The Invisible Other: Caste in Tamil Cinema

The Invisible Other is a documentary film that explores the presence of caste in films and film production in Tamil cinema, especially since the 1990s. (All the interviews were shot between September and November 2011.)
The documentary is just a central node that is meant to connect the corollaries [1] that are to follow in the coming weeks/months. Hence there are several lose ends in films that are intentional; it’s meant to trigger tangential questions (possibly directed towards one of the corollaries). The collection's chief purpose is to serve as a knowledge base of sorts -- if it doesn't do much towards social change, it would at least serve as an archive, I hope.
[1] Some of the planned corollaries include:
Awareness of caste in general and within cinema - interviews from various students.
Thevar Magan's influence on the film industry, Tamil audience, politics and its legacy.
Challenges for aspiring film makers
/ etdocs
Acknowledgment: This documentary contains content that belongs to Sun Network, Star India, Eros India, Autechre and Raj Videos. The clips are purely for educational purposes and I do not own the copyrights to any of the said content. I wish to thank the contents owners for their help and contribution in making this documentary.

[@user-gh7pj3wz2j]

We failed to celebrate SP Jananathan when he was living 😢 He was the true revolutionary even before Pa Ranjith came into existence

[@VloggerBoi300]

Watching this in 2023.....thank u creators for making this

[@novelistcasanova9828]

KZbin recommended this video only yesterday... thank you KZbin.

[@nsomamaya]

Me too. Random feed, but excellent video

[@gbyourss]

Me too.

[@ssiva2281]

Title for the documentary can be : Tamil Cinema before Pa Ranjith.

[@imaximas9660]

Am i the only one who didn't search for this video ....but.loved it

[@manikandarajan9311]

The whole documentary video makes me to feel the presence of Pa.Ranjith.

[@subash8265]

don't know why youtube recommended this video to be precise after the release of maamannan however, it is noteworthy to say that worth enough to watch

[@DeenaPhotography]

Pa Ranjith is the gem in Tamil cinemas directorial venture were certain communities cherish and proudly take pride in his film and which boosts their morale of the community...what Nasser said abt who is the director??the ans is Pa Ranjith..and what thirumavalan feared for the product will not be acceptable by public will be toppled over hereafter by our revolutionary talented director who proudly asserts his identity other those great persons who are not openly willing to do it..

[@adityaarunachalam9127]

So many intellectuals contributed to this documentary. Thank you so much for this work. Even the American college students showed that they are no less than their professors. They have a very sensible approach towards tamil cinema.

[@thisisktr5474]

From here in 2014 to Maamannan 2023.. Tamil Cinema had a long journey in 8 years. Kudos to people like Ranjith, Mari Selvaraj, Udhayanidhi, etc.,

[@rukminikumar6617]

this is a deep level of discourse and social commentary. Brilliant!! Not relevant to just the tamil context, but so many relevant themes to power structures everywhere. Again, brilliant.

[@dinesh6489]

What Mari Selvaraj tried to say in Maamannan Audio launch 😢

[@ramanikrishnamurthy5847]

Outstanding production. Government should show this film free of charge to all people. Mr. Ranjit deserves some respect, credit and highly recognised awards.

[@ramprakashs3216]

Watching this after 9 years but still the video is worth!! And I am from Madurai, I can relate all those things that spoken here

[@clickstudiophotography1092]

இப்போது பா.ரஞ்சித் & மாரிசெல்வராஜ் தமிழ் சினிமா போக்கையே மாற்றி அமைத்திருக்கிறார்கள் (2023)

[@singaravelsaravanan7275]

Well documented. Didn't know it's an 8yrs old video. Still relevant.

[@kavibharathy5690]

It’s actually 10 year old video but uploaded in KZbin 8 years ago …

[@vigneshs2776]

ranjith is the only ray of hope

[@ilavenil5168]

So, it took one Mari Selvaraj, his view and movies for youtube to suggest this documentary to reach people after 8 years. it is proof enough that we still have caste discrimination active in our society. First people need to accept its presence.. and then only it will go away.. Chumma jathi illa illa solli oora ematha koodadhu...

