Maadathy

''Maadathy: An Unfairy Tale'' is a 2019 Indian-Tamil language folklore drama film directed by Leena Manimekalai. The film stars Ajmina Kassim, Patrick Raj, Semmalar Annam and Arul Kumar in the lead roles.

The film received a positive critical response and was premiered at the Busan International Film Festival 2019. The film later got released in the OTT platform Neestream globally on  24, June 2021.

Plot

The film is set against the backdrop of a river which acts as a symbol of the oppressor and the oppressed. The river is a way out, for the lead character a Dalit, Yosana; a liberation from the blind realities of caste. India is a land of Subaltern deities. Each deity has a unique legend, and these legends are often interwoven with sociohistoric tropes of India. Puthirai vannaar is an 'unseeable' Dalit caste group, in southern India. Their forced-occupation is to wash clothes of other Dalits, the dead and the menstruating women. This film is a tale about a young girl who grew up in ''Puthirai vannaa''r caste group and how she came to be immortalized as their local deity, ''Maadathy''.

Cast

* Ajmina Kassim as Yosana
* Patrick Raj as Panneer
* Semmalar Annam as Veni
* Arul Kumar as Sudalai

Critical reception

A critic from ''The News Minute'' reviewed "It's rare to see a film where the male body is subjected to the female gaze". ''The Cinema Express'' wrote, "Remarkably exudes the power of cinema, of storytelling that is poignantly reflective of a society where legends of sin circle and haunt our deities".

Awards

# World Premiere, Busan International Film Festival, October 2019.
# India Premiere, International Competition, Kolkata International Film Festival, November 2019.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 8530836

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"A devastating film on caste and gender discrimination"

#[https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/2020/oct/09/maadathy-an-unfairy-tale-movie-review-leela-manimekalais-blazing-and-poignant-tale-of-terror-20691.html "Remarkably exudes the power of cinema, of storytelling that is poignantly reflective of a society where legends of sin circle and haunt our deities.]
#Moving portrayal of innocence in a casteist world , Decca
Herald"I believed that it is unethical to write and make imagined stories about real people. They must be co-authors""My films are my way of showing solidarity to fellow human beings.”
#[https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/indian-cinema/maadathy-leena-manimekalai-tamil-indie-film-media-mainstream-movies-caste-politics-dalit#read-more Tamil Media Does Not Nurture Appreciation for Cinema: Leena Manimekalai, Director of Tamil Indie Maadathy (thequint.com)]
Maadathy director Leena Manimekalai: Our families would collapse if women chose to freeze after abus- Cinema express"''Maadathy'' did change me as a person. Every project does that to me, it ploughs me and makes me bear its fruits, sweet or sour"
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2010s Tamil-language films
2010s Indian films
2019 films
Films scored by Karthik Raja
Tamil-language Indian films