Yeah? Well I’m sick of explaining it/reading others patiently try to explain it. See: comment 55.

Look, it’s not rocket science. That’s what Abhi is for.

In terms of skin color – I do not the director was thinking this when he was penning the script. “Let me show the world what Rajni will look like when he is fair…that would show the world that skin color doesn’t matter. Maybe they will give me a nobel peace prize. Maybe they will ask me to make MJ look black so future generations can see what MJ looked like. Maybe…”

His though process was, “I am making a movie with Ragni. Shit, I have to come up with something spectacular or I will never be allowed to direct another movie, let alone a grade school drama. Think, think…how about make Rajni white. Budget is not option and this would be mind blowing. Yes let me do it to save my skin”

why i brought up the hindi film industry is because i was sure someone would say ‘oh but in bollywood actresses matter more and have more personality,’ (e.g. there is a difference image-wise between bipasha basu and rani mukherji) and i just wanted to state from the get-go that that’s what i’ve seen. it wasn’t meant as a judgement that the hindi film industry is less sexist or somehow better than the south indian film industry.

and i didn’t pay for the movies. my relatives did. (fyi, i’ve tried reasoning with them about all that’s wrong with these movies, but all they say is ‘men are dominant in india’ and then they get amused at my frustration).

as for reading my own comments… my basic point is that most of the movies that become hits in southern india (e.g. rajni’s latest) are sexist. i don’t know everything about the southern film industry, let alone the telugu film industry, but it’d take a lot to change my opinion from that. like for actresses to actually start speaking in the language they’re supposed to be acting in.

wow, it seems I can’t make a statement about the majority of south Indian movies (which overall follow a very formulaic pattern) I’ve seen without being accused of overgeneralizing.

–> From your earlier comment(#123), “There is probably not a SINGLE movie produced by the south Indian film industry that would become a hit if the story was filmed with a female as the main protagonist”. I guess not a SINGLE phrase is negated by use of the word probably and hence you can claim misreading on the part of others ? Backtracking to south indian movies you have seen is fine by me.

And I don’t understand why every single point about south Indian film has to be compared to the Hindi film industry or Hollywood.

–> From your earlier comment(#123), “There is probably not a SINGLE movie produced by the south Indian film industry that would become a hit if the story was filmed with a female as the main protagonist (I think it’s different in the Hindi film industry though).”

You started it!!!

but the fact that whoever tried to give examples could only come up with a few

–> Do you want the comments section to be a list of all tamil movies that were made with female protagonist and became hits ? That you were using the small list I provided to make a larger point is laughable.

That says something about the people who pay to make these movies big hits.

–> And that includes you, I presume ? Or are you commenting on movies you havent seen ?

Maybe you should try reading your comments before you pull up others for their responses.

i need to watch these older movies.

hmm, question. what do you all think of “Maya Bazaar”?

I have watched a ton of movies of all types and languages(though I still need to watch the Esperanto flick with Shatner!). The movie industry in general is male dominated.

Comparison gives us perspective. Also a good way to tell if someone is being fairly (and equally) critical.

I would suggest you to check out reviews before watching a movie, whether its Hollywood/Bollywood/Tollywood. Check out FullHyd before planing to watch any Bollywood/Tollywood movie, their reviews are fairly balanced and get it right most of the times.

Of course I haven’t seen every south Indian film ever, but the fact that whoever tried to give examples could only come up with a few (out of the hundreds and hundreds churned out by the Telugu film industry alone every year), and pretty much admitted that they will never be as popular as a film with a big male star that depends on making the heroine more childlike and powerless in contrast to the big strong hulking hero, kind of proves my point. And I don’t understand why every single point about south Indian film has to be compared to the Hindi film industry or Hollywood. ‘Ooh well they’re sexist too!’ Does that make it any more ok that stories about forty-year-holds chasing after barely-legal gals who don’t even speak the language by annoying them and slapping their ‘spoiledness’ out of them (Naa Alludu) end up with the girl falling in love with the hero become SUPERBIG hits? That says something about the people who pay to make these movies big hits.

too many generalizations; also why do u think hindi films are more capable of having a female lead than south indian movies. ‘Masala’ movies are the similar and formulaic both throughout indian film industry. generally once a hero becomes ‘big time’, ie. his movies start selling just for his name, then he will not agree to act in movies where anyone else has a bigger role, so ends up with ‘dumb blonde’ type female co-stars. however, as pointed out in #130, there are many women-centric southie movies made; but such movies wil never be as big as a rajini hit.