[@ettuinthu]

That's being said by many in this post also. First and foremost one should accept existence to address the same. Unfortunately here, as a past censor board member made an attempt in this post at 29.10 castists are permitted to uphold the so called Caste honor but should not denigrade others. But fact is As Periyar said if a board is put at the gate of a house 'இது பத்தினியின் வீடு' the counter part of the statement is affirmative. Vegitarian is the food one to take to be a intelligent, healthy, to live more years, as per sastra then what it conveys everybody knows. Upto seventies movies projected so called upper castes. From seventies the intermediate castes found their place, of course not totally eliminating UC promotion. Now some of the movie directors making attempt to voice Dalit issues. Again the difference is those movies இல்லாத அவர்களின் குல பெருமையை பேசி அந்த இளைஞர்களை உசுப்பேற்றியது. தற்போதைய படங்கள் அவர்களின் துயரங்களை பிரதிபலிப்பதாக உள்ளது

[@edge1251]

Pa.Ranjith, mari Selvaraj pera sonna yen ivanungaluku Eriyuthu ipodha theriyuthu

[@jaihari8616]

i dont know why youtube recommended very lately......atkeast i saw it now

[@ranigunaseeli926]

தமிழ் சினிமாக்களில் இன்றுவரை சாதி குறித்த மாற்றுப் பார்வையை, சிந்தனையை முன்வைக்கும் அருமையான காணொளி. மதுரை,வாடிப்பட்டி அரசுப் பள்ளியில் படித்த என் மாணவர்கள் பேசியதைப் பார்த்தது பெரு மகிழ்வும் பெருமையும்.. 🦋🦋

[@AiswaryaRao]

Wonderful documentary! The manner in which the politics of caste and cinema are intertwined was brought out effectively with succinct examples. The interviews, especially with the director of Peranmai, Jananathan shed light on the complex issues with great candour. The focus group discussion with the youth sitting on a sandy elevation also has so much insight. The one hour spent watching this documentary was very productive and enriching for me.

[@AiswaryaRao]

It takes an extraordinary dimwit to conclude that the Rao in my name is due to caste. Is the Tamil politician Stalin a Russian?? There is a Tamil actor with the name Napolean. Is he French? I know so many Tamil people with the name Desingh in Tamilnadu. Are they are sikhs?? Rao is a name. It has no caste affiliations. Please do not jump to conclusions.

[@AiswaryaRao]

You amaze me with your ignorance. It is incredible folly to ASSUME a person's community simply from name. The etiology of name is more complex than what you know. If I were you, I would say, "Oh ok! Here is something to learn" and be grateful for being pointed out that Rao need not be a community name. It is not a rule that all people with the name Rao belong to the community of Brahmins or whatever it is that you assume! Anyway, what community is Rao - just asking?! In Pakisthan Raos are Muslims (not Brahmins) In Andhra Pradesh it is very common for a lot of Dalits to be named Rao. #getyourselfaneducation //It takes an extraordinary dimwit to say rao is a name// Rao is a name. LOL. All tomatoes are not red and all red fruit are not tomatoes.

[@user-vs2qf6sk3w]

Chat thambi! Who are you? I've seen your comments in all videos about castes. You try to talk,reply to female names. Rathathule erukum polayea.

[@user-vs2qf6sk3w]

Looks like you are pissed off. I would like to know what is parai and what makes you better than other caste people. Honestly I do not know much about castism, I believe you are a sanskrit preaching priest. Tamils never had any caste problem according to sangam literature, However if pirappokkum ella uyirukkum, Then how can one set of people call themselves better than the rest?

[@sabarishradha]

My respect for Mr Ranjith has grown so much… but the question remains. When will people respect another fellow human being as his or her equal ….

[@mohamedasarudeen1696]

Hats off to Pa.Ranjith and Mari Selvaraj

[@cheeky4ify]

Thank you for making this video, now this will be a answer for people who is speaking against mari selvaraj and pa ranjit

[@Kodeeee]

What a video. That too when YT wasnt mainstream in India 💪. Cinema is changing, people aren't sadly.

