Strong heroines, mellow heroes, engaging stories and fierce social commentary define Bharathiraja’s repertoire

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A 1980 file picture of Bharati Raja. (Photo published in The Hindu dated November 16, 1980. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives

As Bharathiraja breezed into Tamil cinema with 16 Vayathinile, into a sylvan landscape, he not only transformed what was being shown on screen, but also brought in a new grammar for characterisation in Tamil cinema.

With fresh eyes, groomed on a rural story line in the lush surroundings of Theni in south Tamil Nadu, Bharathiraja decided he was done with the conventional tropes of the hero, the baddie, and a hanger-on heroine. Interestingly, this director who has introduced a number of heroes and heroines, found that his heroines became iconic stars, while the heroes, with a few exceptions, got by. In this, lies the subtext of how Bharatiraja imagined and sculpted his dramatis personnae– strong women, mellow heroes, and a liberal spattering of motley characters adding depth to the storytelling.

This asymmetric attention that Bharathiraja pays to male and female characters emerges over his repertoire of films. Repeatedly, the heroines stand out in relief, while the heroes redefine ‘heroism’. It is well known that Bharathiraja had a literal Midas touch introducing heroines. Besides Radha, Radikaa Sarathkumar, Revathy, Rekha, and Ranjitha, his ‘R series’ of heroines, Vijayashanti the action heroine, also got a foot hold in cinema thanks to him. Take Mayil, for instance, in 16 Vayathinile. Sridevi dazzles as a school girl whose vulnerabilities and strengths remain the pivot of the film. The men, whether it is Kamal Hassan’s Chappani or Rajinikanth’s Parattaiyan, nevermind what position on the good-evil spectrum they may lie, are all destined to circumnavigate Mayil. For those seeking heroes in the movies, Bharathiraja offers Chappani, a man drawing courage and support from the heroine, a ‘mellow hero’.

While Bharathiraja gave Chappani a noticeable limp, he also dared to give thespian Sivaji Ganesan age in the classic Muthal Mariyathai. In his masterpiece a