Jai Bhim is a Tamil film industry
film which was released in 2021 on Amazon Prime Video. It is a legal-investigative drama
directed by T.J. Gnanavel. It is based on true events but the director has used some amount of artistic
liberty to insert some fictional elements in order to have a better impact on the audience. Jai Bhim is set in 1995 the village of Konamalai in Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu. It
focuses on the lives of the Irula tribe, other lower castes including Dalits and how their lives are
being affected by the rigid, oppressive, and casteist society even fifty years after the nation
achieved Independence.
The caste system is one of the oldest systems that forms
an integral part of traditional as well as contemporary Hindu society. It is considered to be over 3,000 years old and was mentioned in the Manusmriti. Although it began as
the chaturvarna system intended to distribute jobs among people in society, it became rigid over
the years, restricting social mobility.
The Dalits were considered to be “untouchables” and “impure” and were
restricted to derogatory jobs and
lived on the outskirts of villages. The Tribals on the other hand are not a part of mainstream Hinduism, although
several attempts have been made to indoctrinate them as part of lower castes. Tribals or adivasis are the indigenous population of our country and most of them live in forested areas,
preferring isolation and distance from the mainstream society. However, some tribes were labelled as habitual
criminals by the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871
(CTA) during the British rule. This led to them being suspected first in any
criminal cases and this unjust Act was repealed
by the Indian state after independence. The tribes listed under the CTA were given the status of De-notified
Tribes. However, the arbitrariness of
the police was carried on and these tribes were continued to be prime suspects
without gathering evidence. The Irula
tribe depicted in the film is an indigenous tribe of Tamil Nadu although it is found in Kerala and
Karnataka as well. They are also a denotified tribe and continue to face these issues.
The film is based on the real events in the life of Rajakannu and his wife, Parvathi who were Kurava tribals from Gopalapuram, Cuddalore district in 1993. The film depicts how tribal communities and lower castes including Dalits are often clubbed together and oppressed by the society as well as the officials in the system. The film’s name, Jai Bhim obviously refers to Dr. Ambedkar’s ideology but symbolic references to other reformers and thinkers have been made as well.
CASTEISM DEPICTED IN JAI BHIM
Jai Bhim depicts casteism from the very beginning to the end. The first scene itself
shows how some inspectors
from three different police stations had come together to capture men accused of various crimes. However, what
strikes the viewers was that an inspector was
asking them what “jati” they belonged to and on the basis of that, he
let the upper castes go home while
the lower castes and few tribals were arrested. The Director General of Tamil Nadu Police had issued and order that only
those inspectors with zero pending cases will be promoted and so, they were in
a hurry to charge the accused without investigations. Since they belonged to the marginalised section
of society, they were illiterate and had no access to legal resources and so the sub-inspector Gurumoorthy told the
others to put two charges each on the
twelve men as nobody would bother to check it. As we learn later in the film,
the state’s police had arrested over
7,000 people in ten days’ time without conducting proper investigations. In the same scene, a junior constable asks if
anyone will come to free these men
because they are not at fault and his senior replies that their fault was being
born. This depicts the mentality of people who believe that the lower castes are impure and sheds light
on the notion of karma
in deciding what caste one is
born into.
Another scene shows the Irulas working in the fields of
a zamindar where they are trying to get rid of rats who have infested the
fields. It shows the indigenous methods used by them but this involves digging of the soil. When the landlord reaches,
he is enraged at the very people who
are working for him. The Irulas take up occupations in farms, brick kilns, rice
mills, etc. to provide for their
families. Since they are impoverished and made to live on the outskirts of the village, they do not have “pakka
makan” (concrete houses made of brick). The materials they use to build their homes cannot stand harsh weather as seen
when a heavy downpour wipes out an
entire wall of Raja and Sengani’s house. These are just few of the hardships
that they face.
