Damsels in Tamil cinema

Satutory warning: I am not an expert in Tamil films. This is just an observation.

The popular misconception is that many of the women who make it in kollywood don't have the skills that go with the trade. So apart from Asin, who proved her worth, by crossing over to Bollywood the others are either stuck or even failures from elsewhere who found space here. I beg to disagree.
Many generations of women have found the same select number of men, who are actually male fantasy icons, irresistably attractive. I can't see any better proof of acting skills than Trisha falling for Vijay over and over again, Genelia finding Jayam Ravi attractive (???!!!). Maybe I am being unfair, so I will try blasphemy - vijaykant, sarat kumar, Dhanush? I am not being elitist, urbane or an age snob here.
I just find it unfair that Trisha, Reema Sen, Genelia and other actors not known for earning this qualifier haven't got their due. On the other hand, Asin had to romance Suriya to be seen and appreciated - she had it easy.
The larger problem is that Tamil cinema, to a much larger extent than Hindi cinema, works out a role for its women only when it is defined as a women-oriented film. And yet, it goes far beyond Hindi cinema in that the women are not only objects of male fantasy they are endowed with a gaze - they actively desire men (many of whom may actually be icons of male sexual hysteria).
Of course there are exceptions which even I know of - Genelia's fleshed role in the father-son contest that is Santosh Subramaniyam.