Why heroine always has to be childlike?

Why does film heroine in Indian films always has to be adorable, innocent, childlike and go around jumping, laughing, prancing, crying like a kid?

Any heroine who looks older or mature or has a mature voice is suddenly called manly or fit for older roles or artsy roles or roles of a sex symbol (if she also has a good body).

Even voice chosen to sing for heroine is usually extra sugary sweet like Lata, Shreya, Alka, Sadhana Sargam etc.

90% reason for craze for actresses like Juhi Chawla, Preity Zinta, Divya Bharti is due to their cuteness, innocence, onscreen vulnerability. I feel Alia is also liked a lot for her young, vulnerable, childlike looks.

Many films deliberately infantilise female characters and show heroine as either a petulant, naive child who has to be tamed and taught a lesson by him or an innocent, vulnerable childlike lady who has to be rescued by hero.

Heroines begin to be called 'old' even at 25 itself. Probably because they do not look like Little Red Riding Hood lost in the woods?

People also seem to prefer a sweet or shrill sounding voice for heroine. Otherwise why would anyone make fun of, say Sara Ali Khan's voice or call her voice manly?

Sometimes tall heroines are also not preferred for same reason that they look imposing onscreen. Sushmita Sangeeta Bijlani and Tabu faced this criticism all life.

The chirpy, bubbly, vivacious roles are usually ones that get actress noticed first. Probably smiles of Madhubala, Suchitra Sen, Madhuri Dixit, and 'baby face' of young Sridevi are still remembered because they gave a childlike or adorable vulnerability to their onscreen image.

Is not sexist to look for child woman type combination or childlike innocence and vulnerability in a heroine almost all the time? Why does she always have to run and prance around like a kid in entry scenes? Why can heroine not be like a normal girl/woman and has to look childlike?

Because in the real world, that's the kind of women we usually like.. however, india has given some strong roles too

Madhuri didn't always play this innocent girl..

same goes for Rani even Kajol or Kangana

I agree that some BW films badly relegate the heroines to a "sweet" and irrelevant character, especially in the 'masala' genre.

But these roles only fetch temporary attention and the actresses are not taken seriously, until they start doing performance-oriented roles. Otherwise they fade out within years.

Before the invention of "masala" genre (that damaged Bollywood beyond repair tbh), heroines in the 60s and early 70s were simple, sweet, feminine.... but not childlike. They played vulnerable characters because so was the state of real women back then. They had no choice.

Rekha had go through a series of bad films before to be taken seriously.

Sridevi started as a child artist and transitioned to adult roles quite early. But when she came into her own, she started to outshine her male counterparts and THAT'S WHAT she is remembered for today, as a "superstar".

Divya Bharti was vivacious (as she was literally a child) but she had god-gifted talent. Her screen presence was amazing. She could've gone on the same path as Sridevi, but tragedy happened.

Madhuri got success for playing strong/bold characters (& off course dance).

Kajol never appeared "childlike" in her entire career.

Rani actually had an husky voice that became her trademark,👍🏼. Her dubbed voice in Gulaam makes people cringe today on re-watch.

Juhi & Preeti were the quintessential bubbly girls, but they also had their fair share of strong roles.

Vidya Balan is one actress who has played strong characters, right from her first film. I don't think her success ever depended on her being "childlike".

So, you do have a point. But it's not applicable to all actresses/films, especially for the ones that matter.

Very interesting subject atonimis, and well thought out.

Also, great inout from diasingh2 as usual.

Of course, you've hit the nail on the head. This has been a trope ever since I can remember.

But, perhaps being optimistic, I do think that a change has come about.

If "Art imitates life" has any bearing in truth... then as women in India / South Asia / and Worldwide have been processing when it comes to employment, rights, equality, agency, then that is surely reflected in our films too.

People always make fun of Anushka Sharma and Parineeti Chopra playing "bubbly" and "feisty" and "gutsy characters, but the fact is that the modern Indian woman bears these characteristics much much much more than they used to in the past, if going by the movies and our own familial anecdotes.

Kareena Kapoor being a loose-cannon / go-getter did a lot for the momentum, as has Priyanka Chopra with her "bold" choices... and of course Vidya, Deepika, Alia, Taapsee... all these ladies are carrying on the torch from the Kajols and Ranis and Preitys

Are we moving in the right direction, or am I dreaming ☺️

This is still ok in India.

Whereas in other Asian countries and even in the world , this cute cute agenda is pushed.

It's really sick

Because those kind of movies are made by men ,for ( a certain kind of ) men. Cute one dimensional infantalised women are entertaining enough but not threatening to the egos that are being jerked off.

Forget cutesy wootsy types, some of them actually prance around alone in wide open meadows, waving their dupattas in the air.

Or bathe under the waterfall all alone in the middle of the woods.

Or wear a micromini to college and sing the national anthem.

The hero takes one look and falls in love.

Of course if she wants to be intellectual, all she has to do is don a cotton saree and slip on a pair of glasses (designer).

It’s the maniac pixie dream girl trope …

This bubbly childish woman will show the brooding guy how to enjoy his life and make him fall in love with her and transform him …coz she’s full Of life and innocent and happy all the time

Ofcourse we all know it’s not realistic to be that way all the time ….jwm showed a nice contrast wherein this same innocence (read…delusion) throws geet into a life of depression and loneliness

Most of these tropes exist coz the writers are male and sub consciously think of women in the story as a way to attract men or reform men

Same goes with the whole “cool girl” act…written to specifically attract men …the non fussy girl who will eat pizza with them and drink beer with them and watch sports / action flicks with them and won’t ask them to take her shopping but remain super hot and fit and chill throughout without a single emotional outburst …

Originally posted by: pathaka

It’s the maniac pixie dream girl trope …

This bubbly childish woman will show the brooding guy how to enjoy his life and make him fall in love with her and transform him …coz she’s full Of life and innocent and happy all the time

Ofcourse we all know it’s not realistic to be that way all the time ….jwm showed a nice contrast wherein this same innocence (read…delusion) throws geet into a life of depression and loneliness

Most of these tropes exist coz the writers are male and sub consciously think of women in the story as a way to attract men or reform men

Same goes with the whole “cool girl” act…written to specifically attract men …the non fussy girl who will eat pizza with them and drink beer with them and watch sports / action flicks with them and won’t ask them to take her shopping but remain super hot and fit and chill throughout without a single emotional outburst …

Both tropes in one song. 😆

https://youtu.be/1YEynEEA3_I

I don't necessarily agree that a heroine is always child like. Aishwarya, Deepika, Katrina, Anushka, etc. never came across as child like to me. Neither did Preity Zinta--neither her roles nor her persona behind the scenes. Even Sara Ali Khan doesn't come across as mindless or ditzy despite her awful acting.

I don't remember a child like actress except Alia and she annoys the bejesus out of me with the constant fidgeting and playing dumb.

Some girls have the reputation of dumbing themselves down to make their guy feel "smarter" .... and to not offend the guy's ego. It was more common in the past but a lot of them still do it. Or they think they will be treated leniently or get a free pass when they make mistakes on account of their "cuteness" and ditziness. Perhaps that was rampant in older days when women weren't as evolved as today and movies of that time drew inspiration off real life personalities of women then?

Is that what you mean by childlike? or do you mean female lead roles in movies? This is a totally new topic that I never thought about before.

Janhvi, Ananya, Shanaya, etc. come across as childlike I guess cuz they live in their delusional princess quarters and everyone around them make sure they are spoiled and pampered till cows start flying.