PORTRAITS OF RACE AND SUBALTERNITY
IN INDIAN MOVIES
The term "Marginalized class" is essentially an umbrella term that includes a
number of groups, including dalits, tribal groups, sexual minorities, women,
children, and those who are physically or mentally disabled. In one way or another,
each of these groups experiences discrimination from the majority of society. In
some instances, they are oppressively governed and exploited, but most of the
time, they are unaware of the prejudice and exploitation they experience and are
instead subjected to the control of others out of their own self-interest. They are
compelled to accept the dominance of others over them by their emotions of
inferiority. When we think about Indian society, the caste system and chaturvarnya,
which have been in place for millennia, have pushed many individuals to the
periphery of the society. Similar to the class system, India's caste system primarily
advances the interests of the upper caste. They believe they are better than other
people. By birth the upper caste people belong to a dominant class and they enjoy
many privileges. The jobs of the people are decided based on their caste. The lower
caste are forced to do the jobs that are assigned to them by caste. They are not
allowed to dress properly, and even not allowed to have education. The worst
characteristic feature of this caste system is the untouchability practice towards the
lower castes by the superior caste. The lower castes are considered as untouchables
and even they are not allowed to use the path used by the upper caste people. They
are denied the fundamental liberties that everyone is entitled to. They are not
compensated fairly, despite the fact that they are made to work extremely hard for
the upper caste people. Consequently, the lower caste's life is filled with hardship
and poverty. The women of the lower caste community are sexually exploited. The
man who is the husband of such girls is not able to question it. Questioning the
higher caste people are considered as the questions against the god. In that way the
higher caste propagated their propaganda in the society. Such a hostile caste
structure is made unlawful in our nation by articles 14 and 17 of the Indian
constitution. It aided in putting an end to the cruel practises towards the lower
classes. However, many areas of our country still use the caste system today. Some
places it is openly visible and in some other places it at least remains in the minds
of the people. Human rights monitor claims that caste is a valid justification for the
inhumane and degrading treatment of more than 165 million Indians. It shows that
although the caste system is still in place in our society, it is very different from
what it was in the past. Rohith Vemula's tale demonstrates how deeply ingrained
the caste system is in our culture. He was a doctoral student from India at the
University of Hyderabad who committed suicide as a result of the prejudice he
experienced solely because he was born into a lower caste. The next group to
experience marginalisation from the mainstream is tribal groupings. The texts give
a false impression of them. They are mocked and discarded for their inadequate
artistic creations. Actually they are the real owners of the land but they are forced
to withdraw from their land where they were born. Their way of life became pitiful
due to the invasion of the real estate mafia and other devoted stakeholders in their
way of life and culture. There is a stereotype about the tribal community and by
that they must live inside the forest only. Tribal groups are not accepted as
members of our civilization by the people who themselves thought themselves to
be civilized. Only scorn is shown when approaching them. Although the
government took many steps to improve their living conditions, it was unable to
alter the way that people felt about them. A tribal member has numerous
possibilities to get an education and find employment. However, a lot of them
aren't ready to take advantage of those chances, and if anyone does, they can
experience a lot of discrimination along the road. They therefore always stay aloof
from the outer world and make do with what they have. However, there is still
exploitation going on. The society marginalises sexual minorities as well. To refer
to queers, many individuals use the term "third gender." From that point forward,
there is discrimination. By employing such a term, it is implied that they should be
treated with contempt. The gay community is unfamiliar of how society typically
views the two sexes. As a result, they develop their own conception of queers,
which causes them to be inaccurately portrayed in society. Society approaches
these groups with a prejudiced mind. Due to misconcept about queer they take
method of hostility, revulsion, contempt, scorn, ostracization and violence to treat
the queer community. This is called homophobia or the fear to the homosexuals.
