Asuran is a Tamil film directed by Vetrimaran who adapted the story of the film from the novel VEKKAI. The film showcased the historical injustice that happened to the landless oppressed social group. The film set the backdrop during the period of the 1960s - 1980s when there was a conflict between feudal lords and landless labourers. Feudal landlords particularly came from upper caste social groups and the landless labourers were from the lower caste social group.
The caste system is justified by the writings of Manusmriti which provides the social hierarchy based on purity and pollution. Earlier the social group at the top of the hierarchy excelled in Education and occupied higher government posts. For instance, in the movie, Prakashraj played the character Venugopal Seshasdri a Lawyer and Social activist.
Green Revolution started in India to improve agricultural productivity which had also a manifestation of surplus producing farmers. The substantial landowners who had benefitted from the green revolution who were belonged to middle-level caste groups that M.N.Srinivas had called the Dominant caste. Aadukalam Naren who played Vaddakuran Narasimhan and had enough voice in the Village lived along with the same social group and enjoyed the luxury of a tiled roof house and Ambassador car.
The people at the lower strata were mostly landless and worked as bonded labourers for the upper caste social group. During the British Rule, The Government of Madras Presidency appointed Sri Tremenheere, the Collector of Chengalpat District in1891 to conduct an inquiry into the conditions of the Depressed class people. After due conduct of the inquiry, he sent a report to assign cultivable land to the Depressed class people. Along the lines of the British policy of land distribution, Manju Warrier as Pachaiyammal owned the 3 acres of land in Thekoor and lived with his family in a hut house in the secluded place from the main village.
The Government of India prepared the second Five-year plan to Industrialise India. The proposal had an impact to laid a chemical factory in their village. Narasimhan planned to take the 3 acres of land from the Sivasami (Dhanush) & Pachaiyammal families. Unlocking Historical materialism, the systematic force(Upper caste Narasimhan) wants to change but the historical force (depressed class Sivasami family) resists the change resulting in conflict and confrontation.
During the conflict, there was bloodshed and killings among the family. Since the beginning of the conflict, Dhanush as Sivasami never indulged in violence and retaliation even when his first son Velmurugan was killed by the upper caste social group. His Non-Violent actions on upper-caste social groups were reflected due to the massacre incidents of his family and their social group were mercilessly killed by the feudal lords. Sivasami in the near climax shot said to his impulsive son Chidambaram "when you have land, they will take from you; When you have money, they will snatch from you; But they cannot take the education from you".
Violence has never been a real solution to the historical injustice towards the Depressed class social group. But the Education, Land redistribution, Reservation in higher education & employment, and Individual morality will be the game-changer for a depressed class social group for their upliftment and well being.
Technology and social media help us to create awareness about equality and humanity but the sad irony is that YouTube and Facebook utilize them as a platform for caste mobilizations.
The ideology is that I am Superior to the other person just because of Caste is still prevalent in society today. The ideology of caste system and caste pride needs to be erased from the human society. To abolish the caste system in Indian Society, individual human has to reform and be sensible to value every human irrespective of social background and treat them equally with compassion & humanity.
0 Comments