MY CASTE

About the film

When did I experience caste for the first time in my life? What have I gained or lost because of my caste identity? How do I handle my caste? Do I hide? Do I celebrate? Do I reject it? How aware am I? Can I introspect? How true can I be? As various opinions of unconnected people are juxtaposed against the historical localities in which the manifestation of caste can be seen and felt, audiences too, are encouraged to take an inward journey.

Filmmaker's Statement

My Caste is the second film as part of my trilogy on Hegemony and Consensus. The series of films attempts to discuss the presence or absence of the expected checks and balances in a society that can potentially enable or neutralise the shackles of hegemony. Who actually dominates? Who facilitates? Who creates the consensus? And how is it sustained? The first film of the trilogy which was made in the year 2016 was Dollar City which focused on the garment industry in Tirupur in Tamilnadu where millions of workers toil in thousands of hosiery units that manufacture export materials for distant markets of Europe and North America. The idea is to take the argument beyond oppressor and victim discourse and to problematize the concept of consensus.

About the director

Amudhan R.P., a postgraduate in Development Communication from Madurai Kamaraj University, is a filmmaker, curator and festival programmer based in Chennai. He has founded MARUPAKKAM, a media activist group in Madurai along with his friends in 1996 to screen and produce documentaries and to organise workshops on documentaries. He founded and organises annual film festivals in Madurai and Chennai. His films focus on caste and labour issues unapologetically. He has made 20 films so far and most of them are crowdfunded.