Trisha's Mohini will release on Friday, along with Vijay Sethupathi's Junga. The film is Trisha's first in two years in Tamil and will see the actor playing a dual role for the first time in her career. While Nayaki, Trisha's previous outing in the horror comedy genre bombed badly, the actor herself had stayed away from the promos of the film. Rumours varied between payment issues and her supposed displeasure at the how the film had turned out.
However, Trisha has been promoting Mohini actively and the film will release in Tamil and Telugu. Directed by Madhesh, Trisha hinted at a film promo that the story will also touch on child sexual abuse. The horror genre has been the popular route for heroines to star in films that are centered around their character.
Here's a look at the horror films done by top women actors in Tamil.
Anushka Shetty
Arundhati was originally made in Telugu but the blockbuster ensured that it was also released in other languages. The dubbed version did very well in Tamil and Anushka became hugely popular. Similarly, her Telugu film Panchakshari released in Tamil as Panchamukhi.
Anushka is among the few women actors to have done films centered around her character, outside of the horror genre - like Ruddramadevi and Inji Iduppazhagi. However, early this year, Anushka went back to the horror genre with Bhaagamathie. The film released in Telugu and Tamil and became a blockbuster although it received mixed reviews. Anushka became only the second woman actor to have a 1 million dollar collection at the US box-office, the first being Sridevi.
Nayanthara
Like Anushka and Trisha, Nayanthara has also been trying to do films that are heroine-centric. In 2015, she starred in the successful horror flick Maya in which she played a single mother. The film went on to do well, receiving critical acclaim, and was remade in Kannada as Aake.
Nayanthara also acted in Dora, a 2017 horror flick in which a car featured prominently. However, the film was met with a lukewarm reception at the box-office.
Sai Pallavi
Already a well-known name in Tamil Nadu because of the success of Malayalam film Premam in the state, it was in 2018 that Sai Pallavi made her Tamil debut. The film was initially named Karu and later changed to Diya. However, despite Sai Pallavi's compelling performance, the film failed to meet expectations and bombed at the box-office.
Sai Pallavi plays a woman who undergoes an abortion and develops a relationship with the aborted child.
Samantha
Samantha, acted as the lead in the Telugu horror film Raju Gari Gadhi 2, a remake of the Malayalam film Pretham. Nagarjuna was also part of the film. Samantha played the role of a young woman who returns as a ghost to seek revenge.
The actor will soon be seen in U Turn, which will release in Telugu and Tamil. The film is a remake of Kannada thriller by the same title which had Sharadda Srinath in the lead role.
Tamannaah
Tamannaah starred in the 2016 horror flick Devi which also had Prabhu Deva. She played a woman who is possessed by a dead woman actor. The film received mostly positive reviews although it invited criticism for the depiction of women. It went on to do well at the box-office.
There is buzz that AL Vijay, the director, may soon direct a sequel.
Nithya Menen
Nithya Menen starred in Awe which had supernatural elements (although this is given a rational explanation in the film). The film, however, had numerous characters, all of whom had equal importance.
The actor's Pranaa which will release in southern languages is said to be a thriller, but we're yet to know if it will also have elements of horror. Nithya is the only actor in the entire film.
Aishwarya Rajesh
Aishwarya Rajesh starred in two horror comedies in 2016, both of which did not make much of a splash. While Hello Naan Pei Pesuren was slammed for too much forced comedy and not enough scares, Mo got a better reception from critics who appreciated the script and Aishwarya's performance. Aishwarya played a junior artiste who is possessed.
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar
Varalaxmi is making a name for herself as a star who can carry a film on her shoulders. The actor has joined the list of heroines who are doing horror films with Ammayie. Directed by G Sankar, the film was launched in 2016 but is yet to release.