Babasaheb & the new Dalit cinema

Many movies, TV, web series and documentaries look at the life and vision of B R Ambedkar. This is a much-needed widening of the frame

WHEN B R Ambedkar first arrived on the national political scene, a vast section of India’s population was condemned as “untouchable” and was forced to engage in hazardous and undignified occupations. They were denied basic human entitlements. Ambedkar held the nationalist leadership accountable forneglectingthesesocialills.hearguedthat freedom from British imperialism will have little value if caste-based hierarchies and inequalities remain unresolved. His uncompromising attitude towards the cause of emancipation of the “untouchable” castes, his contribution in making the Constitution a manifesto for the welfare of the socially marginalised groups and his vision to elevate these groups to an aspirational political class have established his stature as a revolutionary icon of modern India.

Since Independence, popular culture has neglected Ambedkar. Popular Hindi cinema — known for its progressive and nationalist values — kept its distance from anti-caste movements, issues of untouchability and caste divisions or looking into Ambedkar’s persona as an inspirational figure. Despite the fact that since the 1980s and the arrival of the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh, there was an influential Ambedkarite political force, mainstream Hindi cinema barely recognised the importance of such political change.

It is only in the last decade, especially with the arrival of artists, filmmakers and technicians from the Dalit-bahujan social background, that there has been a noticeable increase in Ambedkar’s representation on screen. A nascent but significant genre of “Dalit cinema” is evolving.

It was in regional cinema, especially Tamil and Marathi films, that Ambedkar appeared as an aspirational figure first. Director Pa Ranjith in films like Kabali (2016) and Kaala (2018) used Ambedkar’s images to promote a robust and self-confident Dalit hero that fights against the mafia and the corrupt political order. In Mari Selvarajan’s film Maamannan (2023), we see the Dalit protagonist as an angry young man who resists the authority of the social elite with a fist of fury and wins the political battle by mobilising the people.

Similarly, in Shailesh Narwade’s Marathi film Jayanti (2021), Ambedkar is presented as a profound voice of justice that motivates the protagonist to find meaning in his life. Again, in Nagaraj Manjule’s Hindi film Jhund (2021), the audience witnessed the celebration of Ambedkar Jayanti on the screen. Here, when we see that people are dancing with joy, it is to represent an elevated image of Ambedkar — not only as anti-caste icon but as a metaphor of inspiration and celebration for the young generation.

In web-series and TV shows as well, Ambedkar is starting to have a presence on-screen. Subhash Kapoor’s Maharani 3, the recent web-series on Amazon Prime, showcased the protagonist Rani Bharti (Huma Qureshi) raising the slogan of “Jai Bhim” in the climax. Bharti dons her “lower” caste identity without any hesitation and fights her political opponents using Machiavellian strategies. Similarly, in Sudhir Mishra’s series Serious Men on Netflix, Nawazuddin Siddiqui played a Dalit protagonist who utilised his social location and rationality to con the system.

Series like Paatal Lok (Amazon Prime), Dahaad (Amazon Prime) Aashram (MX Player) and films like Kathal (Netflix) and Pareeksha (Zee 5) have presented a new image of Dalit characters. Ambedkar’s photographs or statues are often utilised to showcase that the characters are conscious about their social identity and readily assert it in the public, demanding social justice and equal respect.

In this context, Neeraj Ghaywan’s story ‘The Heart Skipped a Beat’ in the web series Made in Heaven is the most impressive addition. Here, Pallavi Manke (Radhika Apte) is a proud Dalit professor, working in an Ivy League university and has no hesitation in flagging her “ex-untouchable” identity. Though she is marrying a sensitive and progressive Indian-american lawyer, she faces social burdens and anxieties when she asks to add a Buddhist ritual to commemorate her marriage. The ceremony is beautifully showcased with Ambedkar’s photograph at the centre, representing the social principles that he wanted to establish in India.

Finally, there is new interest shown by young documentary filmmakers. For example, Jyoti Nisha’s B R Ambedkar: Now and Then (2023) is a feature-film-length documentary that explores the current predicament of Dalit lives in India. Nisha calls herself a Bahujan-feminist filmmaker and provided a new lens to understand the ongoing Ambedkarite struggles for social justice, dignity and the battles against patriarchal domination. On this scale, Somnath Waghmare’s Chaityabhumi (2023) is an excellent addition that explores how the site of Ambedkar cremation in Mumbai has now been elevated into a historic monument, inspiring and engaging millions of followers.

The growing presence of Ambedkar in popular films, documentaries and web series shows that Dalit-bahujan cultural values are slowly being integrated into popular media. Though it is a small beginning, it has the capacity to initiate a dialogue for the democratisation of the entertainment industry and adopt cultural narratives that speak to and of socially marginalised groups. This acknowledgment is visible in Hollywood director Ava Duvernay’s new film Origin 2023 (based on Isabelle Wilkerson’s book Caste) that explores Ambedkar as a crucial figure to understand the global context of racial discrimination and hatred against Jews.

Culture, especially cinema, is dominated by the conventional social elite and serves their social and political interests without resistance. Marginalised social groups are the passive recipient of such an entertainment culture. This arrangement needs democratic reform. Ambedkar’s appearances onscreen and the arrival of a nascent “Dalit Cinema” genre has the potential to bring in a new cinematic culture, evoking the possibility of a socially responsible cinema.

The writer is assistant professor, Centre for Political Studies, JNU