Page 63 - Tehelka Issue 13 - July 15, 2018

Movie Review

It brings new social symbols and char- core represent the idea of democratic proletariats would be the winner. The
acteristics that are not seen much in the socialism. It retold the epical battle be- diversity erupts with different colors
mainstream cinema before. First, it starts tween the haves and have not’s in an and dislodges the powerful elite from its
with making the grandfather the hero actual sociological space. This is differ- throne. The mass turns into a revolution-
of the film. The protagonist is not young, ent from the Marxian brand of socialism. ary hero and continues the struggle for
perfect-bodied macho or a fair man- an Here, the socialist politics is not meant to dignity, land rights and justice.
essential element of masala films. Sec- reduce all the social and cultural identi- This is indeed a popular narrative.
ond, all the female leads are fiery, fem- ties into a collective body as one working The director only improvises the epical
inist-kind and devoid from the typical class but it uses and celebrates the pri- tale by infusing a language and symbols
moral appearances of the conventional mordial (caste/communitarian/linguis- unknown to the mainstream cinema.
woman in the cinema. In Kaala’s home, tic) identities to form a plural collective He simply handed the flaming torch of
the women are not submissive but vocal of the people. Kaala thus offers a new revolution to the actual oppressed social
and independent. Third, the side-char- socialist dream, under the leadership of identities and provided it a heroic apos-
acters are not superficial but identifiable proletariat vanguard while functioning tle. The story looks refreshing and real
with the regular people that we see on within the populist democracy. with such vital changes.
the streets. There is no bold make-up, Further, the film endorses a hard The traditional custodians of the cine-
no dream sequences, no item song or no definition of secularism. There are no ma market will not be content with such
character wears unrealistic flamboyant mentions of ‘good religious values’ or departure. The film is pulled down from
attires. All the characters look absolutely showcasing of communal rituals, instead theatres for a banal commercial rea-
real. Hence the background looks au- it portrays the devotees of brahmanical son, suggesting that the Salman Khan’s
thentic and natural. In totality it gives the big release ‘Race-3’ needs more screens.
audience a surreal experience. However, this is not the sole reason for
Importantly, the film does not hide Kaala is an its bad performance at the box office.
the social demography of the charac- epic retold in The film reviewers, critics, trade pundits
ters instead it displays it boldly. The vis- and other cinema experts depicted Kaala
ible Dalit-Bahujan symbolism used in contemporary as a ‘bad’ film and called it ‘inconsistent’
the film makes each frame rich with with the logic of popular entertainment.
substantive sociological and ideologi- context of Mumbai. There was an overall condemnation for
cal details. The audience of mainstream Kaala (Rajnikant) is its political overtones and ideological
cinema is customized to see the hero as moorings. It was seen as a political rally
the representative of upper caste culture. the ‘Bhai’ of Dharavi, to dislodge the current ruling elites in the
The Hero would flag his Hindu social who safeguards power. It is also cornered as a film that
identity and its religious culture with- flaunts deep cultural antagonism against
out any apology. But Kaala is not a Hindu his citadel with a Hindu religion and for heralding radical
upper caste hero. He belonged to a non- private army Ambedkarite politics as new revolution-
brahmanic social tradition. The narrative ary force. The critics thus depict their
suggests that he is a Tamil Dalit, settled in conservative fear and anxiety towards
Dharavi and must have adopted a Bud- a film that tried to experiment with the
dhist identity. On many occasions, the rituals in negative light. The white and dominant narrative style of filmmaking.
film displays the engagement of the hero disciplined house of Hari Dada is ar- Whatever may be its commercial
with the Dalit-Bahujan iconography and ranged with bold display of Hindu reli- success, Kaala did establish that the
in one scene it even depicts the practice gious symbols, but he is characterized as ‘Dalit-Bahujan’ perspective has entered
of untouchability. Thus the thick social patriarchal, sexist political boss having into mainstream cinema with a heroic
realism used in the film brings it closer to minimal respect for the life world of the élan. The way Nagraj Manjule’s ‘Sairaat’
the actual subaltern world and produce a poor. But, the Dharavi appears irreligious, impacted the story telling practices of
counter narrative. away from communal passion Marathi cinema, there is a hope that
Kaala is not only a display of alterna- The question of land in the film is im- ‘Kaala’ will also influence the other film
tive social symbols but it also builds a portant as it connects the diverse colors world similarly. It has a potential to de-
radical political alternative against the of community and caste to become one mocratize the film industry by carving a
bourgeois rightwing politics of the cur- revolutionary class at the climax. Here, dignified space in which the imaginative
rent times. It showcases the growing the poor are not handicap and oppres- fiction of the marginalized people can be
democratic consciousness of the Lower sive subjects but conscious and radical showcased and appreciated without fear
Castes, religious minorities, women and agents. Between the battle of massive and prejudices.
other working class people in the de- poor majority and a tiny oppressive so-
praved land of Dharavi. The films at its cial elites, it is inevitable that the heroic letters@tehelka.com

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