[@sivakumarv8888]

Good Documentary. Spread awareness. But for annihilating castes, we need to read Babasaheb Ambedkar.

[@veeramalaishanmugam9238]

sivakumar v, Sir, have read annihilation of caste. I have not understood it clearly. May you please forward the detail of it.

[@lulu2008z]

பெருவாரியான நகரங்களில் உள்ள மக்களுக்கு ஜாதி அழிந்துவிட்டதாகவே தோன்றுகிறது. கிராமப் புறங்களுக்குச் சென்று பார்க்கும் பொழுது தான் ஜாதி தலை விரித்து ஆடுவதைக் காண்கிறோம். தமிழ் திரையுலகில், இத்துணை அளவிற்கு, (இலை மறை காயாகக் கூட) ஜாதி பிரதிணித்துவம் செய்யப்படுவது பிரமிப்பூட்டுகிறது. வாழ்த்துக்கள்! There was never a dull moment in the whole documentary. I would say you have almost accomplished what you set out to do, in terms of getting the message out. Cheers!

[@sakthivel9511]

Nan sc un pundai no kudu 9444109693

[@sakthivel9511]

Unpundai vendum.pls

[@soundarrajann5634]

Sakthi Vel unga amma kita irukuda pe punda 😎😎😎

[@pdpaul2626]

Born& Borought up in the very cast of thevar but now married non thevar. Ashamed of casts in India.

[@nagarajanv6381]

Lyndon Johnson, US President (1963-69): If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you. Prof Lakshmanan's Graded Inequality reminded me of this.

[@Mike-wb3oc]

You described Trump's whole election campaign lol

[@shreehariraam2290]

VetriMaran, Pa. Ranjith, Mari Selvaraj 💙

[@suryagunan]

After seeing this video , I feel the importance of Ranjith ,,,,, hats off man

[@villagevlogger3205]

Vijay all so bro

[@BoobalanMunusamy]

That's true.. Ranjith is a savior for sure

[@vishnusubramaniyan1282]

@@villagevlogger3205Avan ena kalatnan???

[@shreehariraam2290]

​@@vishnusubramaniyan1282Unna maari jaadhi veri koodhiyans ah sooth adichaan pa ranjith 😂😂

[@vishnusubramaniyan1282]

@@shreehariraam2290 Ada kiruku kudi vijay ena kalatnan nu ketaen

[@sriramnathsridhar4135]

I thought caste system is obsolete in TN.. but after knowing the village side through my friends.. i really feel lucky to be born in city as this city makes me to know about WORLD rather CASTE system.. from here i knew anhiliation of caste is a must for future generation, it will end up reservation based on caste as well as discrimination based on caste.

[@thesilentpotato7347]

@நாகரா‌ஜ ஐயர்- சேர பாண்டிய நாட்டு அந்தணன் ancient la untouchability irundhuche

[@mohamedasarudeen1696]

Thanks to Mari Selvaraj. After Maamannan people are watching this video.

[@harishkumaran94]

Thank you KZbin for suggesting this video after 8 years ❤

[@DrNedu]

In madurai even patients go to same caste doctor

[@samuelshace]

After 8 years seeing this documentary again

[@kaushikadraavid5014]

+ET Docs This is brilliant work, conceptually and technically. You've brought out the caste dynamics in Tamil cinema very well. As an NRT (non-resident Tamilian), I find the references to various films and filmmakers working on caste from Dalit PoVs very useful. Thank you.

[@prashanbala7485]

Seeing how tamil actors hide behind a caste, hats off to rajini for giving ranjith two movies which put him in the top tier map of tamil cinema. Probably the guilt from enjaman.

[@tomgeorge91]

Who all need a 2025 Look back with the same people. ?????? If it is possible please make it happen.!!!

[@researchcinema7015]

Pariyerum Perumal is the Answer for all this questions...❤️

[@bosekaspathy]

I was attracted to the Tamil Spoken by the people in this video. Pure Tamil unlike other big cities in Tamil Nadu. Madurai is exemplary!

