Shammi hero a da hero: Construction of masculinity in recent Malayalam cinema

ABSTRACT

Gendered violence and masculinity gained popularity in Malayalam cinema during the last decade, and this study explores the aspects of masculinity, hegemony, gendered space, and violence by examining two recent films: Kumbalangi Nights (2019) and Uyare (2019). The study discusses the construct of masculinity in Malayalam cinema over the decades concerning these films and investigates the hegemonic maintenance of masculinity based on Connell’s Masculinities. Understanding masculinity as a construct relies on the ‘complete man’ image of Shammi, Govind, and Vishal. The study also identifies the diverse masculinities in the films to examine the concept’s inclusive nature. The two varied treatments of masculinity, (1) as madness and (2) as crime, based on Foucault’s Madness and Civilization, explore the masculinizing gendered spaces of public, private, and domestic. These movies analyze the two patterns of violence put forth by Connell: (1) one is the physical verbal violence that the privileged group uses to sustain their dominance, and (2) that claims masculinity among men in group struggles.

KEYWORDS:

• Masculinity
• gendered violence
• hegemony
• madness
• crime
• Malayalam cinema

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Kumbalangi- an island village in Kochi, Kerala.

2. Mundu- A Garment that is usually worn, especially by males, around the waist.

3. Raymond Group is an Indian branded fabric and fashion retailer incorporated in 1925.

4. Bindi is a small colored mark or jewel worn between the eyebrows, especially by Hindu women in India.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Liyana E

Liyana E is pursuing her doctoral degree from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences in Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad, Jharkhand. She is interested in the intersectional studies of Gender and Film studies.

Aju Aravind

Aju Aravind is an Associate professor in the Department of English in Amrita University, Amritapuri Campus, Kollam, Kerala. His research interests include film, popular culture and comics.