PA Ranjith — The BC and AD of Tamil Cinema
The movie industry as we have come to know it has been a cluster of different problematic areas for the longest time. The regressive representation of women, right from casting to it objectification, the glorification of caste, the blatant nepotism, and an industry that sends out people disappointed and bankrupt are just some of the problems that lie on the surface of it. I’m sure people working in the industry will have tons of horror-filled stories to share about the same.
Amidst all these PA Ranjith made his debut with the movie “Attakathi” (2012), there were no big names in its entourage or a budget that baffles the public. Yet, the movie had a gradual rise to popularity and is still spoken about for its direction and screenplay. From here, Ranjith has taken the Tamil cinema industry by storm and has forced the hands of new directors to talk about subjects and stories that never would have happened without him. This blog is just a small summary of why PA Ranjith and his movies have become such an integral chapter in Indian cinema.
Commercialization of Dalit stories
The movie industry runs on investment and numbers like any other business. Intensive subjects like caste politics have only been seen as documentaries like “India Untouched” or set apart as award movies like “Fandry”(2013). The commercial aspect of such important stories was always questioned and these movies faced a lot of struggle to find a bigger audience. PA Ranjith uprooted this notion with the film “Madras”(2012) which was very well received and was a bigger commercial success. His movies after Madras did significantly well in the box office collections and Ranjith opened the doors to the commercialization of Dalit cinema.
This might be the single big achievement that Ranjith has attained that is going to change the politics of cinema in the upcoming decades. This success with commercialization has also enabled directors like Vetrimaran to create powerful movies like Asuran. I hope more socially aware directors take up this wave of change and help sprint the discussion around Dalit politics. PA Ranjith is also expected to make his Bollywood debut sooner with the film Birsa Munda.
Holistic Representation of a troubled history
The representation of caste is not an easy task, especially in a space that is as caste infected and caste glorified like cinema. It has a lot of pain, shame, and generations of oppression attached to it. It is complex, messy, and sometimes harder to portray effectively in a medium like cinema. I have always been attracted to PA Ranjith’s approach to Dalit representation, it is so seamless and doesn’t feel forced at any point in his movies. His movies don’t just represent people it represents music, food, clothes, language, the geography, and the color of the skin so perfectly.
When Rajnikanth was bleached white for a song in Shivaji it felt so refreshing to see him sport a black shirt and veshti in Kaala. The movies which were directed or produced by PA Ranjith have seen a better representation of artforms from oppressed communities with little to zero adulteration for the sake of commercialization. It reminds me why we need Dalit filmmakers to tell stories that don’t force representation.
Speaking of the “F” word
Feminism as a philosophy in movies is something I often find used to seek brownie points amongst the neoliberals. This is still so far better than the blatant hyper-sexualization of women in the form of item dances and derogatory dialogues and lyrics. Though PA Ranjith has never called any of his movies feministic pieces his portrayal of women in his movies have been powerful and unraveling to someone like me.
The Indian movie industry has always treated women as eye candy because of which they ascribe to the upper caste standards of beauty. The only space left for them is to be saved by the hero, two or three romantic song numbers, and a dummy to fall into the arms of the main lead as they walk off into the sunset. The women characters in PA Ranjith’s movies are the entire opposite of what I’ve seen and I just can’t wait for more such characters to come forth in the coming days. PA Ranjith also said in an interview that he believes that there is a need for more women directors to make movies about feminism rather than him, a man, taking up space.
Preaching, Practicing, Empowering
Through Neelam Productions, PA Ranjith has empowered the artists working with him to explore further into their careers and grow. My friends in the cinema industry have mostly described the industry as a place where people like assistant directors and most other crew get treated like slaves, both in terms of salary and in terms of respect. People talk about physical abuse too when working under certain directors and they describe it to glorify rather than condemn. PA Ranjith brought forth two excellent directors like Mari Selvaraj and Athiyan Athirai who in turn have given brilliant movies like Pariyerum Permal and Irandam Ulagaporin Kadaisi Gundu.
I am sure if not for PA Ranjith these directors would have either worked for decades under someone as assistants or left the industry with disappointment. The sense of finding joy in empowering people around you in hopes of them finding bigger success is the core of the revolution that will change the world. I firmly believe and know that these two won’t be the only directors and artists that will come out of Neelam productions and that this is just the beginning.
PA Ranjith’s work outside of cinema is what baffles me the most, apart from his role in cinema he has made deeper impacts in the daily discourse of caste. He is unapologetically political and ruthlessly clear with his ideology and understanding of society. This has led him to begin other ventures like Neelam cultural center that The Casteless Collective bringing out more stories and music from Dalit artists. I wholeheartedly believe that PA Ranjith will be a milestone that marks the discussion of caste politics. Many critics and cinema commentators have started to see other mainstream productions as films before Ranjith and films after Ranjith.
All of the movies he has directed and produced have educated me, thought me to speak truth to power, made me guilty of the kind of movies I have celebrated and the kind of ideologies I have romanticized in the past. PA Ranjith is a force of nature that you can not ignore. He is here to stay in spite of all the hate thrown at him, he is here to thrive.
