'OnlyFans' of Tamil politics!

Kidugu (Cover, Tamil, 2023)
Director: V Veera Murugan

This is an all-out political bashing movie. In a state where the silver screen and political stage are closely intertwined, the ruling parties have used cinema to spread their brand of politics for years.

The story goes back to the pre-independence era. The Justice Party (JP), the biggest party representing a large chunk of South India, parted ways from the Indian Congress Party (INC). JP felt INC was too Hindu in its outlook. JP claimed to be the sole representative of the downtrodden, and INC needed to do more. At the same time, JP was selling the idea that Hinduism and Lord Rama were just Northern India's subtle way of subjugating the Southerners.

In a bizarre twist of events, JP's leaders, at one time, did not want to join the Union of India but rather become part of Pakistan. Its founder, EV Ramasamy, lamented that the 15th of August 1947 was a day of mourning, not a celebration. In 1972, Ramasamy was accused of disrespecting Lord Rama on Ram Jayanthi by garlanding Him with a garland of slippers.

JP and subsequent offshoots of parties that followed, like DK, DMK and AIADMK, were not only unabashed atheists but anti-Hindus.

Many scriptwriters of the Tamil cinema of the late 1940s and 50s had politics on their minds when they released film after film that reflected their brand of politics - atheism, anti-Hindu and Dravidaism. Dravidaism probably is the remnant of Max Müller's now-defunct 'Aryan Migration Theory'. The theory posits that the original inhabitants of Mahenjo Daro and Harappa were herded away by galloping horsemen from the steppes of the North, bringing with them knowledge, civilisation and Hinduism. The persecuted people came to occupy the Southern part of India and were named Dravidaians. Hogwash, say modern scholars. Dravida means someone from the South, that is all. In anything, mitochondrial studies of ancient corpses suggest an 'Out of India' kind of migration to Persia and beyond

Since 2014, a wave of change has hit India, Tamil Nadu included. Ironically, the state boasting many mind-boggling places that honour various Hindu representations could stay anti-Hindu forever. BJP, the most prominent Hindu nationalistic party, made its move to Tamil Nadu in a big way.

DMK controls Kollywood and the mass media. Its cronies also usurp the chain of film distribution. This film rebuts all the messages subliminally imparted in Chennai mainstream movies. It is a hit-back film against decades of Dravidian propaganda. As none of the theatres in Tamil Nadu was willing to screen this film, the makers decided to screen it free on YouTube and hoped to reimburse production costs by crowdfunding.

A viewer well-versed in local TN politics will be familiar with its storyline. It is hard-hitting against politicians and Dravidian parties at large. The police department, which appears to be working in cahoots, is shown as spineless as leaders and their lackeys control the man in blue via remote control. Joe Public is given the runaround as politicians, businessmen, and gangsters have a field day.

Five friends go on a killing spree to avenge two people who were killed for demanding justice. Their father was falsely accused of stealing temple jewellery and was cheated of the temple land.

It is not a high-quality production, but its dialogues are explicit and hard-hitting on the parties referred to in real life. The film will only excite keen followers of Tamil Nadu's local politics.

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