स्वस्थेरसाध्यरोगैश्च जन्थुभिर्नस्ति किंचन
कातरा दॆर्घरोगाश्च भिषजां भग्यहेतव:
– Slokha 23, Kalividambanam of Mahakavi Neelakanta Dikshitar
A doctor has no use having either a patient who can be cured immediately or one who can never be cured. What is more productive for him is to have a patient who has a phobia about a nonexistent condition.
Mahakavi Neelakanta Dikshitar was a poet, statesman, and saint from the seventeenth century CE. A great devotee of Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai, he served as a minister in the court of Thirumalai Nayaka, the Nayak king who ruled Madurai. The sloka above is from Neelakanta Dikshitar’s satirical work, Kalividambana, which is laced with humour.
While this sloka talks about the medics, the same can be said about today’s Dravidian political ecosystem. They don’t care about the loyalists and a small group that doesn’t vote for them. They care more about creating a phobia about nonexistent conditions to convert the fence-sitters. One of the first tools that they used was cinema. To their credit, they recognised the power of the silver screen (and even the small screen, just before the satellite TV revolution) and utilised it to their best advantage.
The DMK ecosystem, whether through influence or direct control, has long shaped narratives within the Tamil film industry to further its ideological agenda. This often involves portraying Hindus in a negative or diminished light, subtly reinforcing themes aligned with the party’s political interests — a mindset that appears to resonate with the infamous words of Francis Xavier, founder of the Society of Jesus, who once said, “If not for the opposition of the Brahmins, we should have them all embrace the religion of Jesus Christ.”
In what seems to be a continuation of this narrative pattern, a new Tamil film titled Bad Girl (2025) is now being promoted, raising fresh concerns over the persistence of agenda-driven portrayals targeting Hindu identity.
The DMK eco-system clad their hate in the façade of rationalism. Projecting Hindutva as a regressive, irrational, superstitious, oppressive and hegemonic, giving birth to what can be said as their version of Liberation Theology. All these principles funnily applied only to Hindus while maintaining a respectful distance from the Muslims and Christians.
This article will explore instances of how the Tamil movie industry pushes the Dravidian version of Liberation Theology and Hinduphobia while being fearful of Muslims and Christians.
Reflecting on school love, heterosexual attraction, and teenage angst
The words of this header are true to the agenda of “Bad Girl” movie. This line is caroled by the DMK aligned mainstream media in the state all its allies in national media while describing the movie. To be precise, the idea hits the targets, “(the movie) was meant to reflect on school love, heterosexual attraction, and teenage angst.”
In January 2025, the teaser video of Bad Girl, a movie produced by Vetrimaran and directed by his protégé Varsha Bharat, was released. The teaser gave away the film’s goal—the objectification of Brahmin women and the peddling of negative stereotypes. This movie faced strong pushback from the Hindu community, both online and offline. The Nadar and Brahmin community leaders have submitted a petition to the state government requesting the prohibition of the movie’s release. The Tamil Nadu Brahmins Association has also served a legal notice to the film’s producer. While people thought the cinematic release had been shelved, the producer announced that it would have a worldwide release on September 5, 2025.
On July 22, a petition calling for the removal of the teaser videos from social media as they contain obscene scenes involving children came up for hearing at the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. Justice P. Dhanabal led single judge bench after reviewing the teaser ruled, “The pictures hosted in the YouTube can be accessed by anybody and there are no restriction to the children to access and to see the said pictures. If the children see the said contents of the videos, certainly it will spoil the mind of the children. It is the duty of the State to protect the children in all respect. It is the social responsibility of every citizen to protect the children. Without social responsibility, the said obscene pictures have been uploaded in the social media. Therefore, it cannot be allowed to continue. As long as it is in existence and visible to children, the number of victims may be increased. Therefore, it should be removed immediately.” With that, he has directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to remove the film’s teaser from YouTube. Now, will the film be released as scheduled on September 5?
It is another story that the Central Board of Film Certification had approved the movie for release with a U/A certification. In reality, movies like Bad Girl are the norm in the Tamil movie industry. Dissing Hindutva and Hindus is an age-old phenomenon of DMK eco-system
Loud mouth while dissing Hinduism and Hindus
According to the noted author, cultural commentator and historian, T. S. Krishnan, Annadurai tested the waters of Hinduphobia. He says, “The genesis of Hinduphobia in Tamil cinema can be traced to Annadurai, the first DMK Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He wrote a story that borrowed heavily from Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo. It was adapted into a movie, Velaikkari (1949), for which he wrote the screenplay. There is a scene in this movie where a character refuses the offer of a cold drink from another. He says he cannot because he is fasting and walks off. The other character then remarks that this fellow is a fool who burns all his hard-earned money as camphor (in temples). The character then proceeds to mouth ‘Dhoopa Deepa Neivedhyam Samarpayami,’ the mantra we say while offering neivedhya to gods and lights up a cigarette.”
