Label.

Let's have a talk.

So, I was watching a film yesterday, and even though it was my second time watching it, it was this time that I noticed something. People who watch Tamil films might understand what I am about to say. Some films focus on a particular area that people live and basically stereotype the people and the area there. Some of what happens in the movie might be for awareness and a lot of the movie is just for pure entertainment. But, in a society like ours, where movies cannot afford to be pure entertainers, these stereotypes cause more harm than people imagine. Let's dive into it, shall we?

The movie I was watching yesterday was "Raayan". The film focuses on the relationship between siblings and a gang rivalry of sorts. Now, despite the mixed reviews, I really liked this film. But I can't help but imagine the stereotyping this film did too. Even though they never mentioned where in Chennai this was happening, everyone watching and those who know Chennai will immediately know where the movie is situated. Movies have created this image about North Madras. And it is not a good view. People from there are immediately looked down upon, thought to be criminals. Their Tamil is labelled "local" whereas every other dialect is known as that - a dialect. If a film has any other genre of music, it is fine. But it has "Gaana"? Local music and local lyrics. Why this labelling? Where did this all begin? 

Representation in media leaves a huge impact in people's mind. Because a lot of us do not get to see or experience a lot of things in real life, we believe that what we see in media is the reality. And to an extent, this might be true. But we tend to forget that media is an art form which tends to exaggerate for commercial value. When we all know there is no way a man can fight off 20 people and jump off a cliff with little to no wounds, why don't we ever question these media stereotypes? Why don't we ever stop to think maybe this is not their lives there? I know people might wonder how much of a huge impact cinema can hold. I will give you all an example. There is this scene in the movie Raayan where the inspectors go into the "Gangster's area" and a guy recognizes them as outsiders and warn them to leave. After watching this movie, someone my dad knows told him that this has happened to him before in North Madras. You might ask, oh is this not possible? Maybe. But as someone who spent half his life in North Madras, my dad thinks not. And I trust his judgement more than anything. But also, I have heard my friends talk things like that about North Madras too, and a few of my family still live there so, I don't think so either.

Now, I know these stereotypes have not come out of nowhere. They have had a base. Sure. But how long are we going to keep them in a box? There are still so many underprivileged people living there whose chances of improving their lives are getting tarnished because of this labeling. And these media representations are doing neither them nor us any good. Imagine if someone labels you "local" and never even try to look at you from a different lens. Would you keep trying to get out of that label, or would you give up and just do what people expect you to? And this does not apply to just North Madras. Stereotyping anyone based on their birth place, race, caste, religion or anything else just puts us, as a society, 2 steps backwards. So, the next time your mind starts to think "oh they are from that place" or " they worship that god" or "obviously those type of people do that", think. Think about how much your stereotyping and labeling can affect someone. Think about your effect on your society before you speak.

(P.S: If our people were one's who took cinema for what it is - an entertainer - there would be no need for this. But remember, we live in a state where people vote and make their favorite movie stars as their chief ministers. So don't say it's just a movie. It is not. Thank you.)