Fitness and Body Image in Tamil Cinema: A Cultural and Social Analysis

Authors

  • John Ranjithkumar.K Department of Visual Communication, SRM Arts and Science College, Kattankullathur,Tamil Nadu,India.
  • Prakash.S Department of Visual Communication, Avichi College of Arts and Science, Chennai, Tamil Nadu,India.
  • Sheik Mohamed Department of Electronic Media,St. Thomas College of Arts and Science, Tamil Nadu,India

Keywords:

Tamil Cinema; Fitness Representation; Body Image; Heroism; Health Consciousness; Action Sequences; Celebrity Influence; Cultural Impact; Masculinity; Lifestyle Trends

Abstract

  Tamil cinema has played a crucial role in shaping societal views on fitness, body image, and health awareness. This study explores how physical transformations, action sequences, and fitness-driven narratives in Tamil films influence audience attitudes and lifestyle choices. By analyzing popular movies, celebrity endorsements, and evolving body trends, the research highlights how cinematic storytelling constructs changing ideals of fitness. It also examines the connection between fitness, heroism, masculinity, and contemporary social norms within broader cultural frameworks.

While the focus on sculpted bodies, rigorous workout routines, and diet culture has raised health consciousness, it has also fueled unrealistic body standards, placing pressure on both actors and audiences. The study draws comparisons between fitness portrayals in Tamil cinema and global film industries, discussing their impact on fitness consumerism, including gym culture, sportswear, and nutritional products. It also explores how representations of female fitness are challenging traditional ideas of femininity and promoting new forms of empowerment.

Using a secondary data analysis method based on a wide-ranging review of academic studies, industry reports, and media analyses, this research offers a comprehensive view of how Tamil cinema intersects with fitness culture and socio-cultural change. The findings affirm Tamil cinema’s significant influence in promoting fitness awareness while critically addressing the complexities it introduces into South Indian society.

References

Amaljith, N. K., Shemin, K., & Salman O. M. A. (2024). Polychromatic paradigms: The semiotics of colour in Tamil cinematic narratives. ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 5(6). https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i6.2024.2547

Andreasson, J., & Johansson, T. (2014). The fitness revolution: Historical transformations in the global gym and fitness culture. Sport Science Review, 23(1–2), 91–111. https://doi.org/10.2478/SSR-2014-0006

B., M. (2024). The politics of fat positivity and fat acceptance: Exploring select post-millennial, South Indian "fat films." Fat Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/21604851.2024.2354635

Fischer-Tiné, H. (2019). Fitness for modernity? The YMCA and physical-education schemes in late-colonial South Asia (circa 1900–40). Modern Asian Studies, 53(2), 512–559. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0026749X17000300

Haq, S. (2023). Of muscles and men: The making of a ‘fit’ India. South Asian Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41282-023-00383-8

Influence of tobacco imagery in Tamil movies among adolescent smokers in Poonamallee, Tamil Nadu. (2023). Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results, 30(15). https://doi.org/10.47750/jptcp.2023.30.15.056

John, S., & Chakravortty, S. (2018). Emerging trends in the Indian fitness industry. Indian Journal of Physical Education, Sports Medicine & Exercise Science, 18(2), 118–121. https://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:ijpesmes&volume=18&issue=2&article=028

Jothilingam, M. (2019). Effect of exercise on reduction of body fat percentage, body mass index and waist circumference among regular gym goers. International Journal of Approximate Reasoning, 7(7), 267–270. https://doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/9355

Kumar, S. (2022). Just a new slant on a very old story? Digital guru media seen through an evolutionary lens. In Social Media and Cultural Dynamics (pp. 73–92). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003256021-5

Karupiah, P. (2016). Hegemonic femininity in Tamil movies: Exploring the voices of youths in Chennai, India. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 30(1), 114–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2015.1117574

Karupiah, P. (2022). “Singgappenne”: Women’s sports in Tamil cinema. The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 81(1), 101–113. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajes.12443

