for a male actor who can mold himself into an action star and dance along the lines of comedy, action, drama while many actresses go off market or to another industry after making a conscious decision whether to shift focus on certain roles or genres. Currently this taboo is blurring slowly with several actresses taking a stand and holding ground of their choices.
