Ambedkar Iconography: Corrective Visuality and the Anti-caste World in Cinema

Abstract

The use of Ambedkar iconography has witnessed a notable increase in the films made in India since the last decade. The image of Ambedkar in the blue, three-piece suit is replicated in films and scenes that engage with the question of caste/discrimination. From its conceptualisation in the biopics on Ambedkar since the 1990s to the anti-caste films of late, the image itself has undergone marked shifts in signification. So have the nature of association between the image and the enunciation of the caste question. The evolving presence of Ambedkar iconography in films, in the form of paintings, photos and graffiti, is indicative of Indian cinema’s engagement with caste over the years. This article explores the cinematic resonances of the use of Ambedkar iconography in the select films of Pa Ranjith. It traces the shift in the positionality of Ambedkar images in Ranjith’s films, where it is employed to conceptualise a popular in cinema, which is premised on an anti-caste aesthetics.