Abstract:

The glorious century of Indian cinema has produced thousands of films that consolidate Brahmanic hegemony. These films signify power of privileged dominant castes, their culture and biases. The power of privileged castes in the cinema industry needs critical exploration and Dalit interventions in Indian cinema offer a critical site for such exploration. Dalits or Outcastes as historically oppressed 'Other' of the caste Hindus are increasingly contesting the purity of Indian cinema.

Stories on Dalit life and struggle were missing in cinematic space as they almost always occupied roles of helpless victims (e.g. Achhut Kanya, Sujata and more recently Article 15). With globalisation of time and space we see some radical changes in India cinema especially in the Marathi and Tamil films.  Nagraj Manjule's Fandry and Sairat and Pa. Ranjith's Madras, Kaala, Kabali, Natchathiram Nagargiradhu and Sarapatta Parambarai have radically challenged and altered the power and purity of Indian cinema. Dalit cinema or anti-caste movies are not just succeeding at the box office they also offer major resistance to set up possibilities of counter hegemony in Indian cinema. I argue that Ambedkarite ideas are at the core of anti-caste movies and Dalit subject is portrayed as an Ambedkarite revolutionary.