The Irulas are known for their wonderful connection with nature and animals, especially snakes. They are snake catchers and also have an understanding of preparing anti-venoms using naturally occurring herbs and plants. This is seen when Rajakannu is called to the Sarpanch’s house for catching a snake and when his wife is teaching the children in the village the process of drying herbs and creating potions to cure snake bites. When the Sarpanch is offering him money for catching the snake, he politely refuses to accept it because he was just helping them out and also because the Sarpanch’s wife belonged to his village. Upon hearing this, she took great offence and angrily asked if he will say that she belonged to his community as well.
Another instance of caste-based discrimination occurs
when a group of Irulas go to the Tahsildar’s
office get a caste/community certificate so that a young boy can continue his education further instead of remaining
confined to becoming a snake-catcher when he grows up. The officer tells them to go back to the jungles because
that is where they belong. He further
says that they do not have any documentation such as ration card, do not own
any piece of land (“patta”), and
their names are not even featured in the voter’s list. This depicts a major problem faced by tribals all over
India – they are illiterate and since they have been living in isolation
from mainstream society
for centuries, they lack such
documentation making it easy for them
to be evicted from their land and being denied basic rights. In a similar scene, the village teacher,
Maithra approaches the election officer to add their names in the electoral rolls but he says it is
not possible as they lack even a basic address proof. She counters saying that it is not their fault
that even after fifty years of independence, they lack basic identity proofs which were supposed to be given by the
state. The village president, Ilavarasu
is annoyed and asks her if it was not already enough that they have to beg
lower castes for their votes that she
now wants him to beg even these
tribals. This shows the fact that the
only reason that tribals are appeased are for their votes and the rest of the
time, they are oppressed greatly.
When there is a robbery in the Sarpanch’s house and all his jewellery and cash is stolen, the immediate suspect becomes Rajakannu. By then, he is already working in a brick kiln and the police cannot find him at home. Two policemen entered his house at night and beat up his pregnant wife to reveal his whereabouts. They also arrested Mausakutty and Iruttappan who were related to him. The police even arrested Iruttappan’s wife, Pachaiyammal. They were all beaten with “laathis” in custody and the women were even sexually harassed. One inspector touched Sengani’s waist and asked her if she was really pregnant or was it just a huge belly due to alcohol consumption. This refers to the stereotype that many tribals do not work but just brew alcohol and drink. The same inspector harassed Pachaiyammal by stripping her naked from the waist down in front of her brother-in-law, Mausakutty. The police broke the law firstly by the fact that male officers arrested women that too after sunset and secondly because they engaged in custodial violence. But they were not worried about it because they knew that nobody could lift a finger against them. Soon, Rajakannu is also arrested and he along with Iruttappan and Mausakutty are held in remand where they are beaten daily. The violence against the three men is depicted quite graphically in the film and some audiences may find it gruesome to watch. In one scene, Raja is shown suspended in air and his limbs are tied with ropes. The three men continue to deny committing the robbery but the SI Gurumoorthy is hell-bent on finding the criminal because it is a high-profile case involving the Sarpanch. Raja is beaten so much that he eventually dies by his rib breaking and piercing his heart due to repeated kicks in the chest by the SI. The police then formulate an elaborate plan of getting rid of his body and claiming that the three men broke out of prison. They go to the extent of planting false witnesses and indulging in perjury in court as well.
Sengani with the help of a lawyer, Chandru files a habeas corpus petition in the Chennai High Court. Chandru secures a special inquiry into the police investigation and recommends Inspector General Perumalswamy to head it. He takes him to the villagers who narrate incidents of the times when they or their loved ones were harassed by the police simply for belonging to a lower caste or being Irulas. One man who simply greeted the police was arrested on charges of theft because he “dared” to stand boldly in front of them. A woman was raped in the police station in order to coerce her husband into accepting false charges. A child was beaten in order to force his father to accept charges of theft and due to this embarrassment, he left school because whenever a case of stealing occurred, his bag was checked first. This strong and moving scene depicts how denotified tribes are still suspected of being criminals without evidence and the way the police machinery does not hesitate to frame them because they cannot do anything about it.
