Representation of Dalits in Malayalam Literature & Films
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I N S I G H T: An International Multilingual Journal for Arts and Humanities Peer Reviewed and Refereed: ISSN: 2582-8002 University Research Publications, Ernakulam, Kerala VOL 1-ISSUE 5 : JULY 2021 Representation of Dalits in Malayalam Literature & Films Athira Krishnan Assistant Professor Nasra College of Arts and Science, Thirurkad Abstract This study deals on how Dalits are represented in Malayalam film and literature. Malayalam film industry has several actors who have been marked ‘black’ with their body and its language. The lineage that started with Sathyan has now reached Vinayakan. Since the birth of Caste system, Dalits are considered as someone who are ‘uncultured’ and are confined to stand in the last rung of the ladder of society which is caste stricken. Malayalam films have taken its theorem from literature. Literature dealt the social problems of Kerala such as caste and poverty with much bias. But the language of the same matter took the counter stand in the case of films. The film that represented Kerala failed to portray the real face of Kerala. Dalit literature in India has emerged as a separate and principle category of literature in many Indian languages. It provides us a new born voice and identity to the community that have experienced discrimination ,marginalization and exploitation due to hierarchical caste system. Several writing of Dalit literature has emerged as a vigorous voice of Dalit community in different literature over the last five decades. The term Dalit literally means `oppressed’ and is used to refer to the `untouchable’ casteless sects of India. Dalit also called outcaste is a self-designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as untouchables. Dalits are a mixed population of numerous groups all over India, South Asia and all over the world. The very term Dalit was made popular in the 1970s by Dalit Panthers influenced from the ideology of Americas Black Panthers. Several names are proposed to define this group of people like Harijan (children of God) and Ashprosh (untouchables). Etymology of the word Dalit, the word comes from the Sanskrit and it means, `down trodden’, `suppressed,` crushed’ or` broken in to pieces’. 266 I N S I G H T: An International Multilingual Journal for Arts and Humanities Peer Reviewed and Refereed: ISSN: 2582-8002 University Research Publications, Ernakulam, Kerala VOL 1-ISSUE 5 : JULY 2021 The term Dalit literature was popular from 1954 and as a result of the Dalit literary conference held in Bombay in 1958 the literature written by Dalits and the Dalit represented literature was accepted as Dalit literature. In recent times `Dalit literature’ has become a new genre. The writings of Dalit literature have started depicting the torments experiences of Dalits exposed to contemporary social, political, educational, economical and mental conditions of Dalits before Dalits and non-Dalit readers. Mulkraj Anand was the first writer to touch upon this genre of Dalit literature. It is a literature of protest against all forms of exploitation based on class, race, caste and occupation. It primarily focuses on the fundamental human rights and values. The Dalit writing found inspiration in the movement of Black, in the distant lands of North America and Africa. Dalit writers reflect the anguish of a community and demand the shaping of a just future for the underprivileged and the outcast in society. Major writers of Dalit literature being Mahaswetha Devi, Rabi Singh,Perumal Murughan, Bama and Namdheo Dhasal .Compared to any other movement in the last century, Dalit literature has been acting as a vehicle for achieving social transformation. Dalit literature wishes to change the world by bringing the humanity to the forefront. The meaning of Dalit and Dalit literature conveys a message about his/her community but not individuality, about his/her revolt and progress but not regression. The message is conveyed by portraying the exploitative, desperate and embarrassed sections endowed with grief showing how they continue to be suppressed and enslaved. The writers of Dalit literature questioned religion and identity throughout their works. The Dalit literature achieved a strong foundation in the mid 20th century, its framework having seen established in the 19th century. The present day Dalit writers hence made the literary foundation strong with an ideology of their own and also publishing various national and international journals. Dalit literature deviates from the aesthetic groups of mainstream literature by its own stereotypical way. The rise of Dalit literature marks a new chapter for India’s untouchables. Extreme opportunities and exposure are now received by short story writers, novelists and poets. There are writers who pay much admiration to previously