The good, bad and ugly: Rajisha Vijayan’s characters in latest outings redefine female villain roles in Mollywood

Female villains in Malayalam cinema used to be evil mothers-in-law, insensitive daughters-in-law, revengeful lovers or blood-thirty ghosts.
Like Meenakshi's Indu in 'Vellinakshathram', Urvashi's Kanchana in 'Thalayana Manthram', or even KPAC Lalitha’s character in Rajasenan’s ‘Aadyathe Kanmani’, the villainess, by and large, stayed within the family fabric.

Breaking this mould is Rajisha Vijayan, who of late has been bringing unique negative characters to life onscreen. The award-winning actor no longer plays her bubbly yet tongue-in-cheek characters like the titular role in Ahammed Khabeer’s 'June' or the go-getter techie in Rahul Riji Nair’s ‘Keedam’.

Her characters in the last three films were quite unusual for an actor seen playing leading roles.

In ‘Pakalum Paathiravum’, released in March, she played Mercy, a daughter who takes out her frustration on her parents, especially her father who is a drunkard. Though that's natural for any woman her age, the character shift she undergoes was surprising. Her interaction with the photographer, played by Kunchacko Boban, who arrives unexpectedly at her house, was different from what we normally see.

Director Ajai Vasudev said he approached Rajisha because no other female actor in Mollywood was willing to do the role in 'Pakalum Pathiravum'. "I spoke to four leading actresses for this role but none of them were willing to play the character since they felt it was too risky. However, Rajisha is not image conscious and cares more about the characters she plays. She surprised me when she brought in her own suggestions on how to play the character," he said.

Rajisha also pulled off the gray side of her character with equal elan in ‘Kolla’ and ‘Madhura Manohara Moham', her most recent films.

While in Suraj Varma’s ‘Kolla’, she plays a woman who decides to rob a cooperative bank because that was her grandfather’s (Alancier) long-cherished dream, in Stephy Zaviour’s debut feature ‘Madhura Manohara Moham’, she plays Meera, a responsible, goody two shoes who has a different side to her that many cannot fathom.

Because of the risk of being stereotyped, it’s not easy for an actress to play a negative role in Mollywood. That Rajisha has done three back-to-back films with gray characters takes a lot of courage, especially for an actress who made a mark for herself without any industry support. But these roles have not diminished her popularity among viewers, or her acceptance among directors.

Though Rajisha does not have any immediate releases, it will not be surprising if she decides to play more antagonist characters in the future. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s admirable when a leading lady lends her weight to such roles.