The Decathected Dalit Body in Malayalam Cinema

Exploring the Portrayal and Perception of Dalit Bodies in Malayalam Cinema

Abstract

In our country from time immemorial Dalits have been treated and termed as untouchables, impure to touch. In this sense the identity of the Dalit in the mainstream or dominant perspectives is highly associated with hisher body. The visual spectrum is filled with class and caste politics. In the conventional film culture the upper class and the lower class are depicted in the binaries of civilizeduncivilized, masterslave, humansavage etc. More than print or any other popular media, films have wider accessibility and they function as part of the ideological apparatus in forming the spectator’s sensibility.