How to make Indian cinema inclusive?

Cinema is a vehicle for social change. It helps the unencumbered soul to imagine its place in a cluttered world. The celluloid often offers stories about our brutal social realities—battles, hardships, and inequalities—that make us aware of the precarious nature of humanity. Additionally, it demonstrates how people struggle, challenge these afflictions, and find meaning in their lives. Against these depressing realities, cinema offers us stories of hope, making us laugh and instilling confidence to face the wide world. Without cinema, we would be a people without myths, tales, and imagination.

Although Indian cinema often reflects upon the issues and concerns of the poor and vulnerable social groups (recall the emergence of ‘Angry Young Man’ characters in the 1970s and 1980s, exemplified by Amitabh Bachchan’s roles), it hesitates to engage with poor people deprived of social identities. It is evident that the majority of the poor people in India belong to the Dalit, Adivasis, and Other Backward Castes; however, we will not find cinemas that evoke the caste identities of the poor, as if these identities have no impact in defining the class and cultural relationship. For a long time now, the dominant narratives of mainstream cinema revolve around the centrality of social elite protagonists that promote and highlight the political interests and cultural values of the ruling classes.

In recent times, the Dalit cinema genre has tried to bring some reforms to the conventional routine of popular Indian cinema. The recently released three mainstream films Thangalaan, Vaazhai (Tamil), and Veda (Hindi) break away from the conventional trends of populist flicks as they revolve around the concerns and dreams of the socially marginalised groups. It introduces Dalit characters as leading protagonists, advancing a nascent but impressive journey of Dalit cinema and registering a claim for a greater democratisation of the Indian film industry.

The impetus for this change came from the regional film industry, especially the Marathi and Tamil cinema, that offered exceptionally brilliant artwork that not only caters to the interests and concerns of the marginalised social groups but also offers quality entertainment to the general audience. Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry (2013), Sairat (2016), and Naal (2018) set an impressive example of films that are socially sensitive and commercially successful. Later Marathi films like Uchlya (2015), Jayanti (2021), Kasturi (2019), Zollywood (2022), etc., kept the momentum on, building a crucial dialogue on cinema’s responsibility in offering socially responsible films.

This success was further cultivated creatively by new filmmakers, especially Mari Selvaraj (Karnan, 2021 and Periyerum Perumal, 2018) and Vetrimaran (Asuran, 2019 and Veduthalai, 2023), substantiating the arrival of ‘Dalit Genre’ in Indian cinema. By offering nuanced Dalit characters bestowed with mainstream heroic credentials (like Rajanikant’s character in Kabali, Dhanush in Karnan, and Udhayanidhi in Maamannan), it breaks the conventional ‘victim’ stereotypes attached to the representation of Dalit characters on screen.

The Dalit genre narrates the life experiences, struggles, and dreams of the vulnerable social groups. This trend is inspired by the fascinating success of Black American cinema in Hollywood and the visible participation of other marginalised and minority groups in the film industry as crucial makers of cinematic art. Such presence celebrates diversity and social harmony and suggests that cinema is not only an enterprise for creating entertainment flicks for commercial profits, but it is a moral institution that promotes socially sensitive narratives and celebrates the creativity of marginalised social groups.

The Indian cinema shall also promote the culture and talent of diverse social groups that are often marginalised in mainstream discourse on cinema, art, and festivity. The new Dalit genre in cinema has the capacity to connect with the stories and struggles of underprivileged people across the globe, with a vision that cinema has a crucial role to educate and inspire people for making the world a better place. It is required that public institutions, cinema intellectuals, and policymakers recognise and celebrate the new rupture that Dalit cinema has introduced. The outstanding cinematic works of artists and producers belonging to the socially marginalised communities need an elevating force so that they can emerge as an inspiration genre for the new generation.

It is also required that film festivals in India, alongside other institutions that promote cinema art, shall connect the producers, artists, and technicians for future collaborations. Such association will create an autonomous platform for the artists, creators, and cinema lovers to build and celebrate an alternative cultural space, evoking the dignity and diversity of historically vulnerable social groups and other marginalised identities.

This is an appropriate time to promote cinema that brings meaningful and socially responsible content and provides a platform for filmmakers, artists, and producers engaged with the ideas of inclusion, diversity, and social change. It is crucial that cinema be engaged in raising awareness about the culture, traditions, and history of Dalits, Adivasis, and other marginalised social groups. Such initiatives will help the Indian cinema to connect and encourage global dialogue on diversity and inclusion.

Such possibilities may have multiple obstacles in Indian cinema. However, as more producers, technicians, and directors belonging to the Dalit, Adivasi, and Bahujan groups enter the film industry , they can offer a new brand of cinema -- one that not only entertains but also educate the audience about India’s social diversity and cultural pluralism. The nascent Dalit genre must be recognised as part of the reformist cinema movement, driven by a vision that the film industry has a crucial responsibility to demonstrate social diversity and promoting the values of social justice.

(The writer teaches at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University)