Tamil filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj tells the story of tribals who fought for their land in Tamil Nadu in the 1970s in a Quentin Tarantino style, topping it with a dash of Clint Eastwood's cowboy swagger.
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AS the final reels of Karthik Subbaraj's Jigarthanda Double X flicker by, Raghavendra Lawrence, the South Indian choreographer-turned-actor, delivers a speech as 'Alliyan Caesar' that resonates with the raw truth.
Caesar's tribe, guardians of the forest and mountains for generations, faces the grim reality of imminent annihilation. Greedy politicians, their guns aimed through the hands of duty-bound policemen, hunger for the land Caesar and his people call home.
The fight-or-flight dilemma gnaws at Caesar. Violence, he realises, would only stain his land with the blood of men forced to follow orders. Ray Das, the second lead played by Tamil director-turned-actor S.J. Surya, urges retreat, but Caesar's tribe holds firm.
"Those who abandon their roots never truly return," one of the elders opines.
Finally, Caesar chooses defiance. Not with guns, but with the song of their ancestors, the thunderous beat of drums, and the defiant steps of their traditional dance. They face the firing line not with fear, but with the unyielding spirit of a people who know no other home.
What happens next is not for me to tell. But this much is clear: Caesar chose the only path left in the face of historical land grabs and the relentless struggle for forest rights.
“"Those who abandon their roots never truly return," one of the elders opines.
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In the tapestry of Indian history, where stolen lands and broken promises echo, sometimes the most potent weapon is the unwavering song of resistance, the unyielding beat of a tribe's heart.
According to a 2022 Observation Report prepared by Cultural Survival, an international indigenous rights organisation with a global indigenous leadership and consultative status with the United Nations' Economic and Social Council, in India, indigenous peoples face ongoing land grabs, militarisation and violence, fueled by policies that undermine their rights to land and self-determination.
The Observation Report also claims that the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which aimed to redress historical and ongoing land theft, has failed.
The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 recognises the rights of the forest-dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were dependent for a variety of things, including livelihood, habitation and other socio-cultural needs.
However, according to a March 2022 document, the number of land claim requests received from tribals in India is 4,429,065 and the number of titles distributed is 2,234,292, which is a disposal rate of just 50.4 percent. A disappointing number.
According to the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), indigenous people in the Central India Tribal Belt, which stretches from Gujarat in the west up to Assam in the east and encompasses the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, has been particularly affected by the large-scale acquisition of land for mining and other development activities.
In Manipur, a recent case saw tribal communities residing in the foothills evicted from their ancestral forest lands under the claim of it being "reserve forests". However, critics interviewed by Frontline suspect these evictions to be a prelude to a "land grab" disguised as development in India's sensitive northeastern border region.
“In the tapestry of Indian history, where stolen lands and broken promises echo, sometimes the most potent weapon is the unwavering song of resistance, the unyielding beat of a tribe's heart.
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In recent years, the Tamil film industry has emerged as a powerful voice for the marginalised and the oppressed. Filmmakers such as Pa. Ranjith, Vetrimaaran, Mari Selvaraj and T.J. Gnanavel have carved a distinct path, prioritising human rights narratives that resonate deeply with audiences.
Their stories, often rooted in the struggles of the exploited, landless, tribal, Dalit, and downtrodden communities, shed light on systemic injustices and ignite conversations about social change. With Jigarthanda Double X, Karthik Subbaraj has joined the league.
Karthik, who is known for his Quentin Tarantino-esque touch, unleashes a 'double dhamaka' in Jigarthanda Double X. This explosive cocktail churns with Tarantino's signature non-linear narratives and sharp dialogues, but with a surprising twist: a dash of Clint Eastwood's rugged cowboy swagger.
With this intoxicating blend of cinematic influences, Karthik weaves a tapestry of narratives, each thread as vibrant and impactful as the last. He plunges us into the struggles of aborigines to protect their land and how Tamil cinema plays its part in the State's politics as a 'weapon'.
Greed for land slithers through the narrative, entwined with the machinations of ruthless politicians. Each twist and turn is infused with Karthik's signature emotive touch, leaving us deeply affected by the human struggles that unfold before our eyes.
Lawrence's journey in Jigarthanda Double X as Caesar is nothing short of extraordinary. The film takes us on a rollercoaster ride through his life, from a 1970s elephant poacher in the lush forests of Tamil Nadu to a powerful don in Madurai.
But destiny had something else in store for him. In between, the arrival of Hollywood legend Eastwood for a film shoot in a nearby village proves to be a pivotal moment. Caesar receives an inspiring gift from Eastwood, sparking a fascination with the world of cinema.
As the movie progresses in Tarantino's style, Caesar ends up behind the camera, even while being a don. He embarks on the ambitious project of becoming the first 'Black' hero in Tamil cinema, before Rajinikanth.
Interestingly, within both his own life and the film-within-the-film, Caesar emulates Eastwood's rugged persona. Echoing the cowboy heroes of Eastwood's Westerns, he even mounts a horse to confront the villain and protect his tribe.
The cowboy music movie added in Jigarthanda Double X doubles its impact. Meanwhile, under Karthik's masterful handling, Caesar transcends the silver screen, becoming a hero not just in cinema but also in his tribe.
After many twists and turns, as the final celluloid flicker dies down, Caesar's defiance explodes in a symphony of fire and passion. His song, raw and defiant, rises above the sound of firing guns. His feet pound a primal rhythm.
“Greed for land slithers through the narrative, entwined with the machinations of ruthless politicians.
In that charged moment, the line between reel and real blurs, leaving only the incandescent image of a man and his tribe dancing with destiny, unafraid and untamed.
As I watched Caesar unfold, I was caught in that very 'empathy machine' Roger Ebert, the Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic, has so eloquently described.
Although set in the 1970s, the film's stark reality resonates even in 2023.
Today, when Dalits and Adivasis find themselves dispossessed of their land, denied of their fundamental right to belong, one cannot help but echo Caesar's question: "Rulers, why…?"