But when we use the term homosexual, it is not complete. Because there are
transgender, bisexual, asexual, lesbian, gay etc. So the term homosexual doesn't
accommodate all these groups. People with different abilities are the next group to
be excluded in society. Discrimination against them begins with the word
"disabled." They are referred to as disabled, and because of this, society assumes
that they are less worthy people. Their lives are made unpleasant by society's
prejudiced viewpoint and the resulting inferiority complex that has grown inside of
them. People with autism are viewed as mentally impaired by society. They are
characterized as having mental health issues. Nobody is concerned about the issues
they have with the majority. There are still many public locations with limited
accessibility features for people with disabilities.
By carefully analysing the Malayalam film Udalaazham (2018)
by Unnikrishnan Avala and the Tamil film Jaibhim (2021) directed by T. J.
Gnanavel, this project explores how the oppressed class is portrayed in the movies.
These two films depict the lives of the oppressed group and show how the elites
take advantage of them. The genuine tale that occurred in India in 1995 served as
the basis for the film Jaibhim. In 1995 a poor but happy couple belonging to the
rular tribe, see their lives change forever. Rajakannu, Senggeni’s husband,
becomes the first suspect for stealing jewellery at the local party leader’s house.
However, the case didn't convince Senggeni; therefore, she engaged a human rights
lawyer and activist, Chandru, to help her bring justice to the story. But,
unfortunately, the brutal methodology used by the police, and the corrupted system
within the police produced the most extended Habeas corpus in the history of
Chennai high court of Tamilnadu. In this film, we observe how Rajakannu and his
fellow tribespeople are subjected to terrible state violence and exploited. This film
is undoubtedly a harsh critique of the caste-based Indian community and the state's
failure to eradicate it. The misery of the oppressed community was depicted in this
film wonderfully, but the main causes of these miseries and the caste prejudice of
the Indian judiciary were not revealed. Jaibhim is condemned as well for
portraying a "saviour" who belongs to a higher caste. The next movie Udalaazham
directed by Unnikrishnan Avala focuses on a tribal trans person Gulikan and the
problems he faces throughout his life. The sexual abuse he faces and his concern
about his wife and his love to another man and the complications it produces in his
life is beautifully picturized in this movie. This movie is inspired from the life and
struggles of Rajua tribal trans person who lived in Nilambur forest. Unnikrishnan
Avala succeeded in painting the inner dilemmas of tribal people who are caught
between gender identities and it also portrays the attitude of the people who are
living in villages and towns towards the tribal community and their exploitation
towards them.
Movies are a vital medium for reaching a wider audience and have a significant
impact on society. More than any other form of media, movies have the power to
affect people. Theodore Adorno and Max Horkheimer created the idea of the
"culture industry" to explain how mass culture operated in a capitalist society.
They contend that the culture industry, which includes all products and forms of
light entertainment, from Hollywood movies to elevator music, is a key feature of
late capitalism. The common man is meant to be a passive receiver of popular
culture and the ideals of dominant ideologies. In order to prevent the politically,
socially, and economically oppressed segments of society from being accurately
reflected in these films rather than given any relevance at all. In popular literature
and films, minorities that identify as feminine, Dalit, tribal, differently abled, or
sexually inclined are relegated to the periphery. When some movies are analyzed,
the Mollywood industry's exaltation of Savarna and stereotypical portrayal of
oppressed people become very obvious. The first heroine in Malayalam cinema,
PK Rosy, a Dalit Christian who played the role of an upper caste Nair woman
named Sarojini in the movie, had to flee for her life from the crowd that kept trying
to harm her. In the theatre, stones were thrown, her house was set on fire, and she
disappeared into the cloud of caste ignorance that prevented the creation of art. In
Mollywood, casteism is still pervasive. The heroes in the majority of Malayalam
films come from the upper caste. The SC minority itself is appallingly
underrepresented in popular Malayalam film. Therefore, the portrayal of Adivasis
is much more abject. The next segment of the oppressed community, tribal groups,
is consistently underrepresented in films. They are frequently portrayed as
primitive pagan barbarians who inhabit the deep jungle with little contact to the
outside world and dress in garments with tiger or tree bark prints.
