Being Dalit, being Tamil

Abstract

This chapter discusses how Ranjith negotiates and reimagines the identities of ‘Dalit’ and ‘Tamil’, through a paradigm of social justice that engages with Tamil nationalism, Dravidianism, and anti-caste thought. It begins with a very brief overview of how lower castes and lower-caste struggles have been depicted in Tamil cinema and how, of late, some forms of Tamil nationalist tensions are being expressed in both politics and cinema. In fact, despite 50 years of Dravidian rule that swore by progressive anti-caste values, very rarely have the heroes of Tamil cinema shown to be eliminating casteist bigots, while criminals, corrupt politicians, vile businessmen, and ‘anti-nationals’ are routinely bumped off. The chapter seeks to interrogate the politics behind Kabali and Kaala. Ranjith’s first movie Attakathi was a light-hearted romantic comedy located in a Chennai suburb. Madras, which won the director much fame, was based in the predominantly urban working-class area of North Chennai.