Representation of Beggars in Tamil Cinema: A Study of Pichaikaran and Naan Kadavul

Introduction

Patrick Lynch, the Irish economist, defines begging as “the solicitation of a voluntary unilateral gift, most often money, in a public place” (Lynch, 2005). Globally, the profession of begging is considered as an intricate societal concern whereas, in India, religious understanding of people has its contribution to the acuteness of this problem. It is interesting to note that over a while, Indian beggars have renovated themselves and have adopted the modern style of begging. One can observe their transformation as they slip into the role of 'salesperson' where that act of begging is allied with the selling of trivial products in the public places like bus stands, traffic signals, religious areas and tourist spots. This multi-layered complexity of survival instinct has always instigated the researchers, and they have taken a keen interest in the lives of beggars and their varying struggle for existence.

Begging is a phenomenon around the world and has become a threat to developing countries. Despite India being a free nation, it is still a backward country about the social life of its people. Though there is an increase in the economic growth of India, poverty and begging have a grave concern. Even today, millions of Indians do nothing but begging and involving themselves in the harmful practices to society. In India, beggars and mendicants were treated with high esteem by the loftiest people in the past (Malik & Roy, 2012).

Before the Indus Civilization, man lived on the threshold of his requirements, and there was no surplus. When North-Western part of India influenced by urban culture, the aboriginals who based on agriculture and industry resorted to begging. Begging became the only means of survival as the life of homelessness was encouraged by the practice of Varnasrama Dharma by Brahmins, austere asceticism by Jains and Buddhists during the ancient period. It followed by a Christian era, where all these practices lost its significance. Then there was a gradual evolution in the institution of Beggary. Religious understanding of people has its contribution to the acuteness of this problem in India. Some Indians believe that to prosper in this world and the next world, these beggars should be given alms—a train of these beggars found in every big town of India, particularly at religious places.

There are various literary works based on beggars and their lifestyle. One such novel is 'Beggars in Spain' by Nancy Kress, which talks about the life of beggars in Spain. Nancy has also written a trilogy on Beggars. Yezhaam Ulagam is a Tamil novel by Jeyamohanwhich speaks about the plight of beggars and how they suffer for their day to day life. Like literature, movies mirror a particular society. Many directors around the world make a film about their culture so that people could easily relate it to their life and get a feel out of it. For example, Chinese films are famous for martial arts and its history. Films from different parts of the world celebrate their culture, history and acknowledge them. There are films which are inspired by real-life situations which would create a lasting effect in the minds of the audience. Films are powerfully influential, and it has used for various purposes, including politics. For example, the film Triumph of the will was used by Hitler for his Nazi movement. The whites justified their act of colonising the sub-continent and pushing the Indians to the margins through Horse Opera films.

The multifaceted issues of beggars have brought to light through various popular as well as critically acclaimed films. Such an exploration of beggary in movies has created a significant impact in our Indian society. Including relevant movies like Traffic Signal (2007) directed by Madhur Bhandarkar inspired from a real-life situation, how a young boy in Mumbai leads his life by begging in the traffic signals in the city, Slumdog Millionaire (2008), and many other movies address the problem of beggary in India. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, Villain (2002), Aarumelugu varthigal (2013)and Theri (2016)are some of the Tamil films that have touched the themes of child trafficking, organ stealing where the victims kidnapped, forcefully blinded or handicapped and forced to be involved in the act of begging. Simultaneously, there are some movies like Perazhagan (2004) which portrays beggars as comic characters and the beggars in this movie are not weak and to give a proof of it, one of the beggars claims that he has a laptop, a cheque book and a credit card in his bag.