The fantastic T. J. Gnanavel-directed movie Jaibhim has sparked a lot of
interesting conversations in society. Cultural politics, caste, portrayals of oppressed
people in popular culture, the judiciary, and torture in detention are a few of the
significant topics that are widely debated. The premise of Jai Bhim is based on a
true story from the 1990s in which members of the oppressed Irula tribe were
wrongfully accused of stealing and detained. After one of the prisoners passed
while in police custody, a protracted court battle for justice ensued. Rajakannu and
Sengeni, two members of the Irula tribe, were championed by the courageous
activist lawyer K. Chandru in 1995. Rajakannu was arrested by police by blaming
him as thief and then he and his two friends faced brutal custodial torture and later
was missing from police station. After it, his wife Sengeni meets advocate K.
Chandru and filed a Habeas corpus at the Chennai High court. The court witnessed
the longest Habeas corpus case in its history. After the long days of judicial trial,
The court found Rajakannu was brutally killed by the police men named SI
Gurumurthy, HC Veerasamy and constable Kiran and was arrested and are jailed.
Sengeni 's advocate K. Chandru played a climacteric role in her fight for justice. T.
G. Gnanavel admirably succeeded in portraying this incident through the movie
Jaibhim. He made perfect casting in this movie, in which each artist stunningly
presented their character. Surya acted the role of Justice. K. Chandru and K.
Manikandan acted as Rajakannu and Lijimol as Sengeni. Besides being a mere film
for entertainment, the movie talks about serious politics. The title of the movie
:Jaibhim' itself is a clear political statement. Gnanavel refers to the great
untouchable leader and Indian jurist Dr. Bheem rao Ambedkar by this name.
Jaibhim is powerful slogan used by the untouchables and social outcasts of India
who are facing discrimination, injustice marginalization for centuries. Even though
India is celebrating their seventy fifth anniversary of independence till now there
are a lot of people who are denied freedom. The slogan Jaibhim is so used as the
slogan of these peripherals and it acts as a tongue in cheek for their suppressed
voices. So by using this slogan as the title for the movie, the director is trying to
communicate to the spectators about the politics the movie is dealing with. The
movie centralized on the Irula tribe and the discrimination and exploitation they
faces from the so called civilized society. The movie's opening scene depicts how
certain ethnic cultures are stereotyped by the mainstream in a lovely way. The
main idea of the film is succinctly expressed in the opening scene. It exposes the
prejudiced state that still uses colonial classifications to label some scheduled
tribes in India as "habitual criminals" in actuality. In the opening scene we see the
release of some people from the jail. The policemen who are waiting there are
asking them about their caste and on the basis of caste the released men are divided
into two, the upper caste and the lower caste. Then the lower caste people are
handed over to other policemen as culprits for their unsolved cases(Jaibhim 2:013:35). The tribal groups like Irula and other peripherals like kuravas are branded as
thieves and are used by the caste baised police system to solve their cases. They
are utilized to save privileged men from judicial trials for the crimes they
committed. There is a persistent belief that some indigenous populations, such as
the Irulas, are born criminals and that theft is a trait ingrained in their DNA.
