The posturing of actor Suriya as a pro-Dalit in a film based on a Brahmin entrepreneur, the statement on NEET issued by him smacks of an anti Brahmanical views - is this a move to signal his political posture in coming times or is it as BJP thinks a ploy to give a boost to an upcoming film ?. One will have to wait and watch.
Two things that took place seem to have a pattern. The song Mannurunda Mela that was released some time ago and from upcoming film Soorarai Pottru in which Suriya plays the central character based loosely on Air Deccan founder Capt. G R Gopinath has been ordered by the Court to be removed from the film and take action on the creators as it was found to be instigating enmity between caste groups. The song though in circulation for some time was not a chart buster and no castes went to war. Nor did any of the vocal Hinduvata groups raise a storm over it at the time of release.
Lyricist K Ekadesi lines in Tamil
translated asks - “Is the blood of a lower caste person a filth in gutter ?
Show me if the upper caste person has got horns!”. A close look at the song promo of the film shows Suriya marrying Aparna
Balamurali with photos of Dr. Ambedkar and Periyar in the backdrop. In my
search of info on Captain Gorur Ramaswamy Gopinath,I did not find any such
happenings and also that his children too were married as per Brahmin rituals.
As the film was completed much
before the NEET issue and suicides, these pro Dalit images and undercurrents
were already in the film. Now the suicide issue crops up. The basic feel among
everybody is that the kids whose parents who do not have the money to pay for
donation to get a MBBS seat feel pressured to get into the rank list and the fear of the consequences if they failed led them to take the extreme step. Till NEET
is done away the parental pressure has to be stopped till admission to medicine be on marks in the school
be restored is the only way out.
Suriya has however brought in
Dhrona, Ekalavya and Chanakya into his statement. This is a language that is
used by the anti- caste or pro-Dalit groups and a far deviation from the
statement he issued as head of Agaaram Foundation . This body helps underprivileged
children’s education and Suriya had then talked only about the economic status
that puts these kids at a disadvantage.
The TN State Assembly has now
brought in a 7.5% quota for students of Government schools in the State quota
held under NEET. Suriya has welcomed
this move.
The fact that Suriya being a
Gounder, considered an upper land owning class has taken up for Dalit’s is definitely
a bold move. His generalized statement like the High Court barring personal hearings but allowing
personal appearance for students to write exams, the comments made in TV debates which mocked at badly written suicide notes were
uncalled for.
In Kabali too there were pro Dalit images and lines that supported them. It was understood as the director Pa Ranjith is a professed anti-caste activist and the central character is one from the lower rungs who rose to be a Don. In a film about a character who is a Brahmin and the actor who has so far not broached the topic and doing so at a time when his film is readying for an OTT release, makes it suspect. How many of the underprivileged have access to Smart TV and preloaded OTT apps in a State where suicides take place due to non availability of smart phones to study online lessons?
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