What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you see posters of films made in Kerala? Communist propaganda? Secular whitewashing? Islamist glorification? It is only natural. Surely, such films are made. But that is not the subject of discussion today. We are going to talk about a blockbuster hit, called ‘Meppadiyan’ today. This Malayalam film is being welcomed by the people of Kerala, and despite the trying times of Covid-19, theatres in the Southern state are packed as audiences come together to celebrate the film. Here’s a hint – the film is culturally rooted in Hinduism.
So, it is receiving a lot of hate. And by a lot of hate, I mean entire hate campaigns are being organised against it. You see, portraying Hindus as good has become a taboo in ‘Mollywood’. Hindus must necessarily be depicted as conniving people who are up to no good. Only then will films receive the ‘secular’ and ‘Communist’ badge of honours in the state. Meppadiyan is an evident outlier, which is why liberals and Islamists in Kerala are now waging a hateful campaign against it.
Why are Liberals and Islamists Hating on Meppadiyan?
There are many reasons. The foremost among them is an accusation. Meppadiyan, which was released on January 14, is being attacked by many in Kerala for allegedly glorifying ‘right-wing politics’. A Hindu nationalist party, called Indu Makkal Katchi (IMK) took to Twitter to talk about the hate campaign against Meppadiyan.
2. The Protagonist, Unni Mukundhan is shown as a staunch and religious Hindu
3. A post man is shown as wearing a red Rakhi,
4. No scenes showing Hindu girls doing a belly dance to attract a midget goat ‘hero’, pic.twitter.com/sbQvkud3Ri
— Indu Makkal Katchi (Offl) 🇮🇳Modi Ka Parivar (@Indumakalktchi) January 17, 2022
IMK listed the following reasons for Meppadiyan receiving so much hate from the “Abrahamic/Commie lot”.
- An ambulance shown in one of the scenes was from Seva Bharathi. RSS is the parent organisation of Seva Bharati, a non-governmental organisation that is involved in working for the upliftment of economically weaker sections of Indian society. Its association with the RSS has made it a frequent target for Communists and Islamists.
- The protagonist is shown as a staunch and religious Hindu.
- A postman is shown as wearing a kalawa on his wrist.
- According to IMK, no scenes are showing Hindu girls doing a belly dance to attract a “midget-goat” ‘hero’.
- There are no molestation scenes. There is an absence of double meaning dialogues, and no mocking of Hindu customs or the religion itself can be seen in the film.
- No debasement of Hindus and no glorification of Abrahamics is seen in the film.
- The villain is not a Hindu.
In one of the scenes, the protagonist poses with an idol of Hanuman. This scene has also caused a lot of heartburn in Kerala.
Unni Mukandan Responds to Hate Campaign
Unni Mukundan, who played the role of Jayakrishnan in ‘Meppadiyan’ responded to the hate campaign being directed against him and the film. In an interview, he said, “Hanuman Swami has been my inspiration since my childhood. I am a person who gives much preference to physical fitness, and for me, Hanuman Swami is my role model. I do not know why people are taking everything in a negative sense. I have clear reasoning for what I have done in the movie.”
On the question of the film showing a Seva Bharati ambulance, Mukundan said he didn’t feel anything wrong in the portrayal of the Seva Bharati ambulance. He added that it is painful to see a section of society spreading a hate campaign and demeaning artistic freedom in Kerala.
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Director Vishnu Mohan, meanwhile, went a step further and asked, “What is wrong with using their ambulance?” He said, “Seva Bharati is the one I have seen arriving first, even before the police and fire force during disasters. Who in Kerala does not know this? How can you make a movie without them?”
Communists and Islamists of Kerala are not used to positive portrayals of Hindus. With one film alone, they have been shown their place. All that they can do now is cry because Meppadiyan would surely become a stepping stone for more and more Malayali filmmakers to reverse the toxic status quo in Kerala’s film industry.
You have to watch the Malayalam movies produced during the 80’s & 90’s, the golden era, when many many iconic Hindu centric movies were produced that were not just blockbusters but also recipients of multiple national awards! Many movie songs were carnatic based, that were immensely meaningful, melodious & pleasing to listen to!
To see the Malayalam film industry become abjectly vulgar, fundamentalist & propagandist is really a tragic!