Maheshinte Prathikaram Analysis

representation of a parallel and diverse socio-political system in film and art thus becomes an act of activism. The repressive, authoritarian, male -centric Bhraminical film texts call for a recentring of the hegemonic ideological atmosphere in Kerala cultural scenario. As popular mode of representative culture, cinema always took a different turn in its history for more than a century. Dileesh Pothan’s Maheshinte Prathikaram being an example for dissent, celebrates the beauty of a village of multi-cultural, pluralistic society keeping away from the influence of the governmental or ideological source of repression. A close analysis of the two recently released Malayalam movies, Action Hero Biju and Maheshinte Prathikaram will give us a clear cut picture of these two conflicting flows of socio cultural streams running active in the ideological sphere of Kerala. The hero of Action Hero Biju is a police officer, a representative of the governmental ‘repressive apparatus’, who stands for the masculine, patriarchal power agent and ‘centre’. He is ‘in charge’ of the protection of the whole of the marginalized, including women, children, poor, old,

Many of the male characters including the protagonist and his friends are dominated by women in many instances. The first lover of Mahesh leaves him making a ‘ better’ choice, his second lover openly comments over his lack of professional skill by remarking “Chettan, you don’t have slight understanding of fashion photography” (Mahesh ) She even advises him to avoid fight, wear chappals and marry her, and later, to pat Jimson in a friendly way to claim his record of beating him, with an explicit sense of understanding that her lover can never win her brother in fight. Here, the film maker breaks the conventional model of a hero in Malayalam cinema with powerful masculine body, sharp intelligence and talented