INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION (IJRSI)

ISSN No. 2321-2705 | DOI: 10.51244/IJRSI |Volume XII Issue IX September 2025

www.rsisinternational.org

Page 4368

Narratives of Resistance: Bridging Dalit Literature and Films

E. Jayashree.,

Dr. M. Swapna

Assistant Professor, Sri Krishna Adithya College of Arts and Science Coimbatore

Associate Professor and Head, Sri Krishna Adithya College of Arts and Science Coimbatore

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2025.120800395

Received: 16 September 2025; Accepted: 24 September 2025; Published: 18 October 2025

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on the Dalit films and the Dalit literary works examining the struggles and resistance of the

marginalised communities. The autobiographical narratives of Bama and P. Sivakami along with the Dalit-

centric films of Vetrimaran and Mari Selvaraj are analysed with a common mission of challenging the systemic

oppression. All the mentioned works present the Dalit experiences with unflinching honesty. It not only creates

a stir among the audience but also celebrates the resistance and empowerment. The creators have highlighted

the role of education for empowerment and the assertion of identity as the key feature of their works. The

underlying significance of the Dalit culture and symbols is also recognised through the authenticity of the

narratives. By bridging Dalit-centric films and the Dalit literature, this paper highlights the resistance and

resilience found among the protagonists and foster awareness to the future generations.

Keywords: Dalit films, Dali novels, marginalised, oppression, resistance.

Dalit literature is a revolutionary movement that originated from the real-life struggles, experiences and

aspirations of the Dalits. The Dalit community was marginalised for years and stayed as a prey for the caste

hierarchy. Their demand for equality and justice rooted for the emergence of Dalit literature. The origin of

Dalit literature can be marked in the 20

C influenced by the establishment of Dalit rights in the Indian

Constitution by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Dalit literature’s major focus lies on the injustices happening to the

marginalised communities, importance of their culture, resistance, resilience and their struggle for identity.

Most of the works under the genre of Dalit literature are raw and confrontational often because they are either

autobiographical or semi-autobiographical.

Most prominent Dalit writers like Bama Faustina Susairaj, Sharankumar Limbale, Baburao Bagul, P. Sivakami,

Omprakash Valmiki, Meena Kandasamy have played an important role in witnessing the emergence of Indian

literature from a different perspective. These Dalit writers have paid keen attention to narrate the untold stories

of their people by incorporating their perspectives and experiences in their native language to affirm their

identity. Dalit literature has marked its significant place in the Indian Literary Discourse and has highlighted

the struggles, resistance and aspiration of the Dalit community which was historically marginalised for years.

Writers like Bama and P. Sivakami have taken a step ahead to narrate their own struggles as a Dalit woman in

the patriarchal society. Their works not only highlight the intersection of caste, class and gender but also the

oppression faced by the Dalit women in the patriarchal society. Both Bama and P. Sivakami’s writings

challenge the societal norms and mark a significant rise of Dalit women. One of the most prominent

contributors of Dalit literature is Bama Faustina Soosairaj. Her works Karukku, Sangati and Vanmam

documents the real-life experiences of the Dalits and also challenge the oppressive societal structure.

Karukku written by Bama is an autobiographical novel that chronicles her journey as a Dalit Christian woman.

The narrative shares Bama’s self-discovery by calling attention to the prevailing casteism in Christian

institutions. She boldly comments on the caste discrimination that exists within the religious institutions

contradicting the idea of faith. As Karukku is analysed as a personal narrative of Bama, her other novel Sangati

is considered to be a collective narrative. She shifts the focus from herself and explores the struggling lives of

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION (IJRSI)

ISSN No. 2321-2705 | DOI: 10.51244/IJRSI |Volume XII Issue IX September 2025

www.rsisinternational.org

Page 4369

the Dalit women. Sangati exposes the double marginalisation faced by Dalit women and the social

stigmatization.

Bama as a Dalit autobiographical writer has grabbed the attention of the readers through the use of colloquial

language and fragmented narrative. Her emphasis on the dialect, oral traditions and the cultural practices of the

Dalit community has made her novel distinctive. This approach has made her works accessible not just to the

elites but to the marginalised as well. The marginalised readers found a connection with Bama as her works

involved her own struggles and experiences in the stigmatized society. The Dalits who were denied the

freedom to speak or express found their voices in Bama and her works. Her works were not just acts of

defiance but a serious effort to reclaim the identity of Dalit community.

Another major contributor to the genre of Dalit Literature is P. Sivakami who is an activist and former Indian

Administrative Service officer. As an IAS officer, she sought to help her community but later resigned from her

position and changed her path to writing, aiming to expose reality and bring change. She has also edited and

published various works in her magazine named Pudhiya Kodangi. Kodangi is a musical instrument used to

drive away the evil forces. She used the magazine to publish the articles of marginalised communities who

were restricted access for publication elsewhere. She states that, “My interest slowly drifted from literature to

the living characters or human subjects of my fiction and essays, namely the subaltern women, Dalits, tribals

and the transgendered communities.” (Sivakami. P)

Sivakami’s narratives are packed with realism and rawness. Her first novel The Grip of Change is originally

written in colloquial Tamil and later translated into English. She exposes the physical and emotional violence

thrusted on the Dalit women confronting the harsh reality of the marginalised. Her works not only feature the

struggles of the Dalits but also voice out for equality and social justice. Her experiences as a Dalit woman have

shaped her writing to be revolutionary and challenges the oppressive structure of the society.

Similarly, Tamil films have also provided the platform for the audience to explore the experiences and

struggles of the marginalised in a more effective way. Tamil cinema has transcended its role as mere

entertainment to a powerful medium for raising awareness about caste discrimination. Some films are inspired

by Dalit literature while others are based on real-life narratives. The Tamil Film industry is capable of directors

delivering a realistic narrative and depicting the harsh reality to the audience.

