What’s worse? It incites laughter from most audiences. Name any popular comedian over the last two decades — Santhanam, Vadivelu, Vivek — and it’s ridiculously easy to pick a number of films where the funnymen either mock a woman or supporting artist for their body shape/ colour, or are subjected to self-deprecating ridicule themselves. 

An incident from earlier this year where popular actor Suriya was body-shamed for his height proved that when it comes to excessive scrutiny and unattainable standards, not even highly paid actors were exempt from taunts. 

However, it’s the actresses who bear a large share of the criticism that pertains to their height, weight and complection on a near constant basis. From deriding the look of Suhasini as Arukkani, a village belle, to fat shaming of actors like Khushboo and more recently Hansika, to racially motivated taunts aimed at Laila in the movie Dhill, what passes of as humor and light-hearted banter in Tamil cinema is a deeply problematic by-product of social conditioning. Very few have spoken up about it, such as comedienne Vidyu Raman who got trolled on social media for posting pictures of a glamorous shoot. 

Despite being abused, the young actress also found solace in many who praised her for having the nerve to stand up to her attackers. “The whole point of this was to show that a comedian can also feel beautiful and needn’t look like a clown, and to tell women to feel beautiful in whatever shape/colour they are. To the hundreds who found self confidence and assurance from the pics, keep at it girls! Also to those who were so quick to judge, please google ‘plus size modelling’. Open your narrow, conservative eyes to the world around you and see the amazing things people are doing,” she replied.

Tamil cinema is doing a disservice to larger society not just by placing extremely demanding conditions on the looks of actors and actresses, but also by brutally tearing down anyone who dares to look even slightly different from what is considered the ideal. There is no room for an extra inch, bunionitis inducing high heels are to be worn in perpetuity, unless it makes the hero look short of course, and anyone who is ‘dusky’ will be whitewashed with makeup or shunted out of the industry indiscriminately.

 

Even namma Superstar hasn’t been spared. From the days when he was chosen as a villain for being dark-skinned to the scene in director Shankar’s Sivaji, where Rajinikanth tries to become fair after Shriya rejects him for being dark, it goes to show that though Tamilians proudly flaunt the ‘tall, dark and handsome’ line when it comes to their heroes, even the leading men can have the tables turned on them. But with younger, more aware and relevant filmmakers finally taking reign, audience can hope for better representation - in the coming years to do away with body-shaming.