[@balajiraja382]

உழைக்கும் இனமே உலகை ஜெயித்திடும் ஒரு நாள் விழித்து இருந்தால் விரைவில் வருமே அந்த திருநாள்

[@p_youthcreations1834]

Vetrimaaran sir, Pa Rajith Anna, Mari Selvaraj Anna💙💙💙

[@kamesh5846]

SEMMA!!! Great work to the team to document such a topic...hats off...expecting more documentation of caste in popular media,not only in films but also in journalism

[@KabiCL]

A dedicative work. An important documentary, need of this age. Well done Crew!

[@snehithkumbla1807]

Amazing how Pa.Ranjith, Maari Selvaraj, Vetrimaaran changed the cinematic narrative...

[@prasannasiva263]

Thanks .one of the best documentaries in Tamil .pls retake this again.

[@MANAZEERMASOON]

I don't know about cast much But after PA.RANJITH came to industry Some changes r happening? 🤔

[@subi3586]

இந்த படத்துல தலித் மக்களுக்கு முன்னேற எந்த எந்த வழியில் எந்த எந்த இடத்தில இடையூறுகள் இருக்குது என்பதை படமாக எடுத்து விளக்கிய ஐயாவுக்கு நன்றி👌👌👌👌👏👏👏👏👏👏👌👍👍🙏🙏🙏

[@imaginaryprofessor6173]

I enjoyed how academicians are aware of everything and watching from outside 😂. Great work

[@dhineshism]

One of the finest documentary about caste in tamil cinema. No one is ready to take or accept a movie which shows dalit as equal to other caste. Caste ism in cinema which creates a imbalance in the society, diverse among the students and ignites the violent, superior and arrogant thoughts among the OBC people. Diversity will automatically diminish if cinema directors concentrate on common issue among the people rather than caste based stories.

[@kanishkkumar5431]

I am bihari dalit and pa rajits works should be done in bollywood also

[@madhavan_ind]

He is going to make birsa saheb's biopic soon in bollywood

[@kanishkkumar5431]

@@madhavan_ind i hope he will cast manoj bajpayi as birsa mund....because his look and body feature is quite similar plus both is native bihari

[@madhavan_ind]

@@kanishkkumar5431 it would be either ranveer singh Or amir khan because already there was a rumour

[@kanishkkumar5431]

@@madhavan_ind bro ranveer singh is good but aamir khan really birsa munda was a dark looking prson ..tall unlike aamir

[@madhavan_ind]

@@kanishkkumar5431 Yes ranveer will look bit organic in the role of birsa whoever but really waiting to see this period movie from pa ranjith sarpatta is so good periodic movie

[@mohammedaadhilj2339]

One of the best documentary I have seen ❤🎉.

[@mowgleevlr]

Best video i ever seen. Thanks to the complete crew.

[@jhondavid2020]

Great work team.. Highly appreciate that.. it shows we need to go a long way... Discussion required.. First of all we need to accept the caste issues and then start speaking about it.. Hope we will come across soon..

[@spradeepmahadik]

Very well made documentary!! Thanks :)

[@gunalanfromkaraikudi3240]

Devarmagan jaathi padam thaan 💯

[@karunagarana6917]

super well explained documentary, now ranjith changing that.

[@venkatvijayakumar6176]

hats of you guys!!!!! innaikuthan itha pathilem kelvipadren!!! romba shocka irukku!!!!

[@arunrajthiagarajan]

Superb Documentary !!!! I feel Pa.Ranjith filled half of this empty space. Lots to come

[@jhariprakash2]

Amazing. Precious video. Many many thanks for this awareness

[@thozharAadhi]

This Video Can be titled as Tamil Cinema Before the Arrival of Pa.Ranjith 💙 If this Documentary was Made today again.. I'll be Incomplete Without giving Credits to Ranjith.. The Blue Panther.. 💙🔥 You mean The World to me Thalaiva 🔥

[@reviewvettai7137]

53:29 idha avar solrappo ranjith dhan nyabagam vararu ..truth is ranjith made it happen !!!

[@raw_dah]

@54:08 'adhai pola varalam', vandhutan da 💯

[@drishtadyumnandrishtyu9653]

I am from Kerala. Most of the 80's and 90's movies are casteist movies. After watching this I realised Tamil movies were also the same. Thanks to Pa Renjith. My favourite Tamil movie is Pariyerum perumal.

