Many scholars in this realm of caste and Tamil Cinema have used the ‘common-sense theory’ of Antonio Gramsci to critically analyze subalternity in Tamil Cinema.In contemporary Tamil films, North Chennai - represented as a spatially distinct urban ghetto - forms the terrain upon which contested socio-political narratives are performed. As similar to the Gramscian thought of hegemony and counter-hegemony, the dominant caste holds the hegemony and the narratives of subaltern caste groups in Tamil Cinema holds the counter-hegemony. It represented the subaltern as a sidelined body, submissive and impure whereas the dominant- intermediate caste are heroic characters with imaginary heroism – lordly, generous, fearless, gore, assertive, violent and even trouble-makers. Tamil cinema maintained a space and difference in terms of projecting the dominant and the subaltern classes through the cinematic medium. Many scholars in the domain of caste and cinema opine that mostly films try to eradicate caste dominance between the higher and submissive caste groups, but it is very rarely represented in mainstream Tamil Cinema. When it comes to Tamil Cinema, it showcased caste either as glorification of the elites and intermediate castes or as eradication of the prevailing caste system. Caste stratification attached with religion, particularly the Varna system with Hinduism is undeniably a benchmark of the Hindu society to establish caste differentiation. Caste has been considered as one of the elements of oppression in the society. In recent years, the audience as well as the cinema industry have made a gradual but apparent shift in the screen space for sharing the voice of the voiceless in mainstream cinema and celebrating the identity and understanding the film critically. more Indian cinema, born under the clutches of imperialism, had undoubtedly maintained the space or difference between the elites and the marginalised. Indian cinema, born under the clutches of imperialism, had undoubtedly maintained the space or di.
The celebration of these south regions as the realm of the Thevar caste groups is very clearly shown in the Tamil films like Karimedu Karuvayan (1985), Thevar Magan (1992), Paruthiveeran (2007), and Subramaniapuram (2008). It is very apparent in Tamil cinema that these southern regions of Tamil Nadu are portrayed as paramount in case of dominant-hegemony where intermediate caste groups perpetrate acts of violence, victimising the lower caste marginal groups. The entire film pivoted around the Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi regions of southern Tamil Nadu, regions considered as the landscape of caste clashes and violence between the land-owning intermediate castes and the oppressed lower castes.
The film is still relevant and strong because it showcased the vile side of caste which is deeply entrenched in society, manifesting in the socio-political and cultural elements of south Tamil Nadu. more It has been three years since the release of the film Periyerum Perumal. It has been three years since the release of the film Periyerum Perumal.