Indra (B. Gopal, 2002)

by Shivani Vikuntam

Historically, the caste system in India has allowed for a very prominent social hierarchy to be present. This hierarchy has seeped into the lives of the every day Indian. The film Indra, depicts a classist struggle while being cloaked as an Action/Romance film. Indra Is a 2002 Telugu film, and it was directed by B. Gopal. The film is split in thirds, with the center part depicting events from the past. This is an important film to watch as it addresses social differences. Certain parts of South India are known for their tendency to be very violent. There, violence is the answer to achieving one’s desires. If there is a dispute over land or anything else, the solution somehow involves intimidation, threats, and violence. This film addresses that issue and points out how useless that tactic is in the short term and in the long term.

At its core, the film is the story of two feuding families. The families are constantly at war, and finally find a solution for peace in the form of a wedding between the two families. This newfound peace lasts until the wedding night when the wife poisons the husband, recreating the war between the families. This feud spans generations until it finally arrives at the hero, Indra Reddy.  He is well liked and takes care of the village people. His enemy, Shankarnath manages to drive Indra out of the village. Shankarnath is a violent villain who goes so far as to murder his own young child because Indra saved him from being hit by a bus. The film addresses many social topics.

Early on in the film, the hero, Indra, is close to fighting a local Islamic man over a love scandal in their families. Indra takes that moment to call peace between the two families, and states that just because they are Hindu and Muslim, it does not mean they cannot live as friends and in peace. This is an interesting tactic to speak to the viewer about the relationship between the two religions. It promotes the idea of peace and kindness amongst the two, and also shows that the political issues between both religions has affected people in South India as well.

The film does an excellent job of pointing out the disparities between the wealthy class and the impoverished class. In one scene, Indra’s family is throwing colored water on each other for Holi, and a peasant states that it’s amazing this wealthy family is doing that while there is a draught in the village and people are dying. Upon hearing this, Indra uses his money to help build a reservoir to collect water for the villagers. Indra uses nationalism and love for the land to explain why it is necessary for people to take care of their country. Indra is also from a royal and wealthy family and that is seen through his home. It is an expansive mansion in his village, and he lives with every comfort. However, when it comes time for him to save the villagers, he sacrifices his comfort and leaves the village. He moves from Andra Pradesh, to Varanasi where he works as a common taxi driver and lives in a small home. This shows the viewer that happiness is not correlated with wealth.

Of course, as many Indian films do, this film included song and dance numbers. During the scenes in the present, the song and dance numbers were heavily focused on European scenery and fantasy landscapes. However, during the flashback, the song and dance numbers were in the rural village settings and focused on more traditional clothing and music. This aided the viewer in differentiating the times.

Additionally, the film uses the scenery of rural south India as often as it can. The disparities in wealth are conveyed through the visual scenes of mansions and shacks, kings and cab drivers, and governors and peasants. While watching the film, whenever there are interactions between two people of different castes or classes, the camera is careful to remain at the same height while filming and depicting both characters. The only time this changes is when the hero, Indra, is conversing with the villain, Shankarnath. When this occurs, the camera angel faces up while filming the hero, so it is as if the viewer is literally looking up to him. And while filming the villain, the camera is angled downward, so the viewer is looking down on him. This technique subtly explains to the viewer that people who are selfless and respectful should be valued and looked up to.

A major attribute to this film is its tendency to rely heavily on violence. At any moment’s notice, a man can pull a knife out of his shirt and begin attacking people. This film addresses the issues with violence in southern India in an interesting manner. The two feuding families use violence and murder as solutions to appease their respective families, yet this does nothing but cause more murder and violence. This back and forth spans generations, and the viewer cannot help but notice that no good comes from the violence. Instead, the viewer notices that the characters live happier when they promote love and respect.

This film promotes the importance of family and love, through this long feud. The scenes of sheer violence and bloodshed also show how a character will fight for their family and their family’s honor. The solution to the issues is mutual respect and love, which is only discovered through open communication and conversation. It took the entire film, and several hundred deaths for this peace to occur, but it draws on the point that often one’s first response to anger is violence, and that it should not be.

I chose this film because the area of South India that is known to be violent is actually where my father is from. My father’s family promoted education for several generations, which is why I never understood why his village was associated with violence. Yet even today, when I visit that area in India, you can see the remnants of a violent past in the historical weapons that are often seen lying abandoned. The issue of violence is still rampant in many parts of India. Often times, movies add violence to make the hero seem more manly or heroic. This has caused viewers to feel that they must be violent in order to be heroic. Villains who use evil tactics to hurt people, such as pouring acid on a woman’s face, have sparked ideas in common people in India. This tendency to lean towards violence is harmful and wrong. Movies such as Indra explain how violence is a vicious cycle. It is important to watch this film as it shows how far fetched ideas such as love can actually be used as a solution to violence and evil. Additionally, Indra does an excellent job of showing how wealth can be used to aid lower-class people and ultimately change and save lives.