Nobody challenges this view, which is widespread among the centres of the
society. Therefore, it is simple for police to arrest 20 members of different tribes
by accusing them of being thieves. Through this scene, the tragic situation of the
Scheduled Tribes was very well depicted. Here, the terrible effects of the
stereotyping by centres are on display. The depth of the caste based discrimination
can be identified from the movie when Rajakannu was called by the upper caste
man to catch the snake from his house. On those occasions we can see the hatred,
disgust and contempt shown by the upper caste. They didn't even consider them as
humans. The movie convincingly depicts the revolting mindset of state apparatus
and constitutional institutions. Rajakannu and his companion characters approach
the 21tahsildar in the film to obtain a caste certificate. One of the boys in their
group would be able to receive government-funded schooling by obtaining this
caste certificate. However, the Tahasildar queries them "Who would catch the
snakes if you get educated? Tribes, you must remain in the dense jungle" (14:2215). Actually, they have every right to utilize the protections provided by the
constitution; it is not a sign of generosity. It is his duty to serve them as a
government employee and leader of a constitutional institution. He is unable to
assist the underprivileged population due to his strong caste preconceptions,
repulsion, and loathing that resulted from them. The movie also picturizes the
exploitation they face in the workplaces. The workers are underpaid since they are
Irula community members. Here, Rajakannu and his pals are at work in a brick
factory. However, they receive inadequate compensation. Here, we observe how
the majority society used economic exploitation to subjugate the lower caste and
tribal communities to their will and authority. They separate the workers into two
groups—male and female—and pay the females less than the males. Here, we can
observe various degrees of caste-based and economic exploitation. The movie not
only pictures the problems they face, but also puts forward some measures to
overcome these issues. From the beginning to till the climax, the movie
accentuates on the importance of education. A potent tool in the fight against
inequality is education. For the voices that are silenced, it serves as a tongue. The
chains that have bound them for millennia will be lifted by education. It
will serve as a tool to combat the exploiters and will aid the exploited in becoming
aware of the exploitation they experience. The importance of education is once
again emphasized near the conclusion of the film. In the climax scene, Rajakannu's
daughter is imitating advocate K. Chandru by sitting like him and reading the book
near her(2:37:48-2:38:20). That scene is a clear political statement, that
everything the lower caste people have will be snatched or looted by the upper
caste and caste prejudiced minds in the mainstream. Their land, their work, their
money, their house, but they can't take the education from them. It is a powerful
tool that can't be snatched.
The movie Udalaazham is concentrated on a tribal and transgender, Gulikan.
Udalaazham is definitely a movie which comprehensively depicts the problems
faced by transgender as well as the tribal communities in Kerala. From the very
first scene onward, it depicts the daily lives of the Aranadan aboriginal community
living in the Nilambur region's forested surroundings. The ongoing struggle of
these communities to survive is masterfully depicted here. Due to his "wrong"
sexual orientation, Gulikan is an introvert. Gulikan was unable to carry out tasks
like the other males. He thus utilized to collaborate with the women in his tribe.
Additionally, it is seen that Gulikan is capturing leeches from the jungle and
selling them to the doctor for leech therapy. Their struggle to make a life is
depicted in this scene. Any career they choose will help them earn money to
support their family. Due to their marginalisation, they are targets of outside
exploitation. They didn't receive enough money to pay for the medications they
gathered from the forests. By paying them less, the intermediaries take advantage
of them. They were economically abused and their illiteracy was used by the
outside world. The primitive and enigmatic tribal ceremonies are also discussed in
the film. Such ceremonies have Gulikan and Maathy as its victims. They get
married before they are even considered adults. Therefore, Maathy was unable to
comprehend the quirks of Gulikan's sexual orientation. After a few years of
marriage, Maathy first learned about his sexual orientation. Her husband doesn't
provide her with any sexual gratification. She tried to speak, but she was
speechless. The deeply held customs and beliefs of her society prevented her from
divorcing him. Here, we may observe the role that rituals and beliefs have in
primitive societies. When a transgender person's life is taken into account, their
family life plays a crucial role in determining their destiny. The movie also depicts
how Gulikan's other relatives treated him after learning of his sexual preference.
They refer to Gulikan as "aanum pennum ketton" in a scene (04:18-04:20). They
are unable to accept this reality, therefore they keep attempting to alter it through
the use of black magic. However, Maathy supports Gulikan and makes an effort to
conceal her emotions in contrast to others. The severe sexual assault that 31
transsexual people experience is depicted in the film with clarity, and it is
criticised. One of the major problems that transgender people deal with is this.
