Caste references polarise Tamil film fans

July 27, 2015 01:56 am | Updated 01:56 am IST - Chennai:

Poster of bahubali. Photo: Special Arrangement

Poster of bahubali. Photo: Special Arrangement

On Thursday, a movie theatre in Madurai playing the hugely popular South Indian hit Baahubali was attacked with petrol bombs by a Dalit group for featuring a line (Pagadaikku Pirandhavan) considered derogatory against a sub-caste of the Dalit community. Subsequently, writer Madan Karky apologised for any hurt caused.

Baahubali may be in the news for featuring an anti-Dalit line in the climax, but Dalit activists, filmmakers and scholars point out caste-based slurs have always been a part of Tamil Cinema.

“Caste-based slurs such as Chandala, which denotes a sub-caste of a Scheduled Caste community in Tamil Nadu, have been so casually used in comedy-sequences by Tamil comedians like Vadivelu and Vivek. In Ameer’s Paruthiveeran, a super hit song Yele Yelelo, the hero actually calls his girl friend Sandali – which means that she is a daughter of a prostitute. We live in a society where such songs are celebrated,” says Punitha Pandian, editor of Dalit Murasu, a magazine that writes critically about social issues.

Mr. Pandian remarked that often ignorance is given as an excuse and urged the civil society – intellectuals, activists and media – to do more to sensitise the masses. “This is not a problem of Dalits alone. We have been constantly talking and writing about these things but we have reached a stage where only a petrol bomb can force the society to talk about it. Filmmakers must be sensitised about social issues,” he says.

What does the film industry make of the accusation that caste-based slurs have always been a part of Tamil films? Film-maker S.P. Jhananathan says that most young and budding writers are seldom aware of social issues, and suggests that the writers’ union must be actively involved in raising consciousness.

“Most film-makers and writers are not aware of social issues. Film-makers and writers are also cut from the same fabric of society; how can they be any different,” he asks.

Asked if there is a tendency to smuggle in the idea of caste pride into the narrative to appeal to politically dominant communities, Jhananathan says it is very much possible. “If the film directly deals with the issue of caste rivalry between dominant castes and Dalits, one need not shy away from talking about caste. But I would urge film-makers to be open about it. The problem is when caste pride is inserted in a film which has nothing to do with it,” he says.

Subagunarajan, Editor of the Tamil film journal Kaatchi Pizhai , says the fundamental problem lies in the way such casteist slurs have been embedded in the Tamil language. “Words such as chandala and kepmari , both of which denote the name of a caste, have been used as swear words. This is why Periyar called Tamil a barbaric language,” he says.

However, Subagunarajan fears that society may be heading to a stage where film-makers and writers cannot discuss caste issues at all. “The courts must be proactive and not admit such cases unless it is very pressing. If the film uses a casteist slur to underscore oppression, then it is not an issue. It becomes an issue when it is used to elicit laughs,” he says hoping that the film industry will take measures to correct itself.

D. Ravi Kumar, general secretary of Viduthalai Ciruthaigal Katchi, says that while the issue needs to be debated in society, he disagrees with the form of protest.

“The swear words have a connection to the specific social history of oppressed people. In a democratic society, we cannot continue to use it and we need to debate it. However, the form of protest is unacceptable. Democratic issues cannot be communicated in an undemocratic way,” he says.

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