Kannammaa Writes

  One of the reasons I liked Mani Ratnam's filmmaking is how he portrays women in his films, even in gangster films. In the former decade, however, Mani steadily succumbed to gangster movies where he normalizes gangsters having mistresses. I know that men will come and say that having affairs are a part of life for gangsters - Mani Ratnam is just showing "realism." But I grew up watching Nayagan and Thalapathy. In fact, I used Thalapathy for plenty of feministic referrals. Mani Ratnam proved previously that gangsters needn't use women as side chicks and have wives who tolerate their cheating to prove their "Thug Life" status. And quite frankly, the honoring of women in Mani's Nayagan and Thalapathy is what elevated the films to a whole new level. I do have a bone with the "item" songs in Nayagan and Thalapathy. Nonetheless, the movies hold women in a league where they needn't be a gangster's notoriety enhancers. They exist, as they are,...

  7 Feminist Elements in Thalapathy ✋ First of all, this post isn’t denying the unsavory cinematic liberties and stereotypes that Mani Ratnam has spewed in his films. In fact, his Kaatru Veliyidai and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam are major red flags. But still, I want to talk about Thalapathy and the movie’s feminist elements that are way ahead of their time. 1. A man pacifies his wife’s dilemma about her rape and the son she bore out of wedlock. ❤ Indian men’s biggest fear remains:  "What if I get “goods that were used by someone else” as my wife?"  The "used goods" include rape victims. Krishnamoorthy (Jai Shankar) in Thalapathy broke this mold in 1991.  Not only does he marry Kalyani (Srividya), a rape victim... but he also calms her down every time she feels guilty about her rape and “illegitimate” child. 2. Giving the birth of a girl child a positive outlook - how daughters are more empathetic and caring.💃 In the Malaysian Indian community, daughters are coveted an...

I've been watching clips of the movie Raghu Taatha and made a statement that I wished Divya (Revathi) in Mouna Raagam rejected Chandrakumar (Mohan) like Keerthi Suresh did.  And all hell broke loose. I was vilified. "If Divya had rejected CK (Chandrakumar), she would've missed a diamond." So, I am compelled to explain why Chandrakumar is not a green flag by any definition. 1. A man who is a green flag wouldn't say that he likes a girl and would like to marry her after she clearly explained about herself and disinterest in marriage. 🚩 If he is a green flag, he wouldn't let her family pressure her into marrying him because although they like him, she doesn't. There is subtle dishonoring of consent on Chandrakumar's behalf. And he let Divya's family leverage his so-called good qualities into forcing her to marry him. 2. Divya clearly emits signs of discomfort when CK approaches her. Instead of noticing that, he proceeds to "first night" unt...