Women vs modernity in Rajinikanth's Tamil-language films: The mother, the good woman, the modern virgin and the angry feminist

Abstract This article presents criticism on Tamil-language films starring the iconic Indian actor Rajinikanth, focusing on the development of female characters as battlegrounds between tradition and modernity. Within the framework of Rajinikanth films as nationalistic projects in which the gendered portrayals of characters are tied up with notions of patriotism and duty, female characters in Rajinikanth films almost always conform to four stereotypes: the goddess mother, the traditional good woman, the modern virgin, and the angry modern feminist. Using close reading and a broad chronological survey of Rajinikanth's filmography, this article highlights the modern virgin stereotype as a mediating force between tradition and modernity, and argues that the predictable reconstitution of modern virgins into traditional good wives betrays growing fears of modernity and globalization within Tamil culture.