Telugu Beauties Confined as Glam Dolls. The Tollywood film industry continues to grapple with male-dominant themes, as even talented actresses like Sreeleela have been given limited roles in much-hyped action films like Skanda, mainly confined to a few songs and scenes. This trend raises concerns about gender balance and opportunities for actresses in the industry.
Notable names like Tamannaah (Bholaa Shankar), Shruti Haasan (Veera Simha Reddy), Ritu Varma (Mark Antony), Anu Emmanuel (Ravanasura), and Sakshi Vaidya (Agent) have often found themselves playing supporting roles, primarily engaged in dance sequences and providing comic relief, while the male lead takes center stage and occupies most of the screen time.
"This situation is disheartening for actresses because they are more than capable of delivering powerful performances beyond just appearing attractive," says director Teja, emphasizing that he gave equal importance to Kajal Aggarwal in his hit film Nene Raju Nene Mantri.
Teja also points out that even renowned actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth have willingly shared screen space with strong female characters in their films. For instance, in Robo, Aishwarya Rai had a significant role opposite Rajnikanth. Similarly, the massive success of Baahubali can be attributed to the compelling performances of both Prabhas and Anushka Shetty, not to mention Ramya Krishna. Teja emphasizes the importance of directors striking a balance between the hero and heroine, rather than showing bias towards the male lead.
However, producer Vishnu Induri disagrees with the notion that producers and directors are inherently biased. He argues that the prominence of heroes in films is often a result of script requirements and not gender bias. He acknowledges the crowd-pulling power and financial stakes associated with male leads but believes that some films do offer substantial and challenging roles to heroines, challenging the perception of male chauvinism in the industry.
Actress Priyamani reinforces this point, noting that the film industry has traditionally been hero-driven, but actresses are gradually gaining more space and diverse roles. She stresses that heroines are not limited to romantic scenes; they are capable of handling action and a range of other roles with ease. Priyamani emphasizes that actresses have consistently proven their versatility beyond stereotypes, urging the industry to break free from such categorizations.