Tamil Dalit films and Dalit literature have become a crucial medium in representing the cultural heritage,

socio-political struggles and the aspirations of the Dalit communities. Films like Pariyerum Perumal, Asuran

and Vaazhai explicitly focus on the characters who belong to Dalit community, their struggles and advocate for

social reformation. Both Dalit literature and Tamil Dalit movies stay as a significant force in blending art and

activism. They challenge the societal hierarchy and appreciate the resilience of the marginalised.

Vetri Maaran is a famous Tamil Director who directs realistic films and explores the socio politic fabric of rural

Tamil Nadu. He approaches the Dalit scripts by collaborating either with the Dalit writers or by extracting

details from the community. For instance, his national award-winning film Asuran is an inspiration from

Poomani’s Vekkai. Another filmmaker who delivers powerful Dalit scripts is Mari Selvaraj whose works are

often traced from his life experiences. His films are filled with symbolism, rural aesthetics and folk traditions.

His narration of the rural life’s beauty is often contradicted with the unfortunate truth of caste-based societies.

The film Asuran deals with the violence faced by the Dalit families working under the dictatorship of the

upper-caste landlords which is so similar to the narrations of Bama and Sivakami. In the film, there is a

sequence where a Dalit woman named Mariyamma was assaulted in the street for wearing slippers and was

even forced to walk along the streets with the slippers on her head. When the hero Sivasaami, the Dalit hero of

the film shows his resilience for this act, false cases were filed against him and was arrested. Meanwhile,

Mariyamma and her family members were burned alive in the huts. These sequences are very much related to

the narrative of P. Sivakami in her novel The Grip of Change where the Udayar men try to kill Thangam for

filing a case a case against her landlord who harassed her.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION (IJRSI)

ISSN No. 2321-2705 | DOI: 10.51244/IJRSI |Volume XII Issue IX September 2025

www.rsisinternational.org

Page 4370

Another director with a significant voice in Indian cinema is Mari Selvaraj whose narrations are mostly

inspired from his real-life experiences maintaining the authenticity of his works. His films take the

responsibility to expose the systemic oppression and challenge the cast hierarchies. Like Vetrimaran, he also

invokes the audience psychologically and emotionally through the aesthetics of his films.

The film Vaazhai, directed by Mari Selvaraj features the distress of young boys who are forced to drop school

and work in the banana fields. It also unveils the deceit involved in withholding the fair wages from the

downtrodden. This is so similar to an incident in Bama’s novels Karukku and Sangati where she discusses the

cruel treatment of the landlords towards the daily-wage workers who pluck the peanuts from their fields. She

explains how the children were taken to the fields during their holidays and their meagre wages were used to

run a family.

The film Pariyerum Perumal also directed by Mari Selvaraj revolves around the protagonist who belongs to

the downtrodden community and challenges the status quo. The film revolves around the protagonist Pariyan, a

Dalit boy who aspires to be a Lawyer. The harsh realities of the caste-based society are exposed when a

genuine friendship blooms between Pariyan and an upper-caste girl named Jo. The film sheds light on the

barriers encountered by most Dalits in attaining the education and equality they deserve.

P. Sivakami’s The Grip of Change highlights education as a tool for empowerment and a site of oppression.

Gowri, the daughter of a hypocritic Dalit leader hopes to escape the toxic household with the aid of education.

Unfortunately, her caste identity dominates even when she excels in her education. Similarly, in Mari

Selvaraj’s Pariyerum Perumal the protagonist desires for social mobility but put down by the society

repeatedly, reminding him of his marginalised status.

As the films and literary works expose the unpleasant facts of the society, they also pave a path for the future

generations towards victory through their characters’ resistance and resilience. When Bama shares the

horrifying truth of the religious institutions and her story of failure as a Nun, she also continues further by

discussing her act of resistance. She restores hope in the readers by concluding her novel Karukku by writing a

note on her successful life she gained through education. Similarly, the protagonists of the Dalit films are often

revolutionary who seek for justice through education and communal action.

The Dalit-centric films and the Dalit literary works of Bama and P. Sivakami share a common ground in

exposing the difficult truths of caste-based oppression faced by the marginalised communities. Though few of

Dalit literary works and Dalit films face criticism for projecting the hidden truths of the society, they have been

appreciated for its wild portrayal and provoking awareness among the audience. When Vetrimaran and Mari

Selvaraj uses the visual medium to capture the caste violence and resistance of the Dalits, Bama and P.

Sivakami employ their words to focus on the psychological turmoil of the marginalised. Either through the

imagery of the movies or through the powerful words, the creators make sure that the Dalit voices are heard

and validated.

WORK CITED

1. South Asia Institute. Harvad University, 24 October 2023,

https://mittalsouthasiainstitute.harvard.edu/2023/10/tamil-literature/.

2. Bama, Karukku. Trans. Lakshmi Holmstrom. Chennai: MacMillan, 1992.

3. Sivakami, P. The Grip of Change. Orient Blackswan Private Limited, 2006.

4. Rangan, Baradwaj. "Pariyerum Perumal Movie Review." Film Companion | All Things Entertainment,

29 Sept. 2018, www.filmcompanion.in/reviews/pariyerum-perumal-movie-review.

5. Chandar, Bhuvanesh. “’Vaazhai’ movie review: Mari Selvaraj’s profound, deeply aching bio-drama is a

masterpiece.” The Hindu, 23 Aug. 2024, https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/vaazhai-

movie-review-mari-selvarajs-profound-deeply-aching-bio-drama-is-a-masterpiece/article68557571.ece