When a person is caught in the incorrect body, they are said to be transgender
males. Movie shows the fear that follows a transgender throughout their life. He
meets a man in the brick factory, and they fall in love. The director expertly
captures their romance while also illustrating how society views such relationships
and trying to convey to the audience what that attitude should be. The employees
who assaulted Gulikan and his girlfriend are emblematic of the transphobic
society, whereas Mr. Rameshan, who stood by Gulikan, is a symbol of how the
world is evolving. This scene demonstrates how the patriarchy views women as a
toy to satisfy their libido. The film also depicts the horrifying pain that indigenous
women endure when they reject sexual harassment. The so-called civilized,
educated, and cultured mainstream in society, according to the filmmaker
Unnikrishnan Avala, is invading the culture and private lives of tribal tribes. The
film makes numerous references to the outside world's unchecked influence on the
tribal community. In the film, the issue of who owns the land on which they reside
is shown. The character of Anumol, a research student who travelled to the jungle,
and Mr. Rameshan, a character played by Joy Mathew, show the changes, and they
were portrayed as the embodiments of these shifting viewpoints in the film. The
persona of Anumol is also a powerful advocate for women's emancipation. Every
single woman who lives in their safe zone is enthralled by Anumol's character in
this scene. The movie demonstrates how a woman must overcome social and
family constraints in order to pursue her passion and dreams.
Movies can have a significant impact on gender and ethnic
stereotypes. The strength of audiovisuals has been manifested and exploited
politically, socially, and economically in the course of history. Movies as a part of
popular culture, it always lack the representation of
marginalized communities—for example, ethnic and religious minorities and
LGBTQ people—has drawn criticism from some, while others dismiss those
concerns as "identity politics. "The prejudiced beliefs and stereotypes in the society
based on caste, region, religion, race, gender, occupation are reflected in movies.
The representation of such marginalized groups in films are influenced by society's
prejudices. The very first chapter, by examining the history of depiction of
marginalized class, picturized the influence of caste, region, religion, race, gender,
occupation based stereotypes in movies. This influence is clearly visible in the
movies Jaibhim (2021) and Udalaazham (2018). In the tamil movie Jaibhim (2021)
directed by T. J. Gnanavel, the influence of caste biased society and their attitude
towards the marginalized tribal groups are comprehensively evident. The treatment
of tribal communities in the mainstream is vehemently criticized in this movie. The
movie exhibited the police as a repressive tool of the state and revealed the brutal
strategies they have been taking to oppress the lower caste and tribal people. This
movie can be considered as a vehement criticization on the caste prejudiced society
and their revulsive treatment towards the marginalized classes. But at the same
time this movie is called as the product of stereotypes of caste-biased society. The
presentation of 'higher caste saviours ' and glorification of Indian judiciary as a
zero complaint system are examples of the stereotypical influence in the movie.
The movie is also criticized for its attempt to kindle the emotion and gain the
sympathy of the viewers by picturizing the exploited class.
The movie Udalaazham (2018) directed by Unnikrishnan Avala portrays the
miserable plight of double marginalized people in our society. In this film, the
alienation experienced by transsexual people is brilliantly conveyed. This film
shows how people from the outside world treat native women as a means of sating
their lust. The film criticises the mistreatment of transgender persons while also
illustrating how attitudes toward them are evolving.
Both these movies have succeeded in portraying the issues of the
marginalized class to some extent; both of them criticized the exploitation against
them. Jaibhim(2021) criticized the exploitation against the tribal community only
but the movie Udalaazham(2018) denounced the ill treatment against the tribal
community as well as transgenders. Jaibhim presented their issues and problems
and also showed the solutions for it with judicial support and by the power of
education. But the movie Udalaazham (2018) ended without any solution for their
problems. Even though these two movies are from two different industries, one is
from Tamil (Jaibhim) and other is from Malayalam (Udalaazham ) but both of
them carry some common factors regarding the miserable life of tribal groups and
the exploitations they are facing. This indicates the unending misery of tribal
communities all over the country.