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‘I used to wonder why Dalit issues are not being discussed in the mainstream?’

Tracing the roots of his storytelling, Pa Ranjith recalls, “I used to wonder why Dalit issues are being discussed in small groups and not in the mainstream, and why people are not understanding that a Dalit’s issue is also a non-Dalit’s issue. When I spoke about Dalit issues in college, I came across as harsh or became emotional. I wasn’t able to articulate well. After college, I was inspired when I started watching films, documentaries and reading non-fiction on real-life incidents. I wanted to be an arthouse director. But I thought of my parents, brother and others around me. I wanted my films to reach and be discussed by them, without following a regular film pattern.”

‘I’m in awe of Ranjith’s thoughts and what he says’

Pasupathy , who was one of the special guests at the event, reflected on how far the ecosystem has changed and credited Ranjith’s vision for inspiring change. The actor shared, “I’m in awe of Ranjith’s thoughts and what he says. To think that it is materialising makes me happy. I consider these festivals an extension of that. Earlier, if we had to watch films, we would go to the British Council or the Goethe Institut. Then, we used to think about whether a private festival would happen. But we didn’t have the facilities and perspectives for that back then. But through this festival, it’s being done confidently.”

‘I had no political awareness before I entered cinema’

Bad Girl director Varsha Bharath credited cinema for helping her gain awareness and stated, “There is no bigger example than me to show how caste and political conversations are important in mainstream cinema. I had no political awareness before I entered cinema. When I joined as an AD with Vetri Maaran sir, my argument was that my brother had to go to Singapore as he didn’t get an engineering seat here and so, reservation was bad. The reason for me coming to this place from my initial outlook is because of such conversations coming into cinema. If not, I wouldn’t have the awareness I have now and would have remained a fool.”