Shammi hero a da hero: Construction of masculinity in recent Malayalam cinema

Abstract

ABSTRACT Gendered violence and masculinity gained popularity in Malayalam cinema during the last decade, and this study explores the aspects of masculinity, hegemony, gendered space, and violence by examining two recent films: Kumbalangi Nights (2019) and Uyare (2019). The study discusses the construct of masculinity in Malayalam cinema over the decades concerning these films and investigates the hegemonic maintenance of masculinity based on Connell’s Masculinities. Understanding masculinity as a construct relies on the ‘complete man’ image of Shammi, Govind, and Vishal. The study also identifies the diverse masculinities in the films to examine the concept’s inclusive nature. The two varied treatments of masculinity, (1) as madness and (2) as crime, based on Foucault’s Madness and Civilization, explore the masculinizing gendered spaces of public, private, and domestic. These movies analyze the two patterns of violence put forth by Connell: (1) one is the physical verbal violence that the privileged group uses to sustain their dominance, and (2) that claims masculinity among men in group struggles.