It was the last week of September 2014. There was widespread tension in Tamilnadu due to political reasons. I decided to come back home to have an extended weekend (My college’s cultural fest was happening, so we had 2 days extra holidays).
My school friend had come from his college for Pooja holidays (his college was in West Bengal, hence he had around 7-10 days of holidays). There was this new movie Madras which was creating waves in Tamilnadu. Both of us liked the promotional material of the movie and decided to go for the night show.
I was wary of sleeping through the movie. Until today I don’t understand what hit me that night. Madras was such a different movie experience in itself. Honestly I did not understand what the movie was trying to say beneath all the layers of it’s story. It was probably the first time I had watched a political movie which wasn’t publicized as one.
The movie got rave reviews, the director got called up by the most influential movie star in TN to direct him in his next movie. The name of the director was Pa.Ranjith
Background:
Pa.Ranjith is a graduate from the Government fine arts college in Chennai. Post his graduation he has worked with directors like Lingusamy, Venkat Prabhu. You can see Pa.Ranjith in a fleeting shot in Chennai-28
It is no secret that Ranjith hails from the Dalit community. All his films showcase the lifestyle of the under-represented sections of the society. Ever since he got his big break in Madras, he has taken special care to convey his political ideas through his stories and initiatives.
He is an ardent follower of Dr.Ambedkar and has always stood up for the rights of the minorities. His politics is so evident in his movies that Vetrimaaran (A national award winning director), calls him a politician who makes films. I don’t disagree with Vetrimaaran at all.
MADRAS
On the surface Madras was a normal tamil movie, it had songs, fights, love and everything you would see. But it was probably the first time in Tamil cinema we were seeing a movie which showed people from North Chennai as being well-read, talented and shown in a dignified manner. Every single frickin movie in Tamil would stereotype people from North Chennai as gangsters and North Chennai as a notorious place.
Sure!, Madras may have that aspect as well, but for the first time we were seeing the area being humanized and represented correctly. Madras introduced me to the actual meaning of Representation and Lifestyle
We saw everyone in the movie as extensions of ourselves and put things into perspective.
KABALI, KAALA
Both the films that Ranjith collaborated with Rajinikanth did not do well at the box office. The movies were totally in contrast to what was expected from a superstar movie. Personally I like Madras better than both these movies in terms of movie watching experience. Both these movies played an important role in Ranjith’s mission. It made him reach the masses. The presence of Superstar made all of us watch these movies.
Surely they were not his best works, but were they inferior works in terms of the story it told and the people it represented? the answer would be a resounding No. The climax sequence in Kaala still brings the chills to me when I see it.
Kaala’s climax sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG7UUQ7IJDo
There was a clear shift in the way people of my age started thinking post Kaala. They finally understood what Ranjith was trying to do and you can see many people who speak Ambedkarite politics post this movie.
NEELAM Productions and their initiatives
Ranjith started his own production house post his 3 directorial ventures and the first film to come out of the production house was Pariyerum Perumal. The film is a masterpiece and it almost felt like Ranjith was so liberated at hearing the story that he went ahead and made the movie. The movie gave the promising director Mari Selvaraj limelight.
Pariyerum Perumal is hardhitting and deserves its own post by itself. So I am refraining from writing more. His next movie was Irandam Ulaga Porin Kadaisi Kundu which talked about the lives of people in the scrap collecting industry.
You can see from all his films that they have an underlying theme of representing the minorities and showing their life in it’s truest form.
Neelam productions has its own youtube channel and the videos offer a whole lot of insights to say the least.
Neelam’s youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnrxE-jPN3id_G8nE2lf3w
The Casteless Collective is an collaboration with Neelam Cultural centre and Madras records. This band is aimed at showcasing the skills of the popular music style in Tamilnadu named “Gaana”.
Spotify channel of the band: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7ymamM7CBML9JF47Of8qBp
Conclusion
If not for Ranjith, I would have been the stereotypical Indian who still thinks reservation is wrong and probably following all the things that are taught to me. He has made a whole generation question the status-quo and view things differently.
He has made me read Ambedkar, Periyar and discover things about me that I never knew existed.
I want to conclude this post by quoting something that my cousin usually refers to: “Until the Lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter”. Ranjith has not only started the story but has enabled so many around him.
He has brought an entire generation of directors, actors who view things differently and have started writing the story along with Ranjith. I hope this story inspires millions and drives everyone to a better world.
Thank you for bringing me outside my bubble Ranjith Anna! Jai Bheem!
P.S: I have never seen Attakathi (Ranjith’s first film as a director) fully. So I thought it would be injustice to write about it.
Image sources: Google
Kaala and Kabali are streaming on Amazon Prime while you can catch Madras on Hotstar
மௌனம் 