Anjali Rajoria Nandita Das, the talented Indian actress was recently involved in the campaign “Dark is Beautiful”. The idea has been endorsed by many celebrities across the nation. Despite being a vehement critic of the social standards of ‘Beauty’, I do not extend my support to this campaign. My logic is simple. Let me …
Caste in cinema and music: the Kerala experience
~ Caste in cinema and music: the Kerala experience ~ A S Ajith Kumar talks to Dalit Camera Dalit Camera: Through Un-Touchable Eyes This is the first part of an interview with A S Ajith Kumar, writer, musician and filmmaker based in Trivandrum. The interview was conducted by Radhika Pai and Gopika Nangia after the …
Locating P K Rosy: Can A Dalit Woman Play a Nair Role in Malayalam Cinema Today?
Jenny Rowena I think this Rosy Memorial Lecture is a historically significant move for two important reasons. First of all it gives us a chance to remember and commemorate P K Rosy, the Dalit Chrisitan woman, who was the first heroine of the first film in Malayalam, Vigathakumaran, which was made and released by …
The ‘Dirt’ in The Dirty Picture: Caste, Gender and Silk Smitha – Part 2
Jenny Rowena Continued from here. My only preparation was to constantly tell myself that I love my body. And I was going to use it as a tool to get what I wanted in life and I was not going to be apologetic about it. So that was what Silk is for me. Therefore there is …
Caught in a Traffic jam: Liberation in Malayalam cinema
Rupesh Kumar The Malayalam movie ‘Traffic’ has the actor Sreenivasan essaying complex roles; narrator, convict and the hero. I find it significant to analyze his role transformations and examine the explicit and implicit messages being conveyed in the movie as a reflection of Malayali society. The Narrator Why was Sreenivasan chosen to be the ‘philosophical’ …