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04_abstract

Uploaded by

Raam Pradeep
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Abstract

The current dissertation “Title” examines the rise of the new realist trend in the Tamil

cinema. Instead of giving an overview of the films or directors already labeled "new

realist", it explores how the emergence of the a new cinematic narrative from the

beginning of this century and its subsequent development into a distinct form of art

and mass entertainment altered the ways in which the Tamil film market has dealt

with the issues of realism at large. The truly elusive nature of realism has always been

a contentious question; hence, for the purpose of this study, the definition of realism

as proposed by Andre Bazin would be considered as the standard of realism as a

critical concept. Moreover, the issue of the realism that is being propagated by the

west being different from the one that is being practiced in India has also been taken

into consideration in this research. The present exploration into the new but hugely

appreciated tradition of Tamil new realist film aesthetics provides a critical point of

comparison for current scholarship on the historical juxtaposition between realism and

world cinema.

Chapter I is focused on the development of Tamil cinema as well as the different

phases of development. In Tamil Nadu, as a popular medium, cinema facilitates mass

distribution, mass exhibition and reach at a low cost to various sects of the society. In

addition, as a new visual medium, cinema signify the experience on varied aspects of

life to the spectators who are not able or limited in their experiences because of their

economic conditions and lack of mobility. It is a common ground in the chapter to

understand that how cinema developed in Tamil Nadu along with the socio, economic

and political conditions. For example, the chapter discusses from when the film

introduced in the colonial period in Madras Presidency to the films of the Star

i
directors of Tamil cinema, Mani Ratnam and Shankar. This introductory chapter is

presented in a way to understand the development of Tamil cinema not as film history

but focused on themes, narrative structure and style.

Chapter II is discussed the various debates on realism ranging from Andre Bazin to

realism as an aesthetic style. This chapter is focuses on the various debates on what

realism is and which realism should be considered as the true realism. The various

ideas on realism as postulated by different critics in the west and the definition of

realism that this thesis would undertake for its purposes are discussed in detail. A

brief history of realism in India is also explained with reference to the movies and

movements in the different linguistic film industries in India.

Chapter III is an attempt to critically analysis the nature and characteristics of the

New Realistic trend in Tamil cinema. As I mentioned in chapter I, new realistic trend

opens up different visual aesthetics in contemporary Tamil cinema. This chapter

investigates the narrative structure, mis-en-scene, dialogues, costumes, and music in

the trend. Simultaneously the chapter discusses the differences and similarities

between the new realistic trend and neo-nativity films, especially the films of

Bharathiraja as well as the rural narrative films of 1990s in Tamil cinema. In addition,

this chapter also tries to capture the significant cultural identity markers and the way

the identity markers get articulated as markers of cultural authenticity. In conclusion,

the new realistic trend tries to claim the cultural authenticity of the audience through a

set of narrative structures.

Chapter IV discussed the concept of region in new realistic trend. It discusses the

question of sub-cultural identity which connects itself with region specific space in

Madurai southern part of Tamil Nadu. Mostly this trend is considered as ‘Madurai

ii
Genre’. In addition, this chapter discussed the divide of urban and rural and the

question of Tamil cinema as alternative images of Third World country. This chapter

tries to clarify some questions such as region and its specificity to a location; how

language and history shape region; the relativity of identities and practices to region;

the region as a ‘fragment’ within a larger national space or identity and how cinematic

representations give an added dimension to the concept of region and What might be

the contemporary interests in conceptualizing region?.

Chapter V centers on the arguments that have been brought out in this thesis and tries

to conclude the research by analyzing scope for much needed further research. The

idea of new realist films being a sudden turn in the trajectory of the Tamil film

industry is contested by tracing the evolution of the new realist films from the neo-

native films of the 1980s. The use of cultural symbols that distinguish regional

identities from the mainstream identities would be traced through the identification of

symbols of regional cultural identities which make these movies a rarity in the age of

globalization.

Finally, in the face of the argument that the new realist films are just another form of

masala films, the researcher will justify the movement and appropriate its position in

the slew of recent film trends that have changed the composition of the vernacular

film industries of India to a large extent.

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