Loosu ponnu

The loosu ponnu () is a stock character in Tamil cinema, a girl who is portrayed as attractive but naive and unintelligent.  It is regarded as the equivalent of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl and dumb blonde stereotypes in the United States.  The loosu ponnu trope became increasingly popular in 1990s Tamil cinema, when the masculinity of the hero became severely overblown.  It has since received criticism for being misogynistic and regressive. 

History 
According to critic Baradwaj Rangan, the loosu ponnu trope emerged in an era where Tamil filmmakers "began to get North Indian heroines who didn’t speak a word of Tamil.  They wouldn’t move their lips according to the lines they were supposed to be speaking (and to be filled in later by a dubbing artist).  They’d end up gesticulating wildly to make a point.  Their emotional reactions would be a bit “off.”  And all of this ended up making them look like mad people". 

Characteristics 
Loosu ponnus are typically depicted as being bubbly, naive, childish, lacking professional ambition, having easily detachable ties with their families, and showing unquestioning devotion to heroic males once they fall in love with them.  They are also depicted as angelic, in need of constant rescuing, and incapable of doing even simple things in life.  Very often, their "cuteness" is directly proportional to how insane their actions may seem to viewers. 

Examples 
Known loosu ponnu characters in Tamil films are Mythili (Jyothika) in Manmadhan (2004), Hema (Meera Jasmine) in Sandakozhi (2005), Hasini (Genelia D'Souza) in Santosh Subramaniam (2008), Anitha (Taapsee Pannu) in Arrambam (2013), Yazhini (Hansika Motwani) in Maan Karate (2014), Shakila (Samantha Akkineni) in 10 Endrathukulla (2015), Sowmya (Kajal Aggarwal) in Paayum Puli (2015), Priya (Motwani) in Uyire Uyire (2016), Aarathu Aanandhi (Sai Pallavi) in Maari 2 (2018), and Vandhana (Sayyeshaa) in Ghajinikanth (2018).  Keerthy Suresh has played such characters in films like Remo (2016) and Thodari (2016). 

Criticism 
The loosu ponnu trope has received wide criticism for being misogynistic and regressive.  Actress Madonna Sebastian has expressed her dislike for it, saying, "I think it is disrespectful and when people endorse it, even heroines, it becomes a dangerous trend."  Aishwarya Rajesh has consciously avoided playing such roles, citing her preference for "sensible" roles. 

See also 
 Bimbo
 Ingénue

References 

Category:Misogyny
Category:Pejorative terms for people
Category:Slang terms for women
Category:Stock characters
Category:Tamil cinema
Category:Women and psychology
Category:Depictions of women in film