I was 18 when the movie Citizen released in 2001. Ever since, I am obsessed with Nagma's character in the movie: CBI Senior Officer Sarojini Harichandran who leads the investigation involving a vigilante named Citizen, played by Ajith Kumar.
Everyone tried to diminish Nagma's acting as the lead CBI Officer. They were saying that her voice is too guttural. Her widened eyes and snarly way of speaking didn't sit well with many. People were complaining that she over-acted in this role. They preferred her roles in Kadhalan, Love Birds, Pistha, Mettukudi - typical.
The way Sarojini leads her team to get to the bottom of the case involving Citizen and a lost hamlet called Atthipatti is nothing short of inspiring. Seeing a woman with intelligence and able to put two and two together feel refreshing in a world fixated with women's body parts.
Sarojini's passion and vigor to uncover the mystery surrounding a lost village prove that women aren't only intelligent - but also dogged and unrelenting. When she commands her male subordinates, she does so with a lioness-like quality.
To fulfill her responsibility to find out more, Sarojini doesn't hesitate to travel even to the ends of the earth, swimming through fire and brimstone. She expresses a range of rightful emotions: shock, calmness, and intent.
Instead of being content with teams of firefighters, borers, and the police doing the dirty job of digging up the Reserve Area, Sarojini gets down and dirty with them. In a world that accuses women of only choosing comfort, Sarojini shows that women aren't what men think they are.
After discovering the preserved bodies of Atthipatti's villagers, Sarojini breaks down. As she cries, she demands details. Not crying doesn't mean being tough. Empathy and the ability to express anguish through tears are required in police work. It helps them do their job better, with full involvement. It is personal!
As an 18 year-old, I wanted to be like Sarojini. I think it's time for Kollywood to take notes and portray women as thinking, driven, and smart individuals capable of contributing to community betterment. Stop hypers*xualizing women and dismissing women like Sarojini as "loudmouthed, annoying, and masculine."
We need more women characters like Sarojini in Tamil movies. There are women like her in real life. But men's fantasies about women are the direct opposite and movies today only cater for horny young men. Such movies aren't helping anyone - especially the men.
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