Popular actor Ramya lamented the shortage of high quality female characters in Kannada cinema whilst she praised the Malayalam movie business for consistently presenting progressive female roles, whereas talking on the panel dialogue on “Women in Cinema: Challenges, Triumphs and the Road Ahead” on the sixteenth Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) on Thursday.
“When I watch Malayalam movies I wonder why I don’t see such strong female roles in Kannada films. I see very few stories from a woman’s perspective in Kannada,” opined Ramya. The actor-politician was joined by cinematographer Preetha Jayaraman and Telugu filmmaker Nandini Reddy in the panel dialogue.
Ramya added that she was disenchanted with how “hyper-masculine” the tales are in Kannada. “I continue to see macho protagonists in Kannada films. Our filmmakers think being vulnerable is weak and don’t portray realistic characters on screen. However, this isn’t the case in Malayalam. Women as central characters in films will make society more empathetic.”
The actor recollected her early days in the movie business and rued that administrators didn’t have the behavior of offering scripts to the heroines. “When I debuted in Abhi (opposite Puneeth Rajkumar) in 2003, the director (Dinesh Babu) didn’t give me a script at all. I was asked to run one day on the sets, and I felt bizarre. I didn’t understand why I was asked to perform in a particular way. I need to be given a medal for finishing that film,” she stated.
Ramya additionally spoke concerning the pay disparity in the Kannada movie business. “Actors who starred opposite me are quite well-known today, but back then, they were just starting. After my film was declared a hit, the male actor’s salary would increase by 50 times, whereas my remuneration went up only by five times. It reached a point where I let go of films as I didn’t get paid how much I deserved,” stated Ramya.
ALSO READ:Kannada star Ramya reacts to Rashmika Mandanna row: Stop trolling her
The actor, who turned producer along with her banner Apple Box Production, felt the business wants producers keen to again women-centric tales. “I produced Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye(starring Siri Ravikumar and Raj B. Shetty). The female lead in the film was in love with another man despite being married. We are all complex and vulnerable people. She has emotions just like a man has. The film won great critical acclaim, but it didn’t do well at the box office. It shows people aren’t ready for such movies, and that’s disappointing.”
‘Emergency was a badly made film’
Responding to a query on the failure of Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency, Ramya stated the Hindi biopic was a “badly made movie.” “The result of Emergency has nothing to do with who Kangana as an individual is. It was just a badly made movie. Kangana’s Manikarnika (2019) also faced multiple issues before its release. However, it did well at the box office because the content was good.” Emergency was launched on January 17 this yr.
Published – March 06, 2025 10:08 pm IST
