Portrayal of Dalit identity in Vetri Maaran films

Image Credit: Indian Express

Vetri Maaran is a famous Tamil filmmaker. In his filmmaking carrier, he has won  National Awards a record five times. He is known for raising the issues of Dalit's/lower caste people (residing in Tamil Nadu), through his films. 

When it comes to representing the Dalits on silver screen, no one does it better than Vetri Maaran. Most of his films are based on lower caste people, about how our society has been suppressed since ages. He represents lower caste people in such a strong way that can inspire people to decrease the discrimination based on caste. In his films Dalits are the lead character unlike other filmmakers who does not dareto provide any space for lead portrayal of a Dalit. 

Based on the two movies by Vetri Maaran that I have seen (Asuran and Vada Chennai) it's apparent how smartly he makes his point and adds caste, class and political nuances while keeping up with the thematic of Tamil mainstream cinema. Action and larger than life fight sequences are most vital part of it and that means the protagonist should comfortably take down a gang of men who are visibly stronger than he is. 

Image Credit: Deccan Chronicles

This might be the easiest thing to do for most of the mainstream Tamil movies but the characters Vetri Maaran chooses as protagonists are very unlike the regular Rajnikant-esque Tamil hero. The protagonists in both of the aforementioned movies represent a youth who, by virtue of his birth, is a vulnerable and meek individual. In Asuran, first as a lower caste hooch maker and later as a fearful father and as an innocent carom player in Vada Chennai, the protagonist isn't someone whom you'd expect to take down big baddies in a fight. Yet the quick transition appear so smooth as well as believable and big part of its credit goes to the sheer brilliance of Dhanush who effortlessly makes you believe that a guy built like him can take down big, strong men. 

What Vetri Maaran does is to use the action scenes and the sudden physical empowerment of the protagonist as a symbol. This transformation from a meek sheep to a formidable lion happens in both the movies when the protagonist stands for something that goes beyond the individuality yet remaining deeply personal. In both the cases the protagonist is fighting a bigger fight than what meets the eye. His newly found strength is a statement of power that a cause holds. It symbolizes the collective angst of the oppressed. In the larger than life portrayal he sort of signifies the possible strength the oppressed can harness. It's a reflection of the hope that the people will stand up for what's right against all the odds and of the hope that they shall win. 

While talking about caste discrimination in film industry. According to a report from The Hindu in between 2013 - 14 there were almost 300 films made in Hindi cinema but only 5 of them had Dalits as a lead.

 Another report from Birmingham University suggests that in India most half of the population is shared by lower caste people but when it comes to films only 0.1 % lower caste people has been represented in cinema so far.