By Like Tamil Cinema, none have teased Brahmans in such a horrible way. They have shown Bhramins as a funny character by abusing their language. Already Brahmans were oppressed in Tamilnadu, Tamil Cinema adds oil to fume more against this community which never raised a voice against these atrocities.
Director K. Balachander, a pioneer in showing Bhramins in negative picture. Having him as a role model many directors followed his way of showing Bhramins in a Bad manner. Being Brahmin, Balachander projected himself as a neutral person to capture the market. He even went up to showing a Brahmin woman as a prostitute. While other caste people were reluctant to show their women in a bad light, this Brahmin crusader showed his own women in a strange way.
To show him as a progressive thinker, he mortgaged his own caste to mount his image among Anti Brahmins. This sort of act became popular among Brahmin families to bash themselves to survive in the Anti- Brahmanical Tamilnadu.
Two movies of 70s won National Awards. One was “Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal” (Some people Sometimes) a novel turned movie was written by Jayakanthan a famous Novelist. In that movie, a Brahmin woman who was standing in bus stand it was late night and raining. A man came in a car and telling her that he will drop in her home. She was sexually by that man. What happened after that is the story.
Another award-winning movie “Sirai” (Jail), the drunken landlord Anthony rapes Bhagirathi , wife of the village Brahmin priest. When her husband rejects her, encouraged by a kindly policeman she moves in with her rapist and eventually develops an attachment to him. When he dies, she prefers to be known as the man’s widow and refuses to rejoin her husband.
It is quite pathetic to show a woman who was sexually assaulted. No caste will digest itself to project its women in such a pitiful way. They went up to the level of showing that pathetic situation in the form of Brahmin girl. What sort of revolutionary thinking they had? It shows the mindset of the writer. They won two national awards by showing Brahmin women in the wrong manner and they felt pride in that.
After Balachander, it was Bagyaraj who choose Brahmin characters and made a great impact from his films.
In one of his films called “Ithu namma aalu” where he loves a Brahmin girl and after a big struggle they got married. Hero’s parents who hail from other caste will ask the heroine i.e Brahmin Girl to prove her virginity. After seeing this movie, students of 1988 started speaking that Brahmin girls are sensitive during sex etc. which are more abusive in nature.
Being a respected woman, the light towards Brahmin women was faded because of portraying her in a lustful. This continues even today. Many Brahmin women were targeted like this still but their sufferings were untold. Right from Balachander and Baghyaraj this Brahmin bashing legacy still continues in Kollywood. The recent actors like Danush, Simbu and many new face actors continue to tease and make fun of Brahmin girls in an unpleasant. Even none of feminist organization raised their voice against this Cinema world for targeting Brahmin woman in explicit words like calling them as “Mami”.
Tamil Cinema was soaked in the thoughts of Leftist and Fake Dravidian theories. This was supposed to be Anti-Indian, Anti Hindu in particular it was Anti Brahmin. So it is a privilege for the director to show Bhramins especially, by making their character funny and tampering their traditions as a fool. Main motive of Tamil Cinema is to show that Brahmins are pro-caste, but in practical they are not. Those who say that there is no caste will try to project a Brahmin girl loving other caste guy. The girl’s family will oppose and people from surroundings, try to oppose Brahmin father and advise not be a casteist. In Tamilnadu only Brahmins are pro-casteist? Other castes are not creating fume in the name of caste? They want only Brahmin girls to be married with other caste and doesn’t want their own daughter or family members to marry the other caste guy or a girl. To tame Brahmin specifically this Kollywood team is working with high spirit to fulfill their resolution of dismantling Brahmin as a caste.
“Vedam Pudithu” a movie directed by Barathiraja released in 1987, which was seen as a neutral movie among caste based movie. He equally advised both Brahmins and Devar communities in equal distance, at the same time he used the same formula of a Brahmin girl marrying another caste Guy. Why can’t they show their girls marrying another caste guy? If they show like this their caste women will be misguided right, but no-one will raise their voice if they project Brahmin girls none will question them. Good social justice.
In the coming articles we are going to see how Tamil cinema made fool of Brahmin community.
Continues…
Translated from http://hayyram.blogspot.ae/2009/05/blog-post_5138.html
