Tamil Cultural Elites and Cinema Outline of an Argument

SPECIAL ARTICLES Tamil Cultural Elites and Cinema Outline of an Argument M S S Pandian The arrival of the talkies in Tamil in the 1930s confronted the Tamil elite with a challenge in that while they were implicated in the cinematic medium in more than one way, they, in retaining their exclusive claim to high culture, had to differentiate their engagement with cinema from that of the subalterns. This essay discusses how the Tamil elite negotiated this challenge by deploying notions of realism, ideology of uplift and a series of binaries which restored the dichotomy of high culture and low culture within the cinematic medium itself I than one way, they, in retaining their consideration of language should be im- exclusive claim to high culture, had to ported so as to lower or impair that standard" THE arrival of talkies in Tamil during the differentiate their engagement with cinema [Arooran 1980:260].2 1930s was received with much enthusiasm from that of the subalterns. This essay In contrast to Bharatanatyam and Carnatic by the lower class film audience. However, explores in broad outline how the Tamil elite music, company drama and 'therukoothu' such subaltern enthusiasm for this new form negotiated this challenge by deploying (folk street theatre) constituted the so-called of leisure was simultaneously accompanied notions of realism, ideology of uplift and a low culture patronised by the Tamil subaltern by enormous anxiety among the upper caste/ series of binaries which recuperated within classes. Therukoothu, which was confined class elites.1 Though this anxiety was initially the cinematic medium itself, the dichotomy to the countryside, was performed throughout framed in terms of low cultural tastes of the of high culture and low culture. the night particularly in the post-harvest subalterns and resolved within the binary of summer months and during festivals in non- high culture vs low culture, the elites were II brahminic Hindu temples. Therukoothu was soon confronted with newer problems. treated by the Tamil elite as a marker of low Quickly they realised that cinema as a By the turn of the 20th century, the cultural taste and was despised. Writing medium carried the unwelcome possibility boundaries between the so-called high culture about his childhood days. Jayakaantan, a of upsetting and recasting the already existing and the low culture were already well- Tamil fictionist, noted, "My 'upper caste' and carefully patrolled boundaries between affirmed in specific ways in the Tamil social [status] informed me that these interesting high culture and low culture. milieu. On the side of high culture, one had masqueraders, who had their faces [full of paint] and told stories from Mahabaratham, Cinema's ability to upset pre-existing Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music, which were lowly people" [Jayakaantan 1980:9; cultural boundaries and to reallocate were almost exclusively monopolised by the emphasis mine]. previously ghettoised cultural practices brahmins and a very small section of the followed from the unprecedented ways in non-brahmin upper castes. Needing years of Company drama, though performed mostly which it brought together the elites and the training, with rules of training worked out in towns, traversed both the rural and the masses. First of all, the pleasure of spectating in meticulous detail, and marked by caste urban areas. Capturing the flavour of the did not fail to draw sections of the elite exclusivity, these cultural forms were company drama performances, Baskaran towards cinema as audience, though most available only to the upper caste elites. (1991:755) writes, of cinema's patrons came from the lower Both Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music The repertoire of these companies was classes. Secondly, cinema as a medium was affirmed themselves decisively as markers limited to a few mythologicals, written as informed by what one may term as of high culture with their institutionalisation musicals. The stories were standardised in 'intertextual excess' whereby it could borrow by the Madras elite in the form of Madras a series of songs. The playwright, in these both from high and low cultural universes Music Academy in 1928. We may note here companies, called 'vathiyar' (teacher), wrote at the same time and recombine them in that the first Tamil talkie Kalidas appeared the songs, composed the music and also unexpected ways. Thirdly, as cinema evolved only in 1931. Interestingly, the Music directed the plays. All the actors had to be into an industry and trade, i e, as an avenue Academy was conceived during and funded singers, including the clown. And there was for investment and profit, the elites were by the 42nd session of the Indian National the pit orchestra, with a harmonium and a drawn to it. Then such profit-seeking criti- Congress held in Madras in 1927. The