FRome of Ketan Mehta Manjhi: The Mountain Man to Anubhav Sinha Article 15 for netflix series ClassThe topic of caste in Indian films and shows has not been rare in recent years. but gaze Mainly ‘upper’ caste and urbanites.
While such efforts start a dialogue around India’s historical system of injustice, the way most Indian filmmakers approach casteism is flawed and insensitive. The portrayal fits right in with the so-called awakening living in metropolitan cities, without making them uncomfortable or asking difficult questions or making them reflect on their privileges and surroundings. And the media manufactures narratives to attract ‘woke’ individuals because it’s an easy way out – it doesn’t address the elephant in the room, and it shirks the responsibility of properly informing people. Modern-day urban dwellers happily go about their business, believing that they have some food for thought.
But the fact is that they have been shown only what they like to see. Complicated truths lurk behind red and black Netflix logos and silver screens.
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Exodus for ‘casteless’ upper castes
i started looking Class, Indian adaptation of Spanish series Aristocrat class, Another teen drama set in an upscale school. This got me thinking about the portrayal of the marginalized in popular media discourse. Class may brand itself as a social commentary on repressive regimes, but I didn’t like how it portrayed the community I belong to. In addition to issues such as religious conflict, sexuality, and drug abuse, caste largely remains central to the plot, to the extent that important themes feel forced and generalized. Characters are innocuous and rather dismissive when racist remarks are made, and move on to the next conversation, making it easy for the viewer to ignore the implications of prejudice at large.
Furthermore, apart from Dheeraj Valmiki, one of the three underprivileged students, no oppressed caste character in the series enters the fictional Hampton International School. Why? Because these high-ranking positions are ‘reserved’ for the Kalras, Ahujas and Mehtas, violating constitutional reservations. Endurance is shown to be inappropriate in posh circles, reflecting an apparent contrast between the two worlds. The creators have used a rustic, unsophisticated and sad aesthetic for the poor boy, while a luxurious, bright and well-lit color scheme has been chosen for the rich. Even when the activities they are engaged in are deeper than pitch.
Indian casting directors have come a long way from practicing glaring colorism that set Euro-centric beauty standards, but they still prefer to darken actors’ faces when it comes to representing oppressed castes .
While I can testify to this bias based on the comments I’ve received about how I don’t look Like a Dalit, the ‘politics of appearance’ in films further proves how Brahminical society wants to see an Avarna – shabby, rough, dark skinned and covered with mud. In addition, such characters are almost always in poor financial condition, which fits in with the ludicrous dress-up. It propagates the belief that Scheduled Caste people exist as a pitiful affair in a place far removed from the privileged world of the audience. Viewers may feel bad for the characters and engage in so-called intellectual social conversations in their groups, but they will need to worry no further. These characters, their stories and struggles live in a reality they are not even remotely connected to.
The makers of such shows and films create a false narrative to claim that urban areas are free from caste complexities.
The victimized protagonist receives blatant racist slurs – whether in a rural setting or an upscale locale like the Hamptons International. However, in reality, racism—especially in so-called upper-class societies—exists in a subtle, repressed way. Discriminatory undertones shout louder than hollering. Most on-screen depictions of this marginalization not only minimize their psychological impact on an individual but also normalize racist language, letting the characters off the hook without consequence. The question is what message is given to the public savarna A person who watches such shows and movies?
Milk stereotyping of Dalits suffering for cash
Stereotypes are widely featured in the personas of Dalit protagonists Class. The characterization of the two brothers, Dheeraj and Neeraj, tells a lot about how there are only two ways an oppressed caste, Ambedkar follower can exist – either as a fanatical vagabond who lives without any Takes the illegal, wild path as a rebel of the cause or as a bully and sweet student who aims to become an IAS officer. There is no in between. Popular media discourse tends to pigeonhole men into these two polar-different personalities; Women do not exist in these places. Throughout the series, we never hear about the boys’ mother. What’s his side of the story? what happened to her? The makers conveniently erase the existence of Dalit women in a public space, while disposing of a double-biased person’s point of view. Women either live in the shadows of the larger discussion or are subjected to violence to create plot lines.
While filmmakers use attacks on Dalits to weave a sellable story, the normalization is deeply concerning. In Article 15The whole story revolves around the rape and murder of girls from the ‘low’ community. And guess what, an upper class, Brahmin IPS officer becomes the ‘saviour’, like Nietzsche’s Ubermensch. In Class, Big shot Tarun Kalra sacks Neeraj because of his caste. He even says that a dead Dalit is worth more than a living Dalit; is it like this of avarna There are murders, some university protests, candle marches, and then everything goes back to normal. The whole exchange feels insensitive and disrespectful, and the issue is taken off the table as soon as it begins. The treatment of the issue of oppressor castes oppressing Dalits with scorn and hyper-indifference is depressing and provocative. While the people of the oppressor caste may not have noticed the seriousness of this statement, I felt a knot tightening in my stomach- how long will I be next?
The creators make a point of confining marginalized individuals to rural or lower-class settings, subtly implying that racism does not exist in urban spaces. The narratives of the new generation trying to make a mark in metropolitan areas and big cities are never taken into account. What are the challenges they face in this process? How do they fight low-key discrimination in their workplaces? Instead of communicating the story of intolerance to the target audience, they leave out important lessons of focus, sensitivity, and understanding.
It is ironic that “character-oppression” is a demonstration of how most productions nowadays use caste-based storylines to appeal to modern audiences. Suhani Ahuja, daughter of a wealthy industrialist Classis commended for Best Video Project because it includes a clip of a father talking about the injustice he has faced as a father avarna, It was a painful memory for the man but the privileged saw it as a tale of woe. At one level, this phenomenon is a reflection of a community’s view of milking the suffering as an opportunity to capitalize on it, earn accolades and build on unjustified social capital by constantly presenting themselves as ‘model’ citizens. We need to question – are all these social dramas doing the same thing?
Shikha Chandra is a graduate of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi and works as a Content Marketer at Headout. She tweets @Shikhachandra04. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)