A. Rajalakshme1 and Dr. Gopika Raja1
1 Department of English, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, India
E-mail: arajalakshme@gmail.com
Issue: Volume 2 No. 2 (June 2026) Anubodhan
Received: 16 May 2026 / Revised 24 May 2026 / Accepted: 25 May 2026 / Published online: 28 May 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.65885/anubodhan.v2n2.2026.056
Abstract
Discrimination, subordination, and oppression affect almost 201 million Dalits in India. In most cases, the discriminatory practices become a social obligation. This paper aims to analyze the subtle influence of the oppressed class in sustaining caste discrimination in society, with reference to select Tamil movies, Asuran, Jai Bhim, and Maamannan. The paper also explores how the concept of hegemony operates within a social structure where the dominant class disseminates their ideas successfully, and the Dalits conceive them as traditional practices. Through the lived experience of various characters in the movies, the article comments on various key concepts of hegemony, including ideological control, war of position, and the contributions of political and civil societies in oppression and resistance. Hegemony allows the ruling class to exert power over the marginalized by gaining their consent rather than relying solely on coercion. This makes oppression seem natural and unquestioned. It often normalizes oppression as the dominant groups use their values, rules, and traditions to present the unequal power relation as seeming acceptable and beneficial to all.
Keywords: Cultural hegemony, caste oppression, Dalit identity, Tamil cinema, Antonio Gramsci, subaltern representation.
How to cite: Rajalakshme, A., & Raja, G. (2026). Cultural Hegemony and Oppression in Tamil Cinema: A Study on Select Tamil Movies. Anubodhan, 2(2), 32–40. https://doi.org/10.65885/anubodhan.v2n2.2026.056