Cinematic and Political Portrayal of Peasants in Tamil Nadu: Reflections on the Films and Politics of M.G. Ramachandran

Abstract

Tamil Nadu is the most progressive state in India in terms of economic and social parameters. Dravidian Movement shared its role in the past significant for such development. However, the condition of peasants refuses to share such view fully remembering the past. Though the peasants remain related to village culture, their life is largely dependent on the mercy of the feudal. Their past was ridden with poverty, illiteracy, and landless conditions. They are mobilized by political parties for their own ends. The portrayal of peasants in the films of M.G. Ramachandran is one such area to be studied. Further, it should be comparative with the realities of peasant life in Tamil Nadu. Mostly, peasants in films are projected as a repressed class by the landlords. The hero is projected as a savior and a leader. Though the hero showed a path embedded in rational and modern elements, he did not dare to undermine the traditional or moral features. The films of M.G. Ramachandran have precisely taken the course that consoled both the peasants and the landlords without eliminating the other.