Among the Malayali masses, anyone who has had half a shot at fame also faces the risk of being called ‘Jaada’. For non-Malayalam speakers, ‘Jaada’ does not have a literal translation in English but could mean arrogant, pompous, snooty, or a combination of all these terms. And the known faces of the film industry often get branded as ‘Jaada’ or ‘Jaadakari’, a gender-specific term for actresses.

During a promotional interview for the upcoming movie Her, which narrates the stories of five women and their struggles in daily lives, the lead actresses were asked about getting tagged as ‘Jaada’. Urvashi, who plays one of the lead roles in the women-centric film, was quick to respond as to why the actors and actresses are branded thus.

Urvashi on ‘Jaada’

Responding to the question in her classic witty style, Urvashi said that she is a ‘Jaadakari’ and in fact walks around with a whole pitcher of ‘Jaada’. But the veteran actress, who has made a mark in all of the south industries, went on to explain how quickly women or actresses get tagged as ‘Jaada’. Even if one is sitting idle, actresses could be branded thus, she pointed out.

She recounted instances when people unabashedly entered into the personal space of women celebrities and any behavior that was not in accordance with the public expectations would make them susceptible to being called Jaada.

Explaining how questions are shot at celebrities with little regard to the place or timing, Urvashi said that she could be praying at a temple when a fan would ask her about Kamal Haasan’s behavior and why she was not seen with him in any movie recently. The iconic actress says that such questions will definitely illicit sharp looks from her that would be inevitably called ‘Jaada’. Her co-stars Parvathy Thiruvothu, Aishwarya Rajesh, Remya Nambeesan, and Lijomol Jose also nodded in agreement.

Stating that anything can invite such criticism, Urvashi said Parvathy’s curly hair was also an instance of 'Jaada'. Lijomol, who appeared in the role of the girl-next-door in Kattappanayile Rithwik Roshan, has also turned up in a modern look now, which is also reason enough to be branded thus, Urvashi remarked.

Remya Nambeesan responded that there could not be possibly a better answer to this question.

‘Her behaviour’

During the interview, the rest of the cast also pointed out how quickly people say, ‘Woman should not be this arrogant,’ as if being arrogant was ok as long as you are not of this gender. Aishwarya Rajesh also said that society expects that women should eat, walk, or behave in a specific way while these diktats do not concern the opposite gender. 

Directed by Lijin Jose, Her is written by Archana Vasudev. The filmmaker, who had previously helmed the documentary 8 ½ Intercuts: Life and Films of KG George and Fahad Faasil-starrer Friday, promises that the film will narrate the story from a female perspective. 

Her is set to premiere on Manorama Max and OTTplay Premium on November 29.

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