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Time of India

Returning to Gauri from Nathicharami gave me a sense of closure: Sruthi

In the 2018 drama Nathicharami, Sruthi embodied a widow grappling with grief and unfulfilled desires; she briefly reprises this poignant role in Dooora Teera Yaana Sruthi Hariharan is returning to the familiar, impactful role of Gauri from Mansore's 2018 drama Nathicharami . The actress will now reprise the character in Mansore's upcoming Dooora Teera Yaana , in what she describes as finding a profound 'sense of closure'. ' Nathicharami has been much more than just another film in my career; Gauri was one of the most challenging roles I've played. Sometimes a character just sticks with you; you live with them for a while and carry them into your own life because their message truly resonated. That's precisely how I feel about Gauri, a woman who took ownership of her life, bold and unafraid to be herself,' she says. 'Beyond this, working with Mansore again was great, even if it was just a two-day shoot for a very small part. He's truly one of my most favourite directors to work with,' she adds. In a chat with us, Sruthi gets candid about portraying real women in cinema, how female relationships on screen have evolved, and more. I always wondered, 'Where would Gauri be five years later?' And now, we see that she's trekking, single, living her life. That aspect was just beautiful for me to return to Sruthi Hariharan 'Commercial films are yet to portray women realistically' Sruthi, who has often leaned towards bold and unconventional female characters, says, 'More than 'bold,' I'd call them 'real women' – women who aren't perfect, who make mistakes, and who thrive in the grey areas. With OTT platforms giving writers the chance to explore women in their natural settings, there's a noticeable shift in the portrayal of female characters. We now have many amazing filmmakers, both men and women, writing fantastic roles for women across all languages. It is a slow change, but it is happening. However, if you ask me if the representation of women in big commercial films, featuring major stars, has truly changed – I'm not entirely sure. Once that also begins to shift, and we can represent women as realistically as possible even in those large-scale productions, then a lot will change – perhaps even within society itself,' she says. 'Films are finally passing the Bechdel Test' Reiterating how the portrayal of women in cinema has evolved, Sruthi notes, 'The biggest improvement in the writing and portrayal of female characters since I began my career is the rise of stories exploring real, non-superficial relationships between two women. We're seeing deeper meanings given to these bonds, even between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, like we saw in Dabba Cartel. There are more narratives delving into compelling female dynamics. Even if it's just a single scene – and often these interactions no longer revolve around a man. There's a term for it – the Bechdel test, which requires a work to feature at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. I believe many films today are passing the Bechdel Test, which wasn't the case in my time.' 'It's great to see women confident enough to face the camera with minimal makeup' Beyond character depth, Sruthi also celebrates a growing trend of authenticity in female appearance on screen. 'It's truly nice to see women confident enough to face the camera with minimal makeup, not looking overly 'plasticky' or 'done up' – as real as possible. Especially after Nathicharami and even earlier with films like Rhaatee, I've done roles with no makeup. For me, it's about feeling comfortable in my own skin, and I see so many actors doing that today – I think it sends a great message to society at large and to young girls,' she says. 'Safety for women behind the scenes remains a challenge' Even as women's roles improve on screen, Sruthi notes that ensuring safety for women behind the scenes still remains a much more complicated challenge. 'Unlike an office, the film industry's 'workplace' is fluid – even a hotel lobby meeting is a workspace. So, establishing and enforcing rules extremely challenging,' she says. 'To truly safeguard women in the industry, unions and film guilds must set up independent grievance redressal cells, enforcing POSH guidelines, and making ICCs mandatory – at least in each production house, if not on every set. Change must also begin at the grassroots level – with every film set taking ownership of creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive working environment,' she says.