Yet another perverse and cringey film from the Dravidianist Kollywood stable, starring Periyarist actor Sathyaraj, is set to hit the theatres in the coming days.
In the “sneak peek” of the film released on 11 September 2024, a portion of this was shared widely by the Dravidianist supporters who hailed the actor for being brave enough to touch upon a subject like beef!
The film, which features mostly ageing and unknown/supporting actors, has only one person seen as a ‘popular’ face—Sathyaraj.
What Happens In The Sneak Peek?
In the 3-minute video, in what seems to be a school staffroom, Sathyaraj, who plays the titular character Che Guevara, is seen entering the staff room and is “surprised” at the teachers already sitting there even before the bell for lunch rings. He mocks them for their punctuality regarding food rather than taking class and students.
Then he points out the “gap” between two tables—one where he is seated and the other where the other teachers are seated—and says that even after 75 years of independence, this problem is not resolved.
They have shown the three teachers—a male and two females—as vegetarians, and the male teacher thinks (which we can hear), which is done to portray the Brahmin teachers as evil in character.
How do we know the teachers are Brahmins? Sathyaraj uses the word “thayir sadham” or curd rice, often used as a slur to refer to Brahmins in Tamil Nadu.
Then, showing his curiosity about what is in his lunch box, he takes a bite at something, which assumingly lets out an odour that is not palpable to the other teachers. To this, he says, “This is a dead cow. You consume curd made from cow’s milk, and we consume cows as meat, and he takes a bite at his beef curry.”
They showed the other teachers’ expressions and how relieved they were that he had finished eating. Now, the sermon starts.
He starts questioning the teacher, who is shocked at him eating beef. He says that it would be outrageous for him to ask her to start eating beef, and it would be even more scandalous of her to ask him to stop eating beef.
Then he claims that India is the biggest beef exporter in the world but also makes beef-eating a political issue. Targeting Hindus and gaurakshaks, he mockingly states that people are lynched for eating beef while cows are exported, on the other hand, as beef.
Then, disgustingly mannerlessly, he licks his fingers after eating his dessert (halwa) and wipes his hands with tissue paper. When the teachers look at him bewildered, he calls it cultural development!
The next scene seems to come straight out of the imagination of the director/scriptwriter (who happens to be the same person) because these things hardly ever happen in schools. He is seen to go towards a water dispenser to take water but the male teacher directs him to go outside and drink from the dispenser kept for him – all these subtly are intended to indicate that Sathyaraj’s character is a Dalit.
Mockingly he asks if the dispenser inside the staff room contains cow urine – another dig at BJP and Hindus supporting them. The teacher refuses to let him drink from the dispenser inside the staff room stating it is not in practice.
Following this, a man wearing formal attire (coat/suit) enters questioning why Sathyaraj (Che Guevara) is always creating problems and he states that the principal does not find the different water dispensers for different people problematic. Stating so, he pours himself a glass of water from the water dispenser inside the staff room and lifts it to drink the water. Then disgustingly he soils it completely making sure no one else can drink from it as such unless cleaned and he makes slurping noises when drinking. This way he ensures that no one else can drink from that dispenser.
The trailer of the film is a mindless story of caste and caste-based violence. The words Rebel, and Comrade, keep flashing on and off. The cinematography, packaging, and intent of the film make it worthless and a waste of time. The film pretends to tell the story of the “oppressed” and the “oppressor” and as always, the vegetarian (read Brahmin) upper caste community is shown as the oppressor.
This film will surely bomb at the box office for its lack of creativity and for peddling particular propaganda put forth by the Dravidianists.
Written and directed by an unknown Alex AD and produced by Anish Edmond Prabhu under the banner Grey Magic Creations, this seems to be a hitjob targeted at the Hindus sponsored by a group.
Sathyaraj – Dravidianist Supporter
Actor Sathyaraj’s recent comments advocating for a reformed India and criticizing caste-based practices and superstitions highlight a notable hypocrisy. Despite his public stance against caste discrimination and traditional rituals, he reportedly conducted his son’s marriage according to caste-based customs, contradicting his proclaimed Periyarist principles. Critics argue that this discrepancy between his public advocacy for social reform and his private actions undermines his credibility, exposing a gap between his ideological statements and personal practices.
He often is seen acting in anti-Brahmin and anti-Hindu-themed films. The most recent one which was a box office failure was Annapoorani.
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