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Theloosu ponnu(transl. Crazy girl) is astock characterinTamil cinema,a girl who is portrayed as attractive but naïve and unintelligent. It is regarded as the equivalent of theManic Pixie Dream Girlanddumb blondestereotypes in the United States.[1][2]The loosu ponnutropebecame increasingly popular in 1990s Tamil cinema when themasculinityof the hero became severely overblown. It has since received criticism for beingmisogynisticand regressive.[3][4]

History and terminology[edit]

According to criticBaradwaj Rangan,the loosu ponnu trope emerged in an era where Tamil filmmakers began casting North Indian women, who did not know Tamil, in leading roles; due to their lip syncing not being perfect (their lines would be dubbed over by others), wild gesticulation and their emotional reactions seeming unusual, "all of this ended up making them look like mad people".[5]

Characteristics[edit]

Loosu ponnus are typically depicted as being bubbly,[6]naïve, childish, lacking professional ambition, having easily detachable ties with their families, and showing unquestioning devotion to heroic males once they fall in love with them.[1]They are also depicted as angelic, in need of constant rescuing, and incapable of doing even simple things in life.[3]Very often, their "cuteness" is directly proportional to how insane their actions may seem to viewers.[1]

Examples[edit]

Known loosu ponnu characters in Tamil films are Anjali (Amala) fromAgni Natchathiram(1988),[7]Mythili (Jyothika) inManmadhan(2004),[8]Suji and Hema (Meera Jasmine) inPudhiya Geethai(2003) andSandakozhi(2005) respectively,[9]Haritha (Nayanthara) inKalvanin Kadhali(2006), Hasini (Genelia D'Souza) inSantosh Subramaniam(2008),[10]Anitha (Taapsee Pannu) inArrambam(2013),[5]Chitra Devipriya (Kajal Aggarwal) inAll in All Azhagu Raja(2013),[11]Keerthana (Nazriya) inRaja Rani (2013 film),Yazhini (Hansika Motwani) inMaan Karate(2014),[10]Shakila (Samantha) in10 Endrathukulla(2015),[12]Sowmya (Aggarwal) inPaayum Puli(2015),[13]Priya (Motwani) inUyire Uyire(2016),[14]Aarathu Aanandhi (Sai Pallavi) inMaari 2(2018),[15]Vandhana (Sayyeshaa) inGhajinikanth(2018),[16][10]and Padmini (Priyanka Arul Mohan) inDoctor(2021).[17]Keerthy Sureshhas played such characters in films likeRemo(2016)[18]andThodari(2016).[19]

Other languages[edit]

Besides Tamil films, loosu ponnu characters were also noted inTelugufilms (known as 'pichi pilla') with Shalini (Rakul Preet Singh) inSpyder(2017), Sukumari (Keerthy Suresh) and Suryakantham (Anu Emmanuel) inAgnyaathavaasi(2018),[2]Samskruthi (Rashmika Mandanna) inSarileru Neekevvaru(2020),[20]Genelia D' Souza inOrange(2010).[21]

Criticism[edit]

The loosu ponnu trope has received wide criticism for being misogynistic and regressive.[3][4][1]ActressMadonna Sebastianhas expressed her dislike for it, saying, "I think it is disrespectful and when people endorse it, even heroines, it becomes a dangerous trend."[22]Aishwarya Rajeshhas consciously avoided playing such roles, citing her preference for "sensible" roles.[23]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdIswarya, V (29 September 2016)."What I Learned About Love And Women From Tamil Movies".BuzzFeed.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  2. ^abDundoo, Sangeetha Devi (17 January 2018)."Women in Telugu cinema: Some common sense please?".The Hindu.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  3. ^abc"The 'loosu ponnu' in Tamil cinema and why she should retire".The News Minute.30 September 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  4. ^abRajendran, Sowmya (13 July 2018)."CS Amudhan's 'Tamizh Padam 2' speaks the truth about female characters in Kollywood".The News Minute.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  5. ^abRangan, Baradwaj(4 November 2013).""Arrambam"... Mission to "mass"".Baradwaj Rangan.Archivedfrom the original on 1 June 2017.Retrieved7 December2018.
  6. ^Rangan, Baradwaj(19 July 2018)."Southern Lights: Are Tamil-Speaking Heroines Doomed In Tamil Cinema?".Film Companion.Archivedfrom the original on 19 September 2020.Retrieved8 December2018.
  7. ^Rangan, Baradwaj(20 September 2018)."Every Mani Ratnam Film, Ranked".Film Companion.Archivedfrom the original on 30 August 2021.Retrieved30 August2021.
  8. ^"Manmathan".Sify.14 November 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2019.Retrieved28 July2019.
  9. ^"Sandakozhi 2 movie review: This Vishal film is a lazy rehash".The Indian Express.18 October 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 3 November 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  10. ^abc"Genelia to Hansika: The 'loosu ponnu' heroines who have ruled Tamil films".India Today.12 September 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  11. ^"All in All Azhaguraja-A profoundly irritating film".Sify.3 November 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 20 July 2021.Retrieved20 July2021.
  12. ^Rangan, Baradwaj(21 October 2015)."10 Enradhukulla: A slipshod road movie".The Hindu.Archivedfrom the original on 18 December 2017.Retrieved7 December2018.
  13. ^Srinivasan, Sudhir (4 September 2015)."Paayum Puli: A few good portions don't make a wholesome meal".The Hindu.Archivedfrom the original on 13 January 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  14. ^Rangan, Baradwaj(2 April 2016)."Uyire Uyire: Still life".The Hindu.Archivedfrom the original on 28 July 2019.Retrieved27 May2019.
  15. ^Srivatsan, S. (21 December 2018)."'Maari 2' review: An overlong yet entertaining sequel ".The Hindu.Archivedfrom the original on 28 July 2019.Retrieved27 May2019.
  16. ^Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (3 August 2018)."Ghajinikanth Review: Interesting premise wasted by dull writing".India Today.Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  17. ^Ganeshan, Balakrishna (9 October 2021)."Doctor review: Sivakarthikeyan's logic defying film is a thorough entertainer".The News Minute.Archivedfrom the original on 9 October 2021.Retrieved6 November2021.
  18. ^"Half-Yearly report: GV Prakash Kumar to Eswari Rao, best performances of 2018".The Times of India.2018.Archivedfrom the original on 7 August 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  19. ^Pillai, Sreedhar (22 September 2016)."Thodari review: Dhanush's thriller is like a local train; it's slow and makes frequent stops".Firstpost.Archivedfrom the original on 30 March 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  20. ^K., Janani (11 January 2020)."Sarileru Neekevvaru Movie Review: Mahesh Babu film is utterly disappointing".India Today.Archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2020.Retrieved10 January2021.
  21. ^Jeevi (26 November 2010)."Telugu Movie review – Orange".Idlebrain.com.Archivedfrom the original on 16 November 2021.Retrieved10 December2021.
  22. ^Sekhar, Arunkumar (17 July 2018)."The Madonna Sebastian interview: 'I fell in love with music because of Tamil cinema'".The New Indian Express.Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  23. ^Rajendran, Sowmya (24 April 2017)."I was told a dusky, Tamil speaking woman like me can't become heroine: Aishwarya Rajesh".The News Minute.Archivedfrom the original on 19 November 2017.Retrieved7 December2018.
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