Critical Evaluation
While Jai Bhim does effectively depict the issues faced by tribals and lower castes, it does so in a manner where it is somehow trying to gain the sympathy of the upper caste audience in order to make them believe that caste-based discrimination still exists. However, this mostly generates a feeling of sympathy and guilt in the minds of viewers rather than rage towards injustice. Further, the film depicts the caste of the victims but it does not do the same for the perpetrators. One can assume that they belong to the upper caste which actually committed the crime against real Rajakannu but in the film the system and its machinery is shown to be casteless while this is far from the reality. The film does not effectively depict the role played by the casteist society in influencing the state machinery to also become casteist and further perpetrate caste-based discrimination.
Further, one would expect stronger
references to Dr. Ambedkar’s ideology
but he is mentioned only once
by Chandru when he asks why Ambedkar is not seen in the play where children are dressed up as major leaders
such as Gandhi and Nehru. In other scenes, only Ambedkar’s picture along with that of other eminent thinkers is
seen at Chandru’s house. At the end
of the movie, it is shown that Justice Chandru was motivated by Ambedkar’s
ideas. Nevertheless, the film teaches
us an important lesson that law is one of the most powerful instruments of creating social
change and ensuring
socio-economic and political
justice as was envisaged by Dr. Ambedkar.
Chandru was able to acquire solid evidence to free
Rajakannu and the others from their false charges because
the Court gave him enough time
at every step and also accommodated special exceptions to a writ petition case
such as allowing cross examination of evidences and witnesses.
The film got into the middle of a controversy when the
upper caste who actually harassed Rajakannu in 1993 took offence against
the movie and even shut down its screening in various theatres in Tamil Nadu.
In conclusion, the film depicts the power and
status-based equations among castes and also
highlights the role that an effective and accommodative judicial
system can play in eliminating such pervasive inequalities.
Justice Chandru went on to settle 96,000 cases in a brief period of 6 years
and 7 months and gave several
historical judgements as well.
REFERENCES
1.
Basta, G. (2021, December
18). Jai Bhim. Movie Review and Analysis of a Masterpiece. 2021 Movie. Retrieved
from https://www.spotamovie.com/jai-bhim- movie-review-and-analysis-2021-movie/
2.
Bhalerao, M. (2021, November
12). Jai Bhim: The Portrayal of Oppressor’s Guilt & The Savarna Imagination of Justice. Retrieved from https://feminisminindia.com/2021/11/12/jai-bhim-film-review-suriya-ambedkarite- politics/
3.
Kaintura, M. (2021, November 8). Jai Bhim Film Review: Powerful Yet A ‘Voice
for The Voiceless’ Narrative.
Retrieved from https://feminisminindia.com/2021/11/08/jai- bhim-film-review-powerful-yet-a-voice-for-the-voiceless-narrative/
4. Karla, J. (2021, December 12). Jai Bhim is a ‘reality
show’ about caste. It deserves
a place in school curriculums. The Print. Retrieved from https://theprint.in/opinion/jai- bhim-is-a-reality-show-about-caste-it-deserves-a-place-in-school- curriculums/780334/
5.
Narayani, A. (2021, November
12). Suriya's 'Jai Bhim' Shows Why We Need Ambedkar's Ideas to Reform the Justice System. Outlook India. https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/entertainment-news-suriyas-jai-bhim- shows-why-we-need-ambedkars-ideas-to-reform-the-justice-system/400623
6.
(2021, December 4). Who Are the Irular Tribe, The People Who Face Injustices in ‘Jai Bhim’? Retrieved
from https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2021/12/who-are-irular- tribe-jai-bhim/
7.
Tamalapakula, S. (2021, November 10). How Jai Bhim appeals to Brahminical sentiments in its portrayal of caste violence. Retrieved from https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/how-jai-bhim-appeals-brahminical- sentiments-its-portrayal-caste-violence-157454
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