Thangalaan: Exploring Pa. Ranjith's Political Vision in Film
Thangalaan and Its Political Undertones
Mumbai: Filmmaker Pa. Ranjith, whose Thangalaan has been getting a good response across languages, has said that he views art through a political lens.
The filmmaker is known for his strong voice against caste-based oppression, a recurrent theme in his artworks. Even in Thangalaan, there’s an element of caste, while it touches upon Buddhism as well.
Ranjith's Perspective on Politics and Art
The director spoke with IANS, and shared that India’s social structure, deeply entrenched in politics, gives no choice to artists except to be political.
He told IANS, “For me, everything is political. In India, the whole system is based on politics. We need to understand that we follow indifference given the caste system and the class system. We are a country which follows customs and rituals under a hierarchy.”
Collaborative Efforts in Music
He also runs an organization, Neelam Cultural Centre, which has collaborated with the music label Madras Records to form a 19-piece band called The Casteless Collective that includes 4 rappers, 7 instrumentalists, and 8 gaana musicians, a popular folk music style in Tamil Nadu.
The name of the band was inspired by a phrase.
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