ABSTRACT
Indian cinema has historically provided us with kaleidoscopic view of representation and stories. The contemporary popular representations mainly encompassing depiction of Dalits, have been part of two important processes. Firstly, cinema has been tied to the logistics of legitimisation of ‘nation-building project’, especially imagined through the limited ‘social reform’ agenda, whereby Dalit life and characters are seen to be subjects of reform of coercive/repentant state and society. Secondly, film-makers have exercised cinematic liberty to frame the experiences and challenges of ‘free and equal’ Dalits to charter their own destiny in a democracy.
My contention lies in the fact that, even when cinematic liberty is being exercised by both ‘Savarna’ and ‘Dalit’ film-makers, the characters either carry a pathological sense of non-violent servitude or largely carry an abstract heroism of popular justice. Through a critical review of selected Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, and Malayalam cinema, the tensions and new imaginations of resistance will be explored, which try to break free from the containment framework of consumptive violence and non-violence.