Many neutral observers say that this trend of Hinduphobia and Brahmin hate mainstreamed with the release of the 1952 Tamil movie Parasakthi. This movie, incidentally, was actor Shivaji Ganesan’s first movie. The dialogues of this movie were by Karunanidhi, who later became the chief of the DMK party, then the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and most importantly, the patriarch of the Karunanidhi dynasty in Indian politics. The dialogues were so toxic that many people from Tamil Nadu, including most of the Congressmen whose party was in power, wanted the movie banned. However, Rajaji, the then-chief minister, differed, and the movie became a huge hit, considered one of the masterpieces of the Tamil movie industry. Here are a few gems, the movie taught the people – Temples are safe havens for raping women, why are you worshipping a stone, when has god spoken? Not just that, the movie’s title song, penned by Bharathidasan, Vaazhga Vaazhgave (Long live or Hail), brings back memories of the demand for a Dravida Nadu or the Dravidian country. My linguist friends from Kerala, Telangana, Andhra and Karnataka should clear the air by confirming or denying that their languages Telugu, Kannada and Tulu flowered (in the words of Bharathidasan) or originated from Tamil because that is what the lyricist claims.
Kamal Hassan doesn’t think twice before deriding Hindutva and our culture. This actor was famously described by actor, political commentator, satirist, and journalist Cho Ramaswamy as “An actor among intellectuals and an intellectual among actors”. True to this description, acting as an intellectual, he branded Godse the first Hindu terrorist. The same Kamal Hassan would crow that terror doesn’t have any religion when it suits him. He had to then hide behind the semantics of terrorism, extremism and violence and run to the courts for securing an anticipatory bail.
Jyothika is an import from Mumbai to the Tamil movie industry who became a very popular actress and then a daughter-in-law of the land by marrying Surya Sivakumar, a popular actor and the son of another very popular yesteryear’s actor, Sivakumar, who is famous these days for snatching the mobile phones of unsuspecting fans who try to take a selfie with him. It is no secret that this family camouflages itself with Hindutva (when required) but is otherwise Hinduphobic. At an awards function, Jyothika famously remarked that while the condition of the Thanjavur Government Hospital, which she visited during a shoot, was pathetic, the Brihadishwara Temple (also known as the Thanjavur Big Temple) was very well-maintained. Therefore, people should contribute to the development of hospitals and schools, just as they donate to temples. It is ironic to note that the Cholas who built the temples were equally concerned about healthcare. An inscription in the Venkatesa Perumal Temple at Thirumukkoodal, near Kancheepuram, mentions a 150-bed hospital administered by doctors and surgeons, built by Virarajendra Chola in 1069 CE.
In 2014, during the release of the Hindi movie PK starring Amir Khan, a famous Tamil actor appeared in a program called Coffee with DD on Star Vijay. We all know that PK is a textbook example of Hinduphobia. When the host asked this actor about the movie, this actor came up with a genius answer. He started by saying that he loved the film and then added that because Hindutva is the majority religion, it is easy to address problems with religions and superstitious beliefs by making Hindus the example, because people will relate easily with what is being said. Some people ask me why not a Mullah or a Christian preacher, my answer to them is that they are not into this as much as among the Hindus.
Be it directly attacking Hindus or their religion or sugar coating Hinduophobia with things like an example that all people understand. The Tamil film industry is a pioneer and a force to be reckoned with.
Not a squeak when facing the minorities – the stinging cobra.
In 1995, Bombay, directed by Mani Ratnam, was released. This movie was based on the riots that followed the demolition of the controversial structure in Ayodhya. The protagonist in this movie was a Hindu, and his ladylove was a Muslim. Muslim groups all over India went up in arms against the portrayal. Maniratnam got death threats, and his house in Chennai was bombed, injuring him. The bombs were hurled, reportedly by terrorists belonging to the now-banned organisation, Al Umma. The issue reached such a crescendo that the director had to do a special screening for the Muslim leaders and get their assent before releasing the movie.
