The 'Distanced' Caste Subject and its Object of Relation in a Transcendental World: A Study of Select Tamil Movies By Kamal Haasan

Abstract

In this research paper, the significance of the complex position that the role of caste holds in Tamil Cinema and its characters is exemplified. The presence of how caste and why the characters are boxed in a particular fashion are analysed and questioned. Simultaneously, a divide between the hegemonic and the subordinate is displayed with interconnections. In this work, how and why Kamala Haasan's initial film characters were selected within the framework and how those characters representing marginalised groups removed the stereotypes are explained. This research follows a descriptive approach, applying a qualitative measure using popular culture's lens, namely distance by John Fiske. Sociological conceptualization and criticism of the caste system by M.K Gandhi, B.R Ambedkar and M.N Srinivas have also been used to frame the discussions on debates and positions on caste in the Indian context. In this paper, the analysis of the selected characters and their structure is explained, and how it has been modified with the assistance of cinema is reflected. The work's limitation is that it has only been exemplified in select Tamil movies acted by Kamal Haasan. The scope of the work is to draw further connections and explain the evolutionary transformation with particular reference to Tamil Cinema. The arguments raised in this research are summed up as conclusions.