Actress Pooja Mohanraj, who was recently seen in 'Sookshmadarshini' and 'Oru Jaathi Jathakam,' thinks that Malayalam cinema no longer restricts married actresses to mother roles. She said several actresses are also eager to play strong characters. Pooja made this observation by pointing out Jyothirmayi's grand comeback. She was speaking at the session 'Stereotypes in Malayalam Cinema' at the Summit of Future 2025 hosted by Jain University in Kochi. 

“Malayalam cinema has been able to break away from the stereotype of offering only mother roles to married actresses. I grew up in an era when the private lives of actors were in the limelight. Earlier, most actresses quit acting after marriage, or most of them played mother roles. Now, female artists return to their jobs after getting married or performing parenting duties. Jyothirmayi’s comeback into the movies is the perfect example of that,” said Pooja. 

Meanwhile, filmmaker–lyricist Amal Noushad noted that Malayalam industry has been vehemently trying to break stereotypes. He pointed out that Malayali actors who essay lead roles are willing to play villain roles too unlike other industries. "Actors from the Tamil industry wouldn’t play a negative character like the one played by Mammootty in Bramayugam. 

Actor Jojo Jose observed that Malayalam cinema has been growing by leaps and bounds and will achieve international standards by 2050. Noted cinematographer Vinod Illambally highlighted Kunchacko Boban's performance over the years and said he is one actor who has successfully broken away from getting stereotyped, referring to his transformation from a chocolate hero to a seasoned actor in movies like ‘Nna Than Case Kodu’. 

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