Movie Evaluate | The Depiction Of Dalit Trauma In ‘Maamannan’

There are few movies the place the efficiency is swiftly taken over by an antagonist and Maamannan launched in June this yr, is definitely one amongst them. Written and directed by Mari Selvaraj, casting Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil, Udhayanidhi Stalin and Keerthy Suresh within the lead roles, the movie continues to create momentum in probably the most sensational methods. The pertinent theme mentioned within the movie is the caste battle that continues to function even after overcoming class struggles in a complexly hierarchised society. 

The explanations that lead the protagonist Veeran and the antagonist Rathnavelu to return into battle are inter-twined carefully with caste and sophistication struggles, particularly these confronted by a Dalit household. The quantity of respect owed by a person in lots of elements of the nation continues to be weighed and measured by one’s origin and ancestry, and never the character and actions of the person.

The titular character of the movie Maamannan, performed by the veteran actor Vadivelu, is an MLA and the daddy of Veeran who’s compelled to behave out the hypocrisies of society. Maamannan joins the get together and turns into an MLA, in the long term, to safeguard his son from the horrifying caste expertise. This breaks the bond between father and son. 

Regardless of his rise in energy from the standing of a standard farmer, Maamannan nonetheless faces the problem of casteist discrimination whereby Rathnavelu, although decrease to him in political place, assumes energy and management over the others owing to his excessive caste standing.  

Rathnavelu however believes it to be his birthright to rule and management the Dalits with a purpose to maintain their casteist legacy alive. Due to this fact, controls them by denying them primary self-respect. The bloodthirsty race canines owned by Rathnavelu are deemed extra respectable than the Dalits.

Though he retains them in a mansion, he continues to mercilessly kill the canines who’ve misplaced within the races. His merciless therapy and killing of the canines are symbolic of his therapy in direction of the others round him. Due to this fact, in the identical method, he mercilessly kills each the politician and his failed canine. 

The festering wound of Dalit trauma

The incident within the temple pond and the resultant deaths of younger kids who have been mates of Veeran is one among the many many main occasions seen within the nation. Even when training tries to make folks conscious that the various taboos prevalent in society are unscientific, inhuman and illogical, many nonetheless proceed to observe them as the only technique of retaining management to stroke their caste ego. It’s this perspective that leads them to assault the free tutorials run by Leela within the movie. 

The deep wound suffered by Veeran throughout his childhood days makes him insecure, severing his relations at residence. However he learns bodily self-defense and continues to show them to the youth. His traumatised reminiscence retains him tangled and without end striving for equality which resurfaces after their battle with Rathnavelu.

The indignation from the disrespect that Veeran and Maamannan expertise at Rathnavelu’s residence strengthens their soul to combat for themselves and the hundreds of individuals beside them. A number of scenes within the movie clearly present how Dalits have been denied self-respect despite the various developments they’ve achieved. The {photograph} of Ambedkar and the idol of Buddha discovered at Maamannan’s residence vividly exhibits the emancipation skilled by the oppressed communities with the assistance of those figures.  

The politics of celebrating the casteist antagonist in Maamannan

Greater than the success of the movie, the recognition and foreign money acquired by the character of Rathnavelu, the casteist antagonist of the movie is a critical concern to be acknowledged. Rathnavelu is portrayed as a cold-blooded brute who doesn’t care about something apart from his satisfaction and legacy. Rathnavelu all the time remembers his father telling him that he ought to by no means give option to these under him, even when he helps these above him or these by his aspect.

This serves as a form of reassurance to him, that tells him that following his private ideas is all the time proper and that he ought to by no means bow earlier than anybody or hand over his casteist household satisfaction. Therefore, the recognition acquired by the character of Rathnavelu is a direct exemplification of the celebration for his casteist satisfaction.

Extra problematically, folks like Rathnavelu reassure themselves that their merciless acts ought to be adopted by others proudly. It may possibly create quite a lot of confusion and may destroy the values of secularism and equality which had been dictated and established via a lot labour within the nation.

The silent but highly effective girls characters of Maamannan

For the reason that story is about in a strongly patriarchal society, it’s the male characters who get to behave out their politics and satisfaction. The feminine figures are largely silent apart from Leela who’s empowered and made herself a job mannequin for her neighborhood. She represents the nineties era who’ve grow to be empowered via training.

Leela can be the consultant of the Tamil girls who used their potential for his or her neighborhood. She, alongside along with her mates, runs a free native tutorial for poor college students and therefore incurs the wrath of Rathnavelu’s establishments. For him and his household, training is a enterprise and never a device for empowerment. However Leela and her mates perceive that solely sufficient training can purge their society of evils. 

The opposite girls characters embrace Rathnavelu’s spouse Jyothi and Veeran’s mom, Veermayi. Veeramayi is a silent and highly effective character who communicates the plight of her neighborhood via her specific physique language. Although initially she talks and behaves like a traditional mom, later she is reworked right into a muted entity after the battle with the antagonist. The worry she needed to expertise throughout Veeran’s childhood, comes again, disabling her communication and routine.

Whereas the male characters, Maamannan and Veeran, empowered via training and circumstances, can lead forth, Veermayi assumes a silent method. After the bodily combat with Rathnavelu, Maamannan touches her ft whereas comforting her. A husband touching the ft of his spouse can be symbolic of her relevance which is the same as that of a deity within the household. 

Jyothi, however, represents the persistence that Rethnavelu doesn’t possess. She is a relaxed particular person who understands the behaviour of her husband. Being too powerless to affect him, she tolerates him and her scenario. However Jyothi’s success within the election reveals her potential, which Rathnavelu has all the time uncared for and continues to neglect.

Had he understood her management qualities, it might have helped him win the election. Although Jyothi is part of the neighborhood the place girls exist solely throughout the household, she conveniently breaks out and divulges her interior self by climbing the steps of the legislative meeting. 

Total, Maamannan is a gritty depiction of Dalit trauma and caste battle, a lived actuality for a big part of Indian society.