KARNAN(2021)

VIDHI AGARWAL
BSc. Economics,FY
Division-C
Roll Number-61

Cinema is regarded as one of the most effective communication tools for reaching people
worldwide, regardless of differences. It is evident that cinema, in addition to serving as an
entertainment medium, also serves as a vehicle for disseminating many aspects of Indian
society's socio, political, and cultural spheres. For over seven decades now, films have been
an active medium of politicisation. There are currently two different sets of issues in the
film industry. One, a number of movies have shown to be the products of sloppy and
ignorant politics, therefore the spread of such political beliefs is a troubling trend. Two,
many times, the writers, directors, and producers of the movies want to avoid stating that
their works have a political undertone. Mari Selvaraj, this film's director, is one of the rare
individuals who openly states that their films are meant to spread sociopolitical and
cultural ideals. ‘Karnan’ is one such meticulously woven film. The film aims to articulate
and mainstream marginalised communities' politics and radically locates such politics in
social mobility, acknowledgment, and dignity. The film also issues a warning against using
violence and regressive ritual pride as pivots to advance the politics of the marginalised. The
name of a pivotal character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata serves as the title, which skillfully
conveys the essence of the contemporary marginalisation, which is the denial of rights to the
capable on the basis of birth. The film takes place in the late 1990s in the southern region of
Tamil Nadu, when caste conflicts between the Thevars, a shudra caste group, and the
Devendra Kula Vellalars `(a dalit group), formerly known as the Pallars, an untouchable caste
group, were very prevalent. It attempts to portray an anthropological picture of the Vellalars
through a variety of cinematic aspects.

‘Karnan’: A plightful episode of Kodiyankulam Police Riot:

A large portion of the Pallar caste lived in Kodiyankulam village and was a more prosperous
caste than the Thevars or Maravars caste groupings in the neighbouring villages because at
least one member of each family held a job in Dubai or another Gulf nation. Hence, they
received a good education, and were able to land government positions. The Pallars
surpassed the other castes in the village in development as a result. The Thevars were agitated
by their advancement in education and financial security, which led to multiple boiling
violent outbursts against the Pallars. On August 31, 1995, the police ambushed the
community during the Kodiyankulam riot and burned their homes alleging that they were
conducting a door-to-door search for weapons and that a number of Pallars, including their
local leaders, had gathered there a few days prior to decide on a defence strategy for potential
Thevar attacks. This riot exposes the casteist nature of the state's law enforcement system. In
practically every home in the area, the police tore down an image of Ambedkar, clearly
displaying their casteist rage.
Caste elements and Symbolism in Karnan:
The filmmaker is very peculiar in symbolizing caste icons, leaders associated with the
respective caste groups. In the song "Kanda Vara sollunga," which opens the movie, a statue
of a regal figure riding a horse with two of its legs raised in the air and a sword in hand is
presented against a background of a full moon night. This picture looks like the historical
figure Veeran Sundaralingam, a leader of the Pallar community.
The village wall also features a headless drawing of a man dressed in military garb, to which
Grandfather Yeman's head is added later as a tribute. Immanuel Sekaran, a caste icon and
anti-caste martyr who was revered among the Pallars, is strikingly resembled in the painting.
In many instances, the filmmaker has employed certain components to subtly depict caste in
this movie, such as Grandfather Yeman raising black pigs to represent the Pallar community
in Tamil Nadu's tradition of breeding pigs. Also, the use of movie posters that were adhered
to the wall of the Melur bus stop has significant value. Moreover, the Nadaswaram music of
the song "Poradada oru vaalendhada" is playing in the background as the main character
Karnan reaches his town atop an elephant after killing the ceremonial fish. This song is
regarded as the Devendrakula Vellalars' national hymn.
In addition, the protagonist's(also named ‘Karnan’) use of the sword during the fish-
slaughtering ceremony can be interpreted as a declaration of Pallars in opposition to the
intermediate caste groups' celebration of Aruvals or machetes.

Metaphors, and a cry for dignity, power and mobility:

The bus stop in the film represents access to resources, acknowledgment by the state, and
mobility.
The video illustrates how access to state resources is restricted to and by specific populations,
frequently by impeding the communication channels open to the marginalised, even though
the state is meant to work in a way that provides its resources to all of its subjects equally.
A donkey foal with its forelimbs tied, allowing for only restricted movement, is another
fascinating metaphor that is first shown in the film following a triumphant celebration by the
residents of Podiyankulam.The aforementioned technique is one that donkey tamers used to
instill obedience during the domestication of the animals; a discussion between residents of
the wealthy neighbouring hamlet or town alludes to a related strategy in the film by limiting
the movement of the oppressed.
The director has been unapologetic with the music in the film and food. One example of this
is the promotion of a particular type of upper caste music and vegetarian cuisine as markers
of Tamil culture, despite the fact that the state is home to hundreds of different folk art forms
and that 90 per cent of the population consumes meat. The film honours regional folk arts and
the meat-based food that is popular there.
The movie's recurring masked character, or uruvam, is a reflection of the repressed rage and
grief that are felt not just by the protagonist's family but by the entire community because the
tragedy that serves as the plot's impetus could have happened to anyone living in a place like
that.
In the film, the state is portrayed as a symbol for caste discrimination. It is a system with
checks and balances that was put in place to perpetuate the status quo, whether it be through
the refusal to provide a fundamental amenity like a bus stop or through a refusal to engage in
dialogue with the harmed. A representative of the same is the adversary Kannabiran, a senior
police officer from the area. Mari Selvaraj has successfully mainstreamed problems including
systemic oppression in place of a village chief from a powerful caste. With Tamil Nadu's
recent experience with custodial killings in Sathankulam, using police violence as a conduit
for the same has helped to develop an emotional connection and relatability with a wider
audience.
Violence becomes the oppressed's only option when homes are pillaged and certificates are
shredded, that is, when signs of mobility are destroyed. It is demonstrated that anger and
retribution are ways to get acceptance and respect. The killing with the ur-vaal, or village
sword, is a symbol of the group rage of the oppressed against the antagonist's discriminatory
system.
The protagonist of the film reflects on how their wants and means of mobility are ignored in
favour of merely expecting subservience from them as the film comes to a close. The two
scenarios that revolve around the names of individuals from both caste groups effectively
highlight the fears that exist within close-knit caste groups that adhere to the idea that one's
birth confers certain rights. "Kandiah's son could be named Kannabiran, but Madasamy's son
shouldn't be named Karnan," the protagonist says in a compelling exchange.

To conclude, Mari Selvaraj skillfully problematizes the current of the community rather than
its past. He reiterates the urge for better naming and addressing, but he also insists on talking
about social justice, terminology, educational mobility, and resource redistribution.A wider
matrix of achieving acknowledgment, redistribution, and representation for the marginalised
in spheres of power replaces the film's narrow focus on inter-caste hostility.