In 2013, Kamal Hassan co-wrote, produced and directed Vishwaroopam, a spy thriller. Among the many things the Islamists took offence to were scenes in which the terrorists say, Allah O Akbar. The protests went to such an extent that the then CM of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalitha, even banned the screening of this movie in the state under the pretext that security could not be provided to the cinema halls, given the threats from the fundamentalist organisations. Kamal Hassan cowed down to the threats by calling a meeting with the Islamists – he agreed to a special screening of the movie for them and then to cut certain scenes they objected to and mute or blur certain other scenes. The film was only allowed to be released after their demands were met by the “otherwise brave” and very secular Kamal Hassan.
The 2012 Tamil movie Thuppakki (The Gun), starring Vijay and directed by A. R. Murugadoss, faced similar issues. The fundamentalists vowed to stop the release of the film because it portrayed Muslims as terrorists. As usual, a peace meeting was called, which the director, Vijay’s father, and director S. A. Chandrasekar attended. They promised to make good by doing another movie where Vijay was to play a “good” Muslim. After the customary screening and this assurance, the fundamentalists gave their blessing for the film to be released. It is another story that Vijay, who recently started his political party, is trying to be more Muslim than the Muslims to win minority votes. The Muslim act he performed at a recent Iftar party in Chennai was more than spectacular.
Another fantastic case study is the 1997 movie Minsara Kanavu, the golden jubilee production of AVM Studios, a leading production house in South India with a rich legacy. The movie was the first as a director for cinematographer Rajiv Menon. The film’s plot is about a rich girl who, on her way to becoming a Christian nun, falls for a guy who is the emissary sent to her to convey the love of an affluent guy who seeks this girl’s hand. The film was a box office success in Tamil, gaining extra traction due to its music. In a recent interview, director Rajiv Menon revealed that he was sent to the Archbishop of the Mylapore Diocese with his bound script by the movie producers, AVM Studios. The reason is that a novice was running out of the church to marry her life’s love on the day she was supposed to take the habit of a nun. The director dutifully met the archbishop, who directed his young assistant, another priest recently returned from the Vatican, to read and approve the script. The movie was made only after the archbishop approved the script. AVM wouldn’t risk hurting Christian sentiments fifty years after their existence as a successful production house. The same AVM blessed the script of Parasakthi (1952), the movie that triggered Hinduphobia in the Tamil film industry. A. V. Meiyappa Chettiyar patronised his associate, P. A. Perumal of National Pictures, to make the movie.
Annapoorani and the Hindu protest
Annapoorani (2023) is a Tamil film that not only derided the Brahmin community (there is nothing new here) but also did what Zakir Naik would—injecting poison by running down another religion with an intellectual façade. The Hindus in Tamil Nadu woke up and spoke up against this heavily promoted movie. It disappeared from screens as quickly as it appeared. The community pressure also ensured that the film was removed from the OTT platform, Netflix. However, it did make a dismal OTT return.
The Street power
The primary reason for the differing treatment that Hindu sentiments receive from filmmakers seems to stem from a perceived lack of street mobilisation. There is an underlying confidence that Hindus are unlikely to stage strong public protests, let alone resort to any form of aggression or violence.
Maniratnam and Bombay (1995) are examples of what would happen if someone dared to hurt the minority sentiment. Jayalalitha, otherwise an iron lady, capitulated and reinforced the fact that even the government establishment is weak-kneed when it comes to dealing with the minorities during the Vishwaroopam (2013) controversy. The Christians were not far off. They had the gall and power to get the Hollywood movie The Da Vinci Code (2006) banned in Tamil Nadu.
If bombing and hurting Maniratnam was the peak of fundamentalism, the Islamists moved the needle higher. The YouTube movie Innocence of Muslims (2012) was denounced across the world for its purported anti-Islam content. Across the globe, many fundamentalists, including a Pakistani minister, announced a bounty on the head of the producer and director of the movie. There were also protests in India. The worst was from Chennai, where a group of fundamentalists scaled the walls of the US consulate and vandalised it before the police brought things under control. Recently, The Kerala Story (2023) was another movie unofficially banned in Tamil Nadu, prompting theatres to refrain from screening the film.
Will there be a Hindu awakening?
Until and unless Hindus are well-informed about the intricacies of the threats emerging from movies like Bad Girl, they will continue to perceive them as harmless, mere creative expressions of artists, while ignoring or remaining unaware of the toxic messaging that subtly embeds itself at the subconscious level. The audience welcome being a victim of Hindutva phobia and willingly fall into the trap of the DMK ecosystem, which packages such individuals as newly enlightened and free-thinking minds aligned with its ideological line. This, in effect, completes the cycle of acknowledging the success of Tamil cinema in shaping and reinforcing an anti-Hindu narrative.
Comments