Madras | The Identity of | Video Essay Script
Hi, I’m Kishor and this is MOVING IMAGES. North Madras has often been misrepresented in films as a place occupied by hoodlums and mafia. So, when I watched the trailer for the film, Madras, I couldn’t help but get captivated by the refreshing take on the place and people the film promised to offer. The film in many aspects introduced us to the real North Madras. Looking back at the trailer after watching the film, I think it was a genius move on the director, Pa Ranjith, to start with Johnny introducing us to the misrepresented world, its people, their lives, and their identity. To me, Madras is about identity and how the eloquent Johnny ties into this is what we are going to see in this episode. (Title Card)
The film is about a once unified party that splits into two opposite factions and the long standing bloody feud over a wall on which they can paint the portrait of their respective political leaders. Kannan and his son Perumal are hell bent on having Kannan’s father’s portrait remain on the wall through deceit and murder. While Maari, the son of the opposing party’s leader is determined to lay claim on the wall and have his father’s portrait on it. At the middle of it all is Anbu, working under Maari, and trying to remove the portraits from the wall and free the people of the community from the bloodshed. His friend Kaali, a carefree man working for an IT company, who is concerned more about his own life and marriage rather than about his community. And finally, Johnny, the well-spoken local madman, who once was a notorious criminal.
Madras is about identity. The identity translates to duty for the main characters. Both Maari and Perumal are burdened by the identity of being successors to their respective family legacy. A legacy soaked in the blood from both families and the unwilling denizens of the community. The burden of identity makes the characters undertake different duties towards the wall. Maari and Perumal have acquired duties from their fathers, with one trying to retain the portrait on the wall while the other is trying to change it.
Similarly, Anbu and Kaali share an interesting dynamic. Anbu carries a positive duty while Kaali carries a negative duty. A positive duty requires one to do good for the others if they have the ability to do it, while a negative duty requires one to refrain from doing anything morally bad. Kaali feels he doesn’t have to do anything about the wall as long as he minds his own business and does not bring harm to anyone, while Anbu feels it is his responsibility to do something good for his people.
Kaali is the protagonist here. The film follows Kaali having an identity-crisis, where he is an outsider both within his community and outside. Kaali is educated and works at an IT firm, hence he is constantly advised by the people in his community to stay away from the problems happening there and just try to move away from the problems and the place. He is an outsider outside his community too, shown by his inability to even talk to women at his office. This identity-crisis makes him take up a negative duty towards the wall and the problems associated with it. It is only after the demise of Anbu, he comes to realize the importance of his identity and the responsibility he carries. He stops being a mere bystander, watching bad things happen, to taking an active responsibility towards changing things for the good, changing the identity of the wall. Kaali’s transformation begins within himself and turns into a call for action for the people to take a positive duty.
At the center of the story, is the wall. The wall is situated in a place where it overlooks the entire community and hence is representative of the community. It remains a silent spectator, a central character within the movie that symbolizes identity. This is depicted brilliantly by Ranjith by having the wall bear the face of the leader of party that the people of the community oppose. The people have no choice but to be associated with the party. This is strengthened further by having superstition associated with the wall to keep oppressing the people from acting against the wall. In a community dwelling in a housing board, where all the houses look the same and lack identity, the face on the wall becomes the identity of the community.
The character arc of the wall starts with the wall having a glorious past and turning into a deranged version of itself now imposing its own identity on the people. This attribute is just like a certain character we know who imposes his identity on others. Johnny represents the wall and the problem plaguing the community. Johnny calls everyone Johnny and like the wall he too had a glorious past. The people in the community ignore Johnny’s condition, just like how they are ignorant about the problems with the wall and live their lives around it. They like Kaali, take a negative duty towards Johnny and the wall.
The character arc of the wall ends with it being defaced and losing its power over the people, while the blood feud over the wall ends when both factions lose their heirs to burden the legacy. With both Maari and Perumal dead and Kannan out of action, no one cares about having portraits on the wall anymore. The wall is now free to represent the actual identity of the community. An identity that represents education, political awareness, and rationality.
Madras will stand the test of time as a thesis on caste identity and a call for action against oppression using identity. I am sure there are more things to explore about this masterpiece and I leave that to you the audience to comment down below. What did Madras mean to you?
Until next time, this is Kishor signing off saying…