[@victordaas]

Pa Ranjith has revelutionalised tamil cinema. Wow.. we have come a long way. Hope there is more anti-caste and dalit movies made in tamil.

[@yuvansathyaravi9488]

Watching this in 2019...now realizing how Pa.Ranjith has been a game changer...there was a situation where a director can't narrate something with a dalit character as a lead one...but he made consequtive movies like that

[@inthujankulasingam5135]

@நாகரா‌ஜ ஐயர்- சேர பாண்டிய நாட்டு அந்தணன் what?

[@thesilentpotato7347]

@@inthujankulasingam5135 Ranjith Telugu nu solran

[@inthujankulasingam5135]

@@thesilentpotato7347 ok

[@b2Samaritan]

Nice Idea and documentary. Please extend this to a 2nd part now in 2018. With Ranjith in place as a prominent director in TC, this could be an interesting documentary now.

[@gunasekaran3040]

Great work in speaking to so many people. Especially for talking about casteism in cinema. Anyone know what is the date (or episode number) of the neeya naana show quoted in this video?

[@83ravikumar]

Good film. It's almost impossible to eradicate the caste system in Indian / Tamil society. If we treat Dalit people as an equal human being, That will be more than enough. I notice, the intensity of discrimination is bit relaxed(?) these days compared to earlier periods, but still a long way to go. Expecting more documentary films like this. Thanks to the Flim Director - Suresh.

[@Deventhira]

அருமையான பதிவு நிறைய தமிழ் சினிமாவின் சாதிய குறியீடுகள் சொல்லபடவில்லை ஆனால் சொன்ன வரை சரியாக சொல்லி உள்ளீர்கள் நன்றி!

[@mdumdu2969]

Palla payala

[@yuvansathyaravi9488]

Great documentary... please try adding subtitles so that it gets a wider reach

[@NavinKumar-yp2rf]

It's there now

[@bennet79]

எட்டு வருடங்கள் முன் வந்த பதிவு... இப்போது தான் பார்க்க முடிந்தது...🙏 #Maamannan effect?

[@vigneshlogi4156]

Beautifully documented brother ✨

[@cnk1983ece]

Very good documentary ...this should be released all over tamilnadu .

[@kaushikadraavid5014]

After watching 'Thevar Magan', I began to read reviews to see whether and how people have analysed the caste portrayals in the film. The common charge, as far as I know, is that the film glorifies Thevar caste violence (and has been responsible for spawning a kind of cinema that does more of the same). While I agree with the latter bit, my reading of the film itself differs slightly. To me, the protagonist appears as a typical modern, urban sort who goes from being an escapist to a reformist saviour. His education and lifestyle have imbued him with liberal values (reflected in the way he approaches the poor and the women in his life), and made feudal violence an anachronistic anathema to him. The film has, as a running theme, repeated calls for the rejection of such violence, and I was glad to see the protagonist turn himself in to the police in the end, instead of giving us some kind of feudal resolution with notions of honour and valour prevailing over the law. That's about the whole extent of the film's progressiveness though. The violence in the film is portrayed as clan violence, much more than caste violence, primarily directed against other members of the same dominant caste; the (unnamed) Dalits are incidental victims who just happen to be swept along in the process. This is a clever obfuscation of how, in reality, such violence is expressly employed to sustain caste power and authority over the Dalits. The protagonist is moved by a sense of noblesse oblige, but he never confronts the source of his privilege. There is no realisation that he owes his status to the same feudal violence that he now wants to eliminate, much less a questioning of that status. The solution, as far as the film is concerned, is not a struggle by the poor and the Dalits themselves to dismantle caste hierarchy and economic disparity, but a patronising paternalism that serves to further entrench the hierarchy. This for me was the most disturbing and damaging aspect of the film.

[@abhinayak5650]

Thank you for this enriching documentary. I recognised my privilege multiple times when i watched this.

[@nandhav7474]

Privilege about what ?

[@hemanthchakravarthy9683]

Erudite, clear, cutting. Incredible work.