marginalized writers. Ramnika Gupta although not born as a Dalit her work `yudhart Aam Aadhmi’ (1987) a quarterly magazine is a fine example for this. She proves to be a leading figure in the emergence of low-caste writing. B. 267 I N S I G H T: An International Multilingual Journal for Arts and Humanities Peer Reviewed and Refereed: ISSN: 2582-8002 University Research Publications, Ernakulam, Kerala VOL 1-ISSUE 5 : JULY 2021 R .Ambedkar the highly influential writer and Dalit leader was of the view that low-caste people had their own literature and that they write about their own living. Similar in the case of the writer Ajay Narvaria . His work` Udhar Ke Log’ (2008) portrays the way by which how the low-castes are treated and also the agony of the protagonist for being rejected by his lover a sex-worker on his discovery of him as a Dalit. Narvaria was of the view that new generation writers is actually reinforcing caste divisions rather than breaking them down by writing about purely Dalit issue and by organizing themselves as Dalits. From the very birth of Indian cinema since 100 years there have been only a handful of mainstream Dalit stories and characters. The Indian film historian Theodore Bhaskaran propounded the principle of anti-un touchability especially in the silent films and early talkies .He says about the film` Madurai Veeran’ (1956) directed by D.Yoganand and written by kannadasan made with M.G. Ramachandran on the lead. The film was given a twist by portraying the hero as a boy born in a much affluent family who was left to the forest and brought up by Dalit couples instead of showing him as a son of the backward parents. The aim behind this was to please the viewers. According to a study done by, ` The Hindu’ in June 2015, among the 300 bollywood movies released between 2013 and 2014, just six of the lead characters belonged to backward caste. Bikas Ranjan Mishra the director of the film Chauranga (2016) says he also has witnessed caste dynamics at close hand in his village. The politics of identity –caste and gender were centered to him and they still are. He held the view that `Things have to be destroyed and demolished for a new world to emerge. Dalit representation in Malayalam films are seen very unpleasant, from the very beginning it continues by reinforcing Dalit characters as stereotypes .Majority are anti-dalit films and even Dalit filmmakers and writers hesitate to make films which convey Dalit theme. In all sense upper caste hegemony is seen in the Malayalam film industry. The director John K Cheriyan (Papilio Buddha) in his interview with maadhyamam weekly says `my movie was treated untouchable’. He says by excluding the film Papilio Buddha, from this line up, IFFK lost an opportunity to show the life and struggles of the marginalized people of 268 I N S I G H T: An International Multilingual Journal for Arts and Humanities Peer Reviewed and Refereed: ISSN: 2582-8002 University Research Publications, Ernakulam, Kerala VOL 1-ISSUE 5 : JULY 2021 Kerala to an international audience. Jayan K Cheriyan’s English Malayalam film Papilio Buddha (2013) tells about the displaced Dalits in the Western Ghats who embrace Buddhism and become Ambedkar’s follower’s in order to escape oppression. The film Papilio Buddha is not an isolated one as the documentary film Jai Bhim Comrade (2011) directed by Anand Patwardhan also was excluded tacitly under technical reasons like the length of the film. Anti-Dalit bias is one of the reasons behind these. The history of Indian Cinema began at the early part of the twentieth century. Malayalam cinema had to wait a few more decades to get its first film. The first feature film in Malayalam ‘Vigathakumaran’ was released in 1928. Produced and directed by the Chennai returned business man J.C.Daniel, who himself handled the role of the protagonist, the film stood apart with a social theme while mythological films ruled the film arena all over India. Kerala had to wait another five years to get its next film, but only to be shelved after a few exhibitions due to a legal entanglement. ‘Marthandavarma’ based on the famous novel by C.V. Raman Pillai was produced by Sunderraj, a historical silent film, would have had a great impact on the cinema of South India if it had not met with legal confrontation. The first Malayalam cinema with a sound track was released in 1938. The film ‘Balan’ produced by R.Sundaram and directed by Notani was a melodrama with more Tamil influence than Malayalam. Following the commercial success of ‘Balan’, more films like ‘Jnambika’ (1940) and ‘Prahlada’ (1941) came out to the theatres. P.J.Cheriyan’s ‘Nirmala’ (1948) was the first film to explore the possibility of music and songs in cinema. The lyrics of the film penned by the legendary Malayalam poet G.Shankara Kurup became so popular that song-dance sequences became essential ingredients of Malayalam cinema.