The grey beneath the rainbow: ‘ Collateral Womanhood ’ and the invisible trauma of heterosexual wives through the lens of petitioner Omana Philip in Kaathal: The Core

This research critically examines the invisible emotional and psychological trauma experienced by heterosexual wives in mixed-orientation marriages through Omana Philip in the film Kaathal: The Core. By conceptualizing ‘Collateral Womanhood’, the study explores the intersection of compulsory heterosexuality, patriarchal family structures, and queer maritality in shaping women’s lives within performative heterosexual marriages. Using qualitative narrative and visual-textual analysis of key scenes, dialogues, and character interactions, the research draws primarily on Ilan H. Meyer’s Secondary Minority Stress framework to examine the indirect trauma experienced by heterosexual spouses associated with stigmatized queer identities in heteronormative societies. The study argues that Omana is not merely a secondary figure within a queer narrative, but a marginalized individual negotiating emotional abandonment, societal pressure, and marital entrapment. Her emotional assertion and legal resistance emerge as acts of reclaiming agency against patriarchal silence. The film ultimately critiques marriage as a socio-cultural institution that simultaneously suppresses queer identities and renders female suffering invisible, while expanding discussions on queer maritality through the overlooked experiences of heterosexual spouses.