IT HAS always been an unwritten rule in the film industry, both in Mumbai and the South, that when it came to the box office it was only the hero who mattered. If the film was a hit, none of the credit went to the heroine. While the actor dominated the film, actresses were expected to be content with a role that comprised of six to seven scenes with a few songs thrown in. To add insult to misery, heroines were also handicapped with a short career, — they had a career span of five to eight years when they could enjoy being at the top of their game — after which it was presumed they were over the hill, or were married with children. Of course, none of this applied to our heroes who, despite being married and having children —or for that matter — being on the wrong side of 40, continued to enjoy a career which spanned 20 to 30 years.

Here I must say that our present-day heroes play roles which are still believable for their age, but there was a time when the audience was forced to digest films where the hero, though well into his 30s, was still prancing about a college campus while cavorting with a heroine.

In recent times, only a few female stars have been able to destroy some Bollywood myths. With her outstanding performance in Fashion, Priyanka Chopra broke the myth that a Hindi film without a hero cannot be a box office success. Her performance has already won her two Best Actress awards.

Kajol is the another actress who broke the myth that marriage meant the end of a successful career in Hindi films. She made a spectacular return in Fanaa, opposite Amir Khan, which was a huge success and is now, as you read this, in the midst of filming with Shahrukh Khan for Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan. Note that I do not mention Madhuri Nene’s (Dixit) much-hyped post-marriage return vehicle Aaja Nachle which didn’t do much at the box office..

The scenario for actresses in Hollywood is far better with several heroine’s careers actually peaking in their 40s, post marriage and children. Scripts in Hollywood are written purely for women and tackle a host of issues. Hollywood managed to churn out the hit film Erin Brockovich, with the gorgeous Julia Roberts while the recent film, Doubt, is driven by a superb performance by Meryl Streep.

Back home, the success of our star heroines is still measured by the number of films they have with the big male stars, even though they may be talented enough to carry a film on their petite shoulders. The fault, I feel, lies with our film makers who don’t have the guts or the gumption to write and execute good subjects with our very talented heroines. Our audience also doesn’t seem to support films anchored by heroines with the same enthusiasm they shower on the heroes. So the next time a Tabu or an Urmilla or any one of our many talented heroines headline the star cast of a film, I urge you to go out and see it. I’m sure you will be in for a treat.

Ken K Ghosh is a film director