Director Pa Ranjith revealed that he makes commercial movies to make sure his political views reach the masses. Speaking at a seminar in Thiruvananthapuram on social reformer Ayyankali, the director said that social change could be brought about only through art.
Kabali, Pa Ranjith’s recent release, had many dialogues and scenes that touched upon the sensitive issue of caste based bias and politics. “My films are about dignity to the people from the margins. It is not dignity at a personal level. Kabali was about social dignity,” Ranjith said.
He also said that the decision to have Rajinikanth deliver the dialogue on the politics behind Gandhi choosing not to wear a shirt and Ambedkar wearing modern clothes, was a conscious one. “I was in tears when I heard Rajanikanth rendering the dialogue. I had a suspicion that the censor board would cut the dialogue from the film. However, the dialogue got the clearance of the censor board” Ranjith said.
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In an attempt to rejuvenate Dalit politics in Kerala, Bhimayana, an organisation promoting Ambedkar’s ideology organised the seminar. Shyamlal, one of the organisers of the seminar said they had been trying to bring Ranjith to the state since the release of his 2014 film Madras.
Post release, Kabali sparked off a debate about using films as a medium for discourse on caste based politics. Pa Ranjith stated in many interviews that he has never shied away from talking about caste and the politics behind it in his films. He has even mentioned that he would like to make a movie that is quite direct and unabashed about the issue.