[@wipmonk]

Excellent work. Let your good work continue.

[@sasidharanpazhoor3779]

Great documentary. Found it randomly. Lucky me. Hats off, Suresh ET.

[@imaginaryprofessor6173]

I hope same kind of work will spread through out the country nd we get more awareness among people

[@user-wg4tu3dm2m]

All are Same (எல்லோரும் சமம் ) , now a days There is No High Class People's and No Low Class People's யராகவது Accident ஆகி ( உயிர் க்கு போராடுறப்போ Caste பார்த்த டா Operation க்குBlood வாங்குறோம்.... அப்போ பாருங்க Caste ah .. மனிதனை மனிதனாக மதிக்க காணும்... அப்புறம் தான் எல்லாம் ... திறமை உள்ளவர்கள் எந்த சாதி யாக இருந்தாலும் முன்னேற்றம் அடையட்டும்.......... வாழ்த்துக்கள்.......... தமிழ் வாழ்க

[@ragu9131]

சார் எல்லாரும் சமம் இல்ல ...அப்புறம் எதுக்கு இத்தனை சாதி அமைப்புகள்..?ரத்தம் வாங்குறப்போ சாதி தெரியாது....மத்த நேரத்துல எப்பவுமே சாதி பெருமதான்...

[@muthuganeshm813]

But pallar caste wont accept them as Dhalit... The best example is that community conveying dont say dhalit...Because ..Thevar ,konar ,goundar lam avangala specfic caste thaan soluranga avanga Bc nu soluradhu illa. But pallar paraiyar sakiliyar and other 120 caste others are simply telling those name as dhalit.. or Sc...this is totally mad right

[@udhayanithi3133]

Ipa dhan theriyudhu.yen ranjith,mari selvaraj lam ivanunga edirkaranunga

[@PrathinavRaghavendar]

Excellent documentary 👏🏼

[@p_youthcreations1834]

wonderful documentary !! Caste based films are twice in Telugu film industry as much when compare to Tamil film Industry

[@sahadev9142]

excellent work , nice to see such videos

[@prasadrrajendran9717]

After seeing this video, Ranjith Anna is great .

[@Sivasankar-vc1ug]

உண்மைகளை வெளிக்கொணர்ந்த உங்களுக்கு என் உளமார்ந்த நன்றிகளும் பாராட்டுகளும்.

[@inthujankulasingam5135]

24:12 Rip Sp jananathan sir😧

[@arjundoney4100]

Nalla padaipu reach aagum late aanalum...this video is another proof

[@Myleader_Rahulgandhi]

Thank you Ranjith Anna 💙👑🙏

[@nooneknowsnothing]

48:25 caste is the only path to success in Tamil film industry. Pathetic & Sad is not using last names but using it in every step of life in TN.

[@Mike-wb3oc]

Pa. Ranjith and Mari Selvaraj's success says otherwise

[@bodhisattva6308]

Tamilnadu has only 3 forward caste who don’t have reservation. Only three. Brahmins, Chettiyars and saiva velllalars (Mudaliyars). All other caste enjoy reservations of some form.

[@dinesh6489]

Appo EWS yaaruku. General yaaruku. ??

[@rampmahe4298]

​@@dinesh6489dei nee ellam comments ku reply pannara...romba bathikapatrukya 😅😅

[@nooneknowsnothing]

Chettiars paid crores to become BC but Ramnad Raja stopped it in late 1970s or around early 80s. Many many castes paid in crores to become reservation eligible.

[@musicandlandscapes2.050]

​@@dinesh6489it's for poor families of those castes. Why are you so afraid?

[@maranthegreatful]

Great work...watching it after 8 yrs..

[@thinkpositive5725]

I'm not Dalit but Pa.Ranjith fan💕

[@strengthhonour8594]

Dmk voter pola.

[@Cinema0917]

Apdiyea cut panna pa. Ranjith entry 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@jayasudhakandasamy4725]

found it randomly, really good documentary..

[@kalaranimuthaiah8776]

Super documentary.. appreciate ur effort and hard work

[@dangerouskva]

Good genuine effort. Good luck!