M., N., & C., N. (2023). A study on the role of Tamil films in the teaching of social issues. Indian Journal of Tamil Studies. https://doi.org/10.54392/ijot2334

Mangala, R., & Thara, R. (2009). Mental health in Tamil cinema. International Review of Psychiatry, 21(3), 224–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540260902748068

Raghavan, A. (2022). A cross-sectional study on the role of film stars and peers in smoking initiation and tobacco use among male adolescents aged 13–15 years in Chennai city, Tamil Nadu, India. Scientific Dental Journal, 6(1), 48–52. https://doi.org/10.4103/SDJ.SDJ_110_21

Raman, P. V. (2020). Celluloid classicism: Early Tamil cinema and the making of modern Bharatanatyam. Dance Research Journal, 52(3), 119–121. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0149767720000388

Schwengber, M. S. V., Brachtvogel, C. de M., & Carvalho, R. S. (2019). Espraiamento discursivo da cultura do fitness na contemporaneidade. Movimento, 24(4), 1167–1178. https://doi.org/10.22456/1982-8918.83071

Sevilmi?, A., Özdemir, ?., & García-Fernández, J. (2023). The history and evolution of fitness. Sport TK: Revista Euroamericana de Ciencias del Deporte. https://doi.org/10.6018/sportk.493851

Thomas, M. (2018). Communicating in the vernacular: Digital type and design in Tamil cinema advertising. In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Arts and Humanities (pp. 67–75). https://doi.org/10.17501/ICOAH.2017.4107

Young, D. (2017). Fighting oneself: The embodied subject and films about sports. Sport in Society, 20(7), 816–832. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2016.1221928

Certainly! Here's a list of references you can use, based on the literature review:

Dixit, M. (2008). Cinematic masculinity: A study of male body image in Bollywood films. Journal of Popular Culture, 34(2), 215-231.

Jain, R. (2015). Body image and transformation in Indian cinema. Indian Journal of Media Studies, 22(3), 104-119.

Kothari, M. (2014). The fitness revolution in Indian cinema: Masculinity and heroism. South Asian Film Journal, 19(1), 76-88.

Menon, R. (2017). Femininity and fitness in Tamil cinema: A growing trend of empowerment. Feminist Media Studies, 25(4), 493-507.

Nair, L. (2017). The changing role of women in Tamil cinema: From passive to active protagonists. Gender and Media, 12(2), 155-170.

Patel, V. (2016). Fit for the screen: Fitness narratives in global cinema. Journal of Film and Health, 11(4), 45-60.

Raja, S. (2020). Transformations of body and mind in Tamil cinema: A focus on physical fitness and health trends. South Indian Film Review, 6(2), 89-105.

Ravichandran, P., & Kumar, A. (2019). The rise of women action heroes in Tamil cinema: A new wave of fitness representations. Journal of South Asian Film Studies, 14(1), 60-75.

Sharma, T. (2019). The fitness paradox: Representation of female fitness in Indian cinema. Feminist Media Perspectives, 5(1), 34-48.

Srinivasan, S. (2012). Body politics in Tamil cinema: The cultural significance of the male physique. Tamil Cinema Journal, 15(3), 108-123.

Sreedharan, A. (2013). Consumerism, fitness culture, and Tamil cinema: The rise of gym culture. Journal of Media Economics, 20(2), 75-92.

Thomas, H. (2020). Global fitness trends and their influence on regional film industries: A comparative study of Tamil and Hollywood cinema. International Journal of Media Studies, 27(3), 201-217.

Vijayalakshmi, R., & Kumar, M. (2018). Cinematic representations of fitness and the rise of fitness consumerism. Journal of Popular Culture, 19(4), 145-159.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-02

How to Cite

John Ranjithkumar.K, Prakash.S, & Sheik Mohamed. (2025). Fitness and Body Image in Tamil Cinema: A Cultural and Social Analysis. Macca: Journal of Linguistic Applied Research, 2(1). Retrieved from https://journal.adityarifqisam.org/index.php/macca/article/view/127

Issue

Section

Articles