ALPHA MALES OF 21ST CENTURY TAMIL CINEMA: CULT FIGURE VS CONTEMPORARY FIGURE Prathiba J Registered Number: 1324045 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Communication Christ University Bengaluru 2015 Programme Authorized to Offer Degree Department of Media Studies ii Christ University Department of Media Studies This is to certify that I have examined this copy of a master’s thesis by Prathiba J Registered Number: 1324045 and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made. Committee Members: _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Date: __________________________________ iii iv I, Prathiba J, confirm that this dissertation and the work presented in it are original. 1. Where I have consulted the published work of others this is always clearly attributed. 2. Where I have quoted from the work of others the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations this dissertation is entirely my own work. 3. I have acknowledged all main sources of help. 4. If my research follows on from previous work or is part of a larger collaborative research project I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself. 5. I am aware and accept the penalties associated with plagiarism. Date: Signature v vi Abstract Alpha males of 21st century Tamil cinema: Cult Figure Vs contemporary figure Prathiba J Master of Science in Communication, Christ University, Bengaluru Indian cinema reveals the effort the Savarna Indian bourgeoisie consistently makes to prolong its dominance over a society which otherwise experiences important historical changes. The agent of this attempted domination of India’s social and geographical terrain in Indian cinema is the Indian Alpha male. The same has been relevant to Tamil cinema, ever since its evolution, changing with resonant trends in ideology. This study is an attempt at observing the current scenario, especially in pertinence to the purpose and representation of the Alpha male in Tamil films. In this case, the character’s interaction with the story and screenplay becomes crucial in order to unearth the resounding ideals. Keywords: Alpha male, Tamil cinema, ideology, screenplay vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere gratitude to my Guide, Fr. Biju K. Chacko for his constant guidance encouragement and support. I also thank my teachers, Naresh Rao, Suparna Naresh, Aasita Bali, Amutha Manavalan, Rajesh A., Kannan S and Shantaraju S for their valuable feedback and restless assistance in bringing out this research. I also would like to thank my family and friends for the encouragement and devotion, without whom this thesis would never have been completed. ix x DEDICATION To my loving family and friends xi xii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1:INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Who is an alpha male? ............................................................................................ 1 1.2 What are the characteristics of an alpha male? ...................................................... 1 1.3 The Indian alpha: .................................................................................................... 1 1.4 Aims ....................................................................................................................... 2 1.5 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 2 1.6 Background for research: ....................................................................................... 2 Chapter 2:REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................................ 5 Chapter 3:METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 11 Chapter 4:ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................... 17 4.1 Alpha male in the golden era ................................................................................ 18 4.2 Alpha male of the modern era .............................................................................. 18 4.3 Alpha males of 21st century Tamil cinema ........................................................... 19 4.4 Pudupettai Vs Vettaikaran .................................................................................... 23 4.5 Anbe Sivam Vs Enthiran ...................................................................................... 36 Chapter 5:CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 59 REFERENCES: ................................................................................................................. 62 xiii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Pudupettai poster ............................................................................................... 24 Figure 2: Kokki kumar in jail/ use of green ...................................................................... 29 Figure 3: An intimate moment with selvi/ use of red & green .......................................... 29 Figure 4: After disposing the baby/use of monochrome ................................................... 30 Figure 5: While being taken to jail/ use of red color ......................................................... 30 Figure 6: Vettaikaran poster .............................................................................................. 31 Figure 7: Ravi's authority over chella ................................................................................ 35 Figure 8: The metaphorical mark Ravi left on Chella ....................................................... 35 Figure 9: Anbe Sivam poster ............................................................................................. 36 Figure 10: Nalla Sivam (current) ....................................................................................... 41 Figure 11: Nalla Sivam (flashback) .................................................................................. 41 Figure 12: Anbarasu (post transformation) ....................................................................... 42 Figure 13: Anbarasu (exposition) ...................................................................................... 42 Figure 14: Anbu's and Sivam's relationship ...................................................................... 44 Figure 15: Endhiran poster ................................................................................................ 45 Figure 16: Vaseekaran with Chitti at the convention ........................................................ 50 Figure 17: Dr Vaseekaran .................................................................................................. 51 Figure 18: Chitti (at first instance) .................................................................................... 52 Figure 19: Post his neural schema's response to human emotions .................................... 52 Figure 20: Chitti's Evil transformation .............................................................................. 53 Figure 21: Dr Vaseekaran after avoiding a full blown fight ............................................. 54 Figure 22: Chitti sharing a light moment with Sana ......................................................... 55 Figure 23: Evil Chitti kidnaps Sana at her wedding .......................................................... 56 Figure 24: Vaseekaran expresses anger over Chitti's love for Sana .................................. 57 xv xvi Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Who is an alpha male? An alpha male has several definitions in different contexts. The classic definition is derived from the animal kingdom where it represents a physical form of dominance over other males. For e.g. The lion is an alpha male, it claims all the women, fights other males to enforce itself and dominates a vast territory of land for hunting rights. In a modern sense, the progressive human alpha male may exhibit a few of these characteristics. The alpha males are usually the strongest and they possess intimidation and dominance beyond the physical and that is that is transmitted by their moral or professional reputation. 1.2 What are the characteristics of an alpha male? The predominant characteristics that are associated with the alpha male are Dominance, Confidence, Take- charge attitude, Self-directedness, Goal oriented, Charisma, Competitiveness, Necessary aggressiveness, Persistence, tenacity, determination and steadfastness, etc. Alpha male characteristics are usually genetically endowed and their baseline purpose is to insure the alpha’s role as leader of the pack. The alpha male may also hone a few negative traits like arrogance, intense rivalry, narcissism, recklessness, domination etc. 1.3 The Indian alpha: In concurrence, the Indian alpha male also possesses a number of intimidating qualities that always puts him on the edge. Undoubtedly, he has always been an integral part of Indian cinema in essential and varied contexts. Exhibiting superior qualities of leadership and physical/mental prowess, these men assumed various roles based on the changing times, but they were never absent. In a socialist point of view, according to Anirudh Deshpande, Indian cinema reveals the consistent effort