From: ssankara@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Sornam Sankara)
Subject: Re: enRRum anpudan!
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 05:46:47 GMT




In article <1992Nov12.230605.10713@b30.ingr.com> shiva@b30.ingr.com (Shiva Shiv
akumar) writes:
>In article <1992Nov12.045944.12951@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> ssankara@magnus.
acs.ohio-state.edu (Sornam Sankara) writes:
>>
>>
>>There was one movie by John Abraham (MalayaLam director) "agraharaththil
>>Kazhuthai"  was never released in TN theaters thanks to the Brahmin lobby.  I
t
>                                                             ^^^^^^^^^^
>>was not allowed to be screened by the TV in its national network at the last
>>minute, sorry, the last second by our ex. Hon president RV.  The story was by
 a
>>well known Tamil literary critic Venkat Swaminathan who was a Brahmin and tho
se
>>from the Film colleges say that there is nothing against  Brahmins except the
>>title.
>>
>
>To be precise, SOME influential brahmins did that, right? OR did some
>association such as TAMBRAS do it? In any case, such acts are sick
>and deserve condemnation.

     Thank you.

>
>At the same time, I challenge John Abrahams to make movies with
>the following titles :
>
>1. Maadha koyilil manidhakkurangu
>
>2. Masoodhiyil panri
>
>I hope this does not spark off a debate on how kazhudhai is not
>half as bad as manidhakkurangu or panri.

     True, I have mentioned about this in another posting how Sujatha's story 
was discontinued by the violence by Nadar community.



>
>Other attempts at censorship :
>
>1. Around the time Vedham Pudhidhu was made, a movie was made that
>criticized the reservation system. While the Brahmin group objected
>to Vedham pudhidhu as being anti-brahmin (BTW, I did not think so and
>I liked the movie very much),

     The movie was a bold one condemning not only othrodoxial Brahmin practices
but also the false caste-pride of the Thevar community.  It portrayed the 
Sankaracharyas as well as some DK people who oppose the Brahmin community but 
keeps the pride of their own community.

     But the movie was not realistic and has not touched the root cause of the 
caste divisions and fights.  Actually MGR didn't do anything here.  Only when 
Bharathi Raja compromised to remove some dialogues and scenes according to 
R.Venkataraman's advice, it was released.  RMveerappan helped.  Anyway all 
these information are not very authentic and vary from magazine to magazine.



>another group charged that the other
>movie (I am sorry I forget the title) was glorifying brahmins. Both
>movies were sort-of censored.

    It's name is ' OrE oru kiraamaththilE' produced by somebody called 
Rangarajan connected with the Hindu newspaper family.  It was again an 
unrealistic movie w/o touching the real issue.

    It's ban was requested by the Adi Dravidar community organisations such as 
Ambedkar Maakal Iyakkam and later supported by DK/DMK (not strange any way).  
It was again bad for asking the ban of some movie for some silly reasons.  In 
this case SC/ST does not have any hold on power and hence the movie was 
released by the censor before the organisations saw in theatres and fought 
against it.


> While MGR interfered and succeeded in
>lifting the ban on V.P, RV interfered and failed to remove the ban
>on the other movie. Later, after some scenes were deleted, the other
>movie was allowed to release.
>
>I read this in Illustrated Weekly. But media is nothing but a brahmin
>propaganda machine, right ?
>
>2. I heard that when Muhammad bin Thuglak was released, MK said that
>Cho was making fun of Muslims ... (Here, I have no proof)
>



>3. When Sujatha, in the novel, "Sivappu, Karuppu, Veluppu" wrote about
>an Englishman looking at a Nadar woman and the author (who ensures that
>every short story/novel has at least one reference to breasts)
>put in some description of that woman, SOME Nadar community members
>burnt the issues of Kumudham and the serial was discontinued.
>
     It was "kaRuppu, veLuppu, sivappu".  I have already explained about this 
in another posting as the arrogance of the neo-Brahmin people of the recently
developed communities.  I will explain this neo-brahmin attitude later in
detail.


>IMHO the brahmins have been portrayed more negatively than most other
>communities in the movies. I personally do not care. And I am not
>saying that Brahmins using some lobby to censor is correct. They SHOULD
>STOP DOING IT, even if EVERY other community does it. Even then the Tamil
>Kaavalars of SCT will blame ONLY Brahmins but they should not care.
>

     Please cool down.  Let us look at all the castes different from us.  Do
you believe in caste ?  Then why do you identify with one particular caste ?
Only if we identify yourself with some caste, we are worried about it when our
caste is criticized.   Caste is the most idiotic classification in the world.
Let our parents keep such feeling to themselves.  Let us not believe in it.
Otherwise, if you accept it then accept all the consequences without whining.



>Now the million dollar question : Let's say we kick all the Brahmins
>out of Tamilnadu and let's say they do not get any voice in Delhi too.
>Will Tamilnadu get better after that ?
>

     The same way, let all the Dravidian movements and leaders are deported or 
put in prison.  Then will the so-called holiness guys can make TN better.  
Congress ruled states will tell the story.  Both the sides are equally to be 
blamed.


>I do not know....
>
>Waiting to be enlightened,
>Jagadisan Shivakumar
>>


S. Sankarapandi