Mental illness is still misrepresented in our films: Amrutha Iyengar

Although cinema has made considerable strides in recent years, actor Amrutha Iyengar believes that Kannada films continue to miss an opportunity to tell richer, more authentic stories about mental health. In an interview with us, the actor shares, “In our films, the concept of mental illness is either completely ignored or misrepresented. When a female character gets angry, they hardly show the depth or deep wounds that made her react a certain way.” In fact, Amrutha tells us, it was this dissatisfaction with one-dimensional roles, particularly for women that drove her to write her own characters. Currently filming R Chandru’s Father with Krishna, Amrutha tells us she is also developing a script that she hopes will showcase her full potential as a performer and give depth, dimension and attention that female characters deserve in films. Excerpts:
‘Writing my own script has helped me feel like a character’
As someone who grew up watching a lot of people, I had many untold stories on my mind. As an actor, I wanted to play certain characters and look a certain way while portraying characters. But, I couldn’t do any of it because no such opportunities were coming my way. Having worked with actors like Milana-Krishna, Dhananjaya made me realise that these actors, who have been in the industry for so long, when faced with a lack of substantial roles, create their own work, as seen in films like Love Mocktail and Badava Rascal. Writing has helped me feel like a character. I feel like I am working, and I have something to look forward to every day.
‘Yes, heroes drive the audience to films; but it wouldn’t hurt to write strong female characters’
Irrespective of language and content, most films suffer from a lack of attention to women’s characters. Many filmmakers prioritise the hero’s shot, okaying it without even bothering about the female character right next to him on screen. There’s a myth in the industry that women-oriented subjects won’t run in theatres. While I agree that heroes drive audiences, it wouldn’t hurt to write strong female characters instead of just making them mere arm candy. Every story offers an opportunity to introduce strong female characters, yet they are not being written. I’m not saying there should be no hero-centric films; rather, filmmakers should learn to strike a balance. There is a need for equality in representation.
‘As a psychology student, I drew on my college notes while writing’
Watching Indian and international series helped blend the ideas I already had, which were inspired by real-life incidents. As a psychology student, I revisited my college notes and made certain observations while writing the characters. I put everything that struck me down on paper. I’ve even built a character tree with sticky notes (laughs)! I’m working towards giving it a proper shape.
‘When opportunities don’t come, we must create them ourselves’
When people learned I was writing, I received many calls, messages, and DMs, mostly from women and actresses, eager to collaborate — this is the energy we need right now. I’ve explained that I’m still developing the idea, but this has only reinforced that they all have that hunger and are waiting for such opportunities. I feel women in the industry have reached a point where they want to do something substantial to stand out. Many of us are making films for visibility, but our performance hunger remains unsatiated.
‘For me, inspiration was right at home, there was no need to look for it anywhere else’
My mother and I are very close. She’s a teacher, and even after I started school and college, she kept teaching me from her point of view and through her examples. Even after I started acting, I used to ask her what I could do to make a character’s emotions come across better. She’s been through a lot; unlike today, it wasn’t easy for women back then to be called a divorcee and live on their own. She did it with so much strength and determination, for me. She raised me alone for 26 years, and she also took care of her siblings. Because I had such a great example right at home, I didn’t need to look anywhere else for inspiration.