Terrible Relationship Advice…

 

If the Tamil movie industry had one motto it would be “Play it safe”, and the sad truth is that most Tamil audiences enjoy seeing the same themes over and over again; romance, sentiment, songs, etc. are all ingredients needed to make a successful Tamil movie. However, in regards to romance and relationships there are a number of recurring themes in Tamil movies that I would like to have permanently retired. Themes like…

If you want a Tamil guy to respect you, ditch the western clothes and attitude.

Are you finding it difficult to get a husband? Do you fear that you might die a lonely old spinster? Well according to Kollywood, the answer is simple! They guarantee that if you erase all external evidence of a personality and then replace your trendy new clothes and hairstyle with a sari and a simple plait with a complimentary poo-malai (flower-garland), you will bag your hero within a matter of seconds!

This is a popular theme in many Tamil movies; the heroine is initially ignored and/or criticised by the hero for her Western attitudes and dress sense. This causes the girl to undergo a dramatic transformation; cue scene where heroine surprises the hero by walking into the room dressed to the hilt in traditional attire. The makeover usually includes losing all power of speech and personality, replaced by a series of dopey grins and frequent, coy head turns. No explanation is ever given as to how she managed to achieve this dramatic personality change, but based on the available evidence I assume a lobotomy was involved. This change immediately makes the hero respect the heroine, and before you know it they are married and living in a Tamilian’s paradise.

The movie Sivakasi (2005), starring Vijay and Asin, gives a perfect example of this theme. Check out the video clip below:

Asin’s character has just been harassed by some random pervert but instead of giving him the beating he deserves, Vijay gives her the riot act instead. For those of you who dont understand Tamil; in short he outright blames her and her dress sense for making men want to harass her. Although he briefly does question the pervert’s poor self control, he spends most of the time telling her (the victim) that she is to blame for the man’s action and that if she wants respect she should wear a sari. Can you guess what effect this has on her? I assume some of you would give him a big slap and tell him he looks like someone who should be washing your car rather than dishing out fashion advice. Well check out Asin’s character’s response…

There you go ladies: if you wear shortsand a sleeveless top – you might as well be naked! Don’t blame us Tamil men if the mere sight of your knees turns us into randy salivating dogs and we start dry-humping your legs. It’s your own fault for not covering up. Is that clear? Good! Now go get your man a mutton roll….AND FOR GOD’S SAKE COVER UP THOSE ANKLES!!