Tamil actors want heroines half their age: Khushboo

Chennai: In a male-dominated Tamil film industry, making a comeback after marriage is a tough task for Tamil heroines.
However, in Bollywood, the top female actors, such as Kajol, Madhuri Dixit or even Aishwarya Rai Bachchan still have a very prominent place in Bollywood.
Simran was the first choice for Jothica's role in the Rajinikanth starrer, Chandramukhi and her fans had even built a temple for her. However, after marriage and motherhood, Simran is no longer the sought-after star like she was. While her male co-stars who are pushing 40 still rule the silver screen, Simran's comeback vehicle is the next Rajinikanth film called Kushelan in which she plays the second female lead.
"It's not the people who are thinking this way. It is the people who are making films who think this way. If they stop thinking like that, we can change the trend down south also,” says Simran.
However, this isn't a new phenomenon for Tamil heroines. While former popular actresses like Rambha and Nagma have now settled for Bhojpuri films, other heroines like Devayani, Meena and Khushboo and Simran are now gracing the small screen.
"Once a heroine is married and she has a family and kids, it always makes a difference. She's seen in a senior category. However, for the heroes they always want to look young-like youth. So you look at all heroes and they always want their heroines who are less than half their age. That boosts up their 'youth' image," says actress, Khushboo.
However, for the actress this means settling for the role of a mother, sister or an older relative. Those unwilling to take this path have even quit acting altogether.
The heroes always seem to have a longer innings compared to the heroines in the Tamil film industry. All it needs for the trend to change is to give the female actor a second chance and a graceful comeback.