Mari Selvaraj’s Karnan is primarily about the community to which the titular character belongs (the community is not denoted by its caste name as Mari Selvaraj firmly believes that one shouldn’t propagate what one’s fighting against). Also, both the movies, surprisingly, seem to have happy endings (sort of-one can argue the loss is more than the gain). Inspired by real-life incidents, the movies have the same themes-oppression by caste, police brutality, and systemic injustice.
Their fight for equality is countered by the retaliation of the police force and things turn bloody.
We see how the community faces oppression from all sides and the system in place makes sure that there’s no change in the status quo. Karnan, too, deals with a marginalised community, their plight and fight for a bus stop in their village, Podiyankulam. It also garnered casteist attacks from those who worry about the possible significance of the calendars that hang in the house of the police officers rather than their direct actions. Many appreciated the movie for its powerful screenplay and called it bold. The movie, in telling this tale, manages to document the life of the Irular community, the difficulties they face in obtaining a caste certificate and other government documentations that prove their existence, and the atrocities committed by the caste society. Advocate Chandru (Suriya) helps Sengeni by taking up the case. The police try to cover up the truth which sets off Sengeni (Lijomol), Rajakannu’s wife, on a quest for truth and justice. Rajakannu (Manikandan), wrongly accused of theft because of the community he belongs to, suffers from police brutality along with his relatives, and eventually dies in custody. Jai Bhim has as its plot a real life tragic incident and the legal battle that followed after.
0 kommentar(er)
