Cinema has Second innings just like in Cricket. If everything goes well, even third or fourth innings is possible- provided there is energy left! Usually heroines get these chances. After coming to limelight as a heroine, glamour fades away as they age and opportunities narrow down. Then take a break and re-appear on screen as Item girls! When even that gets paled down, they start their third innings by acting as an elder sister or a sister-in-law to the lead role. If they still have energy, they can act as a grandmother as well, thereby paving way for a fourth innings! But when it comes to Heroes, this in not the case. After gracing the screen with their heroism, they cannot venture out to act as an uncle or a side actor. Though reaching 50, Men can still continue as heroes! Hence, there is no chance for second or third innings for them. But for the heroines, it is not so. Once the glamour and the glitz reduce, they have to begin their second innings. The people, who ruled the industry as top heroines once, are settling down to character roles and continuing their acting career in third and fourth innings!
The demand for Mother and Mother-in-law roles in Telugu Cinema is comparatively less. That is because there are hardly any family drama films off late and even if such roles are exist, there is minimal value. If at all there is a desperate need of an actress for such role, we depend on senior artists such as Annapurna for it. This is the main reason why such roles have become so routine in Telugu Cinema. But the current trend has changed in regard to glamour. People demand glamour even for a mother or mother-in-law role. That is why the demand for glamorous actresses for it is present. Hence, great effort is taking place to get back the yesteryear actresses for acting in such roles- as they perfectly suit the requirement. In fact, there are already some actresses who are in this path.
Glamour heroine of the 80s- Nadiya acted as Prabhas’s mother in Mirchi. She proved ideal for the role of a young hero’s mom. Though people said she looked like Prabhas’s elder sister, she got her performance noticed by the Film Industry. Immediately she was cast in the mother in law role for Pawan Kalyan- Trivikram’s Attarintiki Daredi. Being a huge film starring Pawan Kalyan, and an important role for which the title is named after her- what else an actress can ask for? With the boost given by Nadiya for such roles, the film industry started searching for more such actresses who can perform, as well as look glamorous like her. Director Teja opted for Nagma for a key role in his film. That was why the film’s team has been trying desperately for her call sheets.
Madhubala earned a great name acting in the lead role for Mani Ratnam’s Roja, and continued to gain the appreciation of audience in many films. Age and the glamor factor made her stay away from films after that. Now she has started her second innings as a mother to the hero Sumanth Ashwinth in Indraganti Mohanakrishna’s Anthaku Mundhu - Aa Taruvatha. The director said, “We wanted to cast somebody quite beautiful for the hero mother’s role. The first name we thought of was Madhubala.” Coming to Simran, she already started her third innings as an actress. She acted as older Surya’s wife and as a mother to younger Surya in Surya s/o Krishnan. She got a similar chance again to act as a mother in a Surya’s tamil film Dhruva Nakshatram. This film is going to be released in Telugu as well. Lets hope Simran would be considered for mother’s roles in the future Telugu Films!
Kalyani was liked by the audience when she acted as a heroine in Vamshi’s Aunu Valliddaru Ishtapaddaru. She acted in earthly heroine roles since then and gained the viewer’s appreciation. After getting married to director Surya Kiran, she took a break from acting career. Now, she wants to get back to the profession and she is going to give a re-entry very soon. Is it yet to be decided if it is a mother or an elder sister role. Bhoomika is also in the same situation, she has accepted the fact that she won’t be given any heroine roles from now. That is why she is saying she is ready to act in any character. We might get to see Bhoomika in an aunt or elder sister role in films? Telugu Cinema is welcoming all those actresses who are aged and lost that glamor tinge. Let us wait and see how they would enthrall the audience with their re-entry into Acting!