tabla. The emphasis was on singing, not on cally depended on the subaltern consumers Academy not only conducted annual music drama. When a character died on the stage of cinema who were kept in contempt by and dance festivals with much fanfare, but after singing a song, he would get up without the elite because of their allegedly low also functioned as a watchdog institution any hesitation to respond to cries of 'once more' and start singing all over again. cultural tastes. Finally, the act of putting monitoring the so-called purity and standards What is important for our argument is the together a film required mobilisation of of classical music and dance. For instance, fact that, simitar to therukoothu, company different kinds of skills - some of which at the annual conference of the Academy in dramas were also shunned by the Tamil were almost exclusively available only to 1941, it responded to the demand that there elites as low-brow entertainment of the the elites (direction/camera/editing), while should be more Tamil songs instead of subalterns. Rao Bahadur P Sambanda other sorts of skills, which were equally Telugu and Sanskrit songs in Carnatic music concerts by resolving that "it should be the Mudaliar, who was part of the highly critical, were for historical reasons, available aim of all musicians and lovers of music to educated upper caste elite of the Madras city, among the lower classes (acting). preserve and maintain the highest standards reminisced of his childhood thus: "Though In other words, while the elites were of classical Carnatic music and that no there was a 'koothukottagai' (drama implicated in the cinematic medium in more auditorium) close to the house where 1 grew 950 Economic and Political Weekly April 13, 1996 up years back and though Tamil dramas III produced during the 1930s had similar were staged often in different places in number of songs. Also, most of their themes Madras city, I did not watch one even for Tamil talkies made their appearance during were from Hindu mythologies and Puranas five minutes. Not only that I did not watch the 1930s in this milieu of great divide as in the case of popular stage productions. Tamil dramas, "but had great contempt for between high culture and low culture. Equally significant as during the silent era. them" [Sambanda Mudaliar 1931:1].3 Instantaneously, they became popular among the early Tamil talkies drew its actors from Moreover, the Tamil elites derisively the lower class audience. In any case, they the stage. These actors were not ashamed referred to the popular stage artistes as had been the patrons of silent cinema, before. of their career on the stage and often acted 'koothadigal' (mountebanks), refused to rent Moreover, cinema, silent or otherwise, both in films and dramas. As late as 1944, them houses and feared them as possible functioned as a social equaliser of sorts. N S Krishnan, who was a towering abductors of young women [Avvai 'The cinema hall was the first performance personality of both the Tamil screen and the Shanmugam 1983:33]. According to Avvai centre in which all the Tamils sat under the stage, claimed in public, "Is it fair to accuse Shanmugam, a doyen of 20th century Tami1 same roof. The basis of the seating is not cinema as having killed the drama? [No] stage, "Parents would not allow their children on the hierarchic position of the patron Drama and cinema have born of the same to watch dramas. Youths were ashamed to but essentially on his purchasing power" mother... One is real and the other, image" admit in public that they had been to drama. [Sivathamby 1981:18-19]. [Arantahi Narayanan 1994:67]. Opposite to [every] drama hall, a toddy shop A contemporary account of the situation This overlap between the early talkies and would be present" (ibid). in the cinema halls of Madras city captures the company drama, which had already been The best illustration of the elite scorn for the flavour of subaltern enthusiasm for this inscribed as part of the Tamil low culture, these artistes is the way they were treated new medium of entertainment: offered the Tamil elite with sufficient basis by the leadership of the Tamil Nadu unit If we wish to watch films in Madras city, to negotiate this new medium, They, to of the Indian National Congress. During the the greatest difficulty is getting tickets. There begin with, ghettoised it as part of the low pre-1947 period, a large number of these are huge crowds at the ticket counter. As cultural universe of the subaltern classes. artistes used the medium of drama and songs tickets began to be issued, they jostle each Reflecting this elite cultural politics in to spread the message of nationalism other and some climb on the others and get Tami Nadu, the practitioners of classical art However, their contribution, for most part, the tickets, In between such commotion, forms shunned cinema: "..

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