New face of female action in South cinema: Samantha, Preeti and Abhirami
What makes Maa Inti Bangaram and The Blast different is not that the women are taking action, but that they do so without sacrificing character, emotion or credibility.
Women kicking ass in Indian cinema is no longer the novelty it used to be. Women are definitely still kicking ass.
For years, filmmakers have confused strength with invincibility, writing female action heroes who simply punch harder, scream louder and behave like men with different bodies. That’s why two recent South Indian films – Mother Inti Bangaram And blast -They deserve more attention than they are getting. Not because Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Preeti Mukundan and Abhirami beat up bad guys, but because films understand that action starts with character.
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What differentiates these characters is that they are characters first and action heroes second. Swarna (Samantha), Neela (Preity) and Neelaveni (Abhirami) are not written as larger-than-life figures or conventional heroes in Ajeya. Their strength emerges from who they are – their life, their choices and, most importantly, the skills they have. The actions grow naturally from their personalities rather than defining them.
As Mother Inti Bangaram Director BV Nandini Reddy exclusively told India Today, “You need people to root for the hero. It’s not just selling the stardom, it’s selling the character. They have to understand who she is, why she is like that, and connect with her better.”
This is what makes these three different. They do not represent extraordinary people; They represent ordinary people placed in extraordinary circumstances. Their skills set them apart, but they are never considered a badge of honor or the sole defining aspect of their identity. Most of the credit for this goes to the writing.
Swarna was once a Jhansi, a Naxalite. Neela earned her Dan 3 black belt as a child – something that only makes one wonder how much more accomplished she will be as an adult. Neelaveni is the only warrior who has defeated the invincible martial arts master Arjun Sarja’s Rajaram in the blast. Yet despite these remarkable credentials, none of them come across as larger-than-life superheroes. They seem human first and foremost and that’s what makes them so relatable.
While Neelaveni is the most grounded of the three, Neela’s accomplishments at such a young age are astonishing. Whether it was a mistake on the part of director Subhash K Raj or a deliberate creative choice, Baby Sivakami pulls it off with ease, and Preeti Mukundan carries the same energy effortlessly.
Meanwhile, Swarna is the furthest from the ordinary but the easiest to connect with. Her struggles, at both extremes, are things you see – if not experience – every day. This is what makes these characters attractive. His abilities may be extraordinary, but his humanity never stops feeling familiar.
action built around character
The second thing that both movies get right, and this is where it gets a little technical, is how solid their action choreography feels. Their heroes are formidable, but what really sells them is that every punch, kick, and movement is designed based on these characters, not the other way around. The action serves the character, not forces the character to take action.
The action in both films gets the “almost flawless” tag for a reason: From time to time, they stray away from the grounded action and lean into mass moments. Sometimes those efforts succeed, and sometimes not. He said, we cannot deny that the action in both these films hangs far from reality. But isn’t that also part of the fun? With that acknowledged, let’s get to the good part – the action.
Mother Inti Bangaram: Samantha’s biggest strength
Samantha, who comes with experience, has been continuously raging on screen since then The Family Man Season 2 As Raji, knows how to take action. Writer Raj Nidimoru knows how to understand and capture those moments, and wifey Nandini Reddy knows how to create situations that naturally give rise to them.
Reddy recalled that stunt director Lee Whittaker initially introduced her to the choreography with simple movements, unsure of how quickly she would adapt after the break. “But when he saw how fast she was picking up things, he started making it more intense and increasing the complexity of the moves. She was like a professional.” He said.
Keeping in mind Samantha’s physical stature, action directors Lee Whittaker and Aijaz Gulab have created sets where agility takes center stage, movement becomes the ultimate weapon, and everyday objects are weaponized to create a unique identity for the action.
what makes mother of inti bangaram The specialty of action is that every step is born of necessity, and every fight has a purpose. Whether she’s using household objects as weapons or relying on quick movement to overcome physically stronger opponents, the choreography constantly reminds you of who she is and what she’s capable of. And when the film tries to push it into a larger-than-life group moment, it doesn’t quite work and only disrupts the flow.
Nandini Reddy reveals it was a conscious creative decision from the beginning Mother Inti Bangaram. “Come on, she doesn’t need to take these people too easy. She’s hurting, she’s going through it, it’s hard for her, but she’s getting over it. This should never make her feel like some kind of superwoman.”
Maybe this is the biggest achievement Mother Inti Bangaram. This action is not meant to make Samantha appear invincible; This is to make Swarna credible. And that difference is what puts the action pieces on the ground.
blast: a family that fights together
Different Mother Inti BangaramWhere Samantha takes action blast Builds its action around a family of expert karate practitioners. While Arjun Sarja’s Rajaram leads the family, the film never revolves around him alone. Preethi Mukundan’s Neela takes the story forward, in which his father, mother and uncle all get involved in the struggle to protect the youngest member of the family.
This changes the choreography completely. Blue is extremely capable against untrained fighters, but he is not invincible. When danger increases, he has to depend on his family. Neela’s agility and kicks complement her physicality, while Abhirami’s Neelaveni gets just as many opportunities to prove why she is one of the best fighters in the family.
one of blastIts biggest strength is that it never turns into an Arjun Sarja showcase. Despite Rajaram being a skilled martial artist, he is considered a piece of the puzzle rather than the solution to every problem. The same balance extends to the action as well, ensuring that each character has a meaningful role to play rather than simply supporting the hero’s victory.
When the antagonist Abraham storms the house, it takes the entire family to take down a ruthless, trained killer. Men protect women in one way, women return the favor in another, and in the end, the family wins – not any one person.
real victory of Mother Inti Bangaram And blast It is not that they have placed women at the center of the action. Cinema has done this before too. It’s that they understand how to make the audience believe those women once the action starts.
Swarna, Neela and Neelaveni attract attention long before they throw their first punch. The films establish who they are, what they are capable of and why they choose to fight. By the time the action arrives, the audience is not watching the choreography; They are looking at character.
The future of women-led action lies not in making women look tougher, but in making them feel more real. If Mother Inti Bangaram And blast Is there any hint, getting it right has little to do with big punches and everything to do with strong character writing, established skills, and choreography that works with the characters, not around them.