Femme Fatale

Certain elements are to films like pens are to paper, indispensable. One amongst them is love- an aspect so beautiful, almost impossible to go wrong with, yet rarely portrayed in all its glory.

Try to name a movie without even a tiny trace of love. Chances are, you will fail. Take movies like The Notebook or Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya that centred entirely around love. Or take films like Deadpool that have a love story in the backdrop. Even a movie like Fight club revolves around the protagonist’s love for a certain Marla (although imaginary)

Revenge sagas. Comedies. Horrors. Political dramas. If there’s story, there’s most definitely love woven into it.

But why is love timeless? How is that, from the beginning of cinema, love has been portrayed ceaselessly and yet continues to be?

The answer lies in the simple yet complex nature of this sentiment.

The simplicity of the catharsis- people want to love and be loved. And the complexities posed by the intricacies in love. Think about it, the concept of love alone can help you have-

A man vs man conflict

A man vs nature conflict

A man vs himself conflict

A man vs society conflict

So there’s pretty much all the scope in the world.

But the truth is, while many attempt at capturing this beautiful emotion, only a known handful are fully successful. What keeps them going? Why do we associate names like Gautam Vasudev Menon, Mani Ratnam and Vasanth with the genre of love?

How do these guys get it right, while others well, not so much? I’d say their women are their strength, if you asked me.

Their female leads are portrayed so realistically that it becomes believable that the protagonist can indeed fall in love with the woman. It gives a certain credence to that love.

Just so you know, this isn’t another feminist rant but an appeal to filmmakers to pay closer attention while constructing the female lead, which subliminally leave an impact on the audience. Think about it, would Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya be the same if not for the simple, elegant Jessie?

This doesn’t mean that there has got to be a drop-dead gorgeous lady lead to make a great love story. There have been instances where the lady’s looks didn’t save the boat from sinking. At the same time, stories like Angaadi Theru fared well in spite of Mahesh and Anjali’s de-glam look.

While there’s the fairytale love stories on hand, there are filmmakers like Selvaraghavan who strive to capture many not-so-pretty realities in present day relationships, which he does beautifully.

Be it Yamini, Divya, or Anita, as despicable as they are portrayed, they leave the audience with the ability to connect with them in some way.

This is not to say that a love story’s success lies entirely in the portrayal of the female lead. But it is prudent to keep in mind that these characters have over time proved to have a considerable impact on the audience. Hence, they are sizeable determinants of the films outcome.

Recent entrants like Alphonse and Karthik Subbaraj seem to have understood this perfectly! It makes perfect sense now that Premam was such a great hit, doesn’t it?

The story was nothing out of the ordinary, I guess it is fair to say that the film was anchored entirely by the three female leads- Mary, Malar and Celine with their no-nonsense characters.

They wasn’t any overload of the giggly, wide-eyed, overdone cuteness. The women stole our attention in their own, quaint little ways. That’s because he stuck to a simple David Mamet's rule. He didn't try to establish any characters and let the characters establish themselves. Thus, we end up getting addicted to them. Unlike in the case of many films that try to inject the female leads with “cute”, and end up getting booed towards the end.

Remember, a girl can be cute even in her way of saying 'NO' to a proposal. The only thing is that matters is that it has to be realistic.

If your girl has 'n' number of relationships then let her be.

Showcase her in her way. Give her the space and watch as your character takes shape on its own.

Another common misconception is that female lead has to be smoking hot all the time translating into her parading in skimpy, flashy clothes. Again, false. Can you imagine a Jessie from Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya and Veronica from Cocktail swapping clothes? This isn’t an attack on the morality of dressing appropriately. It is only to say that pick whatever suits your story.

Let HER be, and you’re half-way done already!