Women's Day special: Inspirational women of Malayalam cinema

Bhavana: Not many women would be bold and courageous enough to fight against sexual harassment without the fear of getting slut-shamed and public scrutiny, but Bhavana did and showed every woman by example that silence is not the option against any kind of violence.

After being brutally harassed by criminals in a running car in broad daylight, Bhavana didn't resign into depression or mourned her fate, instead pursued a legal fight against the culprits who attacked her which lead to the arrest of actor Dileep and subsequent events.

In a country where harassment against women is widespread which ranges from eve teasing to rape and murder, we often see women bear the brunt of male dominance in silence. Bhavana's case was motivational in the sense that many women would now have the courage to speak up without the fear of society's judgemental attitude. Yes, Bhavana might have had the privileges that gave her the strength to take up the fight, she had support from her colleagues and family, but she had only herself to overcome the mental trauma and societal pressure to come back strongly and lead a normal life.

Bhavana's incident also resulted in the immediate formation of Women in Cinema Collective, a collective formed to address the issues and concerns of actresses in Malayalam film industry.

Bhavana proceeded to marry her long-time boyfriend Naveen in January earlier this year.

Parvathy has made her haters, for standing firm in her opinion and she is fine with that. This actress has been quite the rebel to an otherwise male dominant Malayalam film industry. Announcing her arrival through Rosshan Andrrews movie 'Notebook', Parvathy has some remarkable achievements in her acting career, Kerala State film award for best actress and several Filmfare awards being few among them. But, what made Parvathy a real heroine is her fearless attitude against male chauvinism in the film industry and life. Recently her remarks on Mammootty movie 'Kasaba' invited a lot of wrath from Mammootty fans as they tried to slut shame and abuse her over social media platforms. An unmoved Parvathy faced all the threats and hate with a gracefully smiling face and went for a legal fight against people who issued her rape threats, which eventually resulted in the arrest of a Mammootty fan.

She was criticised for being 'over-smart' and was called 'feminichi'- a term invented to ridicule her feminist stance after the ‘Kasaba’ controversy. But, Parvathy was not the one to cower down against cheap tricks as she crossed regional borders to act in a Hindi movie 'Qarib Qarib Singlle' paired along with Irrfan Khan last year. She is also one of the founding members of WCC (Women in Cinema Collective), and continues her inspiring work on and off the screen.

Surabhi Lakshmi made headlines by winning the National Award for her performance in the movie 'Minnaminnugu' last year, but, this firebrand actress has been in the industry for some time and it took her a national honour to get recognized.

Born in Calicut, Surabi used her natural dialect to full effect in her characters which earned her special attention in shows and serials she had acted in. Surabhi first came into the limelight by winning a reality show 'Best Actor'. After that, she got a series of less important roles in movies. In 2012 her character in KK Rajeev's show 'Kadhayille Rajakumari' was much appreciated and earned her much more serious roles in movies. She also won the Kerala Sahitya Nataka Academy's best actress award for her performance in the play 'Yakshikadhakalum Naatuvarthamanangalum' in the year 2010. It was her comical character Paathu in the comedy serial 'M80 Moosa' which made her popular among the public. Her ease to handle comedy, unlike her contemporaries, was much appreciated. Eventually, a serious role in the movie 'Minnaminungu' in 2016 won her the most prestigious award for an actor.

Surabhi with her natural style of acting and dialogue delivery, and down to earth character proved that the mainstream concepts of a fair and desirable appearance are not necessary to make it big in the film field for an actress, thus inspiring youngsters to dream big.

Rima Kallingal is another pillar of woman strength in Malayalam cinema who has achieved incredible milestones in her career. Always with a response and reaction to any socially relevant issue, Rima has been an active whistle-blower along with her husband and director Ashiq Abu. A two-time winner of Kerala State Film Awards for her acting displays, Rima's voice is always heard in the media. She was the first actress from the industry who dared to speak against the gender discrimination prevailing in Mollywood.

Her recent speech in a Ted talk series explaining how she became a feminist was much discussed in the media. Rima said how her brother had an undue advantage even over a fried fish in her own home which made her a feminist. She was one among few who stood and fought all the way with actress Bhavana after the latter was sexually harassed in a running car. Rima also extended her support to Parvathy during the 'Kasaba' controversy. Rima is also an active member of the WCC.

With her return to Mollywood after a long break, Manju never showed the hiatus affecting her performance as an actress. Portraying the character of Nirupama in the movie 'How Old Are You?', Manju signalled her return to industry with much critical appreciation and awards coming in her way on her return. Manju's decision to come back to where she belongs after a troubled married life with actor Dileep shows the resilient spirit of this actress.

There were rumours that she was being denied deserving roles because of the influence of Dileep, but Manju overcame such adversities with subtle grace. She also became a major part of the Women's Collective formed after the Bhavana incident in which Dileep was the prime accused. But, she intelligently avoided unwanted controversies and focussed on her career and earned strong woman-oriented characters on her return. In her last movie 'Aami' directed by Kamal, she portrayed the role of iconic Malayalam writer Madhavikutty a.k.a. Kamala Surrayya which was warmly received by filmgoers.

Manju Warrier with her strong return to movies yet again proved that marriage shouldn't be the final frontier for women.