Kannammaa Writes

This post isn’t about the story of Gatta Kushti but about the patriarchal and sexist nuances in the movie. I’ve posted positively about Veera in a separate post. A husband will mistreat and physically abuse his wife and she shouldn’t hit him back. So, only marry physically weaker women.  This perception says how society assumes that domestic abuse against women will and must happen. But men should never put themselves at risk of being physically abused by their wives by marrying a female wrestler or a woman who knows karate. Society expects abuse after marriage more than love and affection. The perception that domestic violence against anyone is wrong is missing. Women can’t protect themselves and others. If they do, they’re “rugged” girls who aren’t raised properly. This is the core of the mindset of those surrounding the protagonist. Karunas’ character specifically scolds Keerthi for protecting her husband by beating up goons, hence humiliating him, indulging in fights, and blame...

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. I haven’t watched Ponniyin Selvan 1. But still, I want to talk about Thalapathy and the movie’s feminist elements that are way ahead of their time. A man pacifies his wife’s dilemma about her rape and the son she bore out of wedlock. Not so long ago, Astro Ulagam conducted a poll if Malaysian Indian men would marry a rape victim/a girl with sexual experience. Only one said he would. Indian men’s biggest fear remains if they get “goods that were used by someone else” as their wives. Nayanthara is still abused for her past. Wikki is trolled for accepting a woman who is the leftover of other men. Krishnamoorthy character in Thalapathy broke this mold in 1991. Not only does he marry her, but he also calms Kalyani down every time she feels guilty about her rape and “illegitimate” child....

Many men think that educated and feminist women are embodiments of Neelambari - I beg to differ! Her character embodies any male villain in Tamil cinema. 1. Sh e’s a classist, elitist, and entitled. She mistreats her servants and acts like how male villains have been portrayed all this time - “if I don’t get what I want, no one else should get it so I will destroy it." Almost all Tamil movie villains display this thought process and no one batted an eye. A female character does the same and suddenly, she’s a feminist. 2. She thinks the world must fulfill her wishes and the consent and desires of others don’t matter. Many male villains came in this mold - they only care about their desires. When you find feminists not supporting such characters, IDK how can you conclude Neelambari who displays the same character as feminist. 3. She’s vengeful and quite frankly, weak-minded. Despite her education, sass, and worldly knowledge, she behaves like she has no choice in a life partner exce...

  1. Natchathiram Nagargiradhu Arjun essayed by Kalaiarasan He is an unadulterated male chauvinist and casteist. He is a typical Tamil male 90s kids who indulges in slut-shaming. After sexually harassing Rene, and the drama troupe gives him a second chance at Rene's request, his transformation is incredible. He unlearns his sexist and casteist ways and relearns. Initially, it does seem like he did it on a pro quid pro basis, to convince Rene to accept him. Later, he says a lot of things that denote self-learning that's aimed at greater good.  2. Gatta Kusthi Veera essayed by Vishnu Vishal This movie has a lot of flaws, especially the influence of Veera's booze buddies in male chauvinism and his sycophant ways at his wife after he learns that she's a wrestler. What I like is how he supports his wife later. He realizes that women have dreams in correlation of his wife. He puts himself in women's shoes and understands that the ideal dynamics in a marriage are support, ...

  For many, Love Today’s high rating and box office status are indications that it’s a “fantastic, good film.” I’m here to say why it’s not the case. Many problematic Tamil movies have become superhits. 1. Padayappa I am neither going to talk about Padayappa’s dialogue about how a woman should be nor his Sanskrit classification of women. Neelambari kisses him without his consent and his father blames him for it. The movie is a massive hit. 2. Minnale There was a time when I swooned about this movie. However, it glorifies stalking and lying, and manipulating to get a girl. Rajesh sees a woman playing in a thunderstorm with a bunch of kids and declares that she’s his kind of girl. <Jackie Chan confusion moment> Minnale had a high rating and was commercially successful just like Love Today. 3. Naatamai From telling a rapist to marry his victim, how women are not equal to men no matter how more educated the former is, to checking if the woman they want to marry to their son stutt...

When I saw Tamil men hailing Love Today as an awesome movie, I knew that I had watch it and give it a slipper shot review. So, here goes... Male Gaze IDK, Surya, and Arya all show their bodies to the world. How would it be if their wives told them to wear dupattas? That absurdity is exactly what I felt when Uththaman used a safety pin to cover Nikki’s waist in a saree. No one should see your girlfriend's body. But you will ask for pictures from random women, say that you'd like to fuck random women in locker room GCs and shag for actresses. When questioned, it's all fantasy, nothing serious.  The “Grave Sin” and “Just Fun” Bias If committed women maintain a close relationship with their ex, reply to DMs from unknown men, and talk affectionately to a guy who has a romantic interest, it’s the sin of the highest order. If committed men ask for pictures from random women, say depraved things about women in GCs, don’t delete pictures when they say they did, treat actresses as sh...

The Women of Kandukondain Kandukondain I’ve always liked all the female characters in Kandukondain Kandukondain because: They don’t show women as frivolous, aimless, and dependent like movies these days do The characterization is as realistic as it is revolutionary. Meenakshi (Aishwarya Rai) She is idealistic and a hopeless romantic - her head is in the clouds and she is a bit of a flibbertigibbet.  However: She has an independent mind.  She doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind.  She is not satisfied with staying at home doing nothing to support her family. Meenakshi knows her talents and uses them to contribute financially to her family.  She rejects the married Srikanth, displaying her dignity.  And the maturity she shows when finally choosing her life partner teaches us all about what really matters. Sowmya (Tabu) Sowmya is independent and capable from the start. She feels real when she lets the perception of “raasi illathava” (bad luck bringer) get to her hear...