Published Paper Details:

It is quite ironical to say that society at present has become a blend of a number of -isms such as communalism, secularism, feminism, casteism etc, dissecting society into binaries, ultimately in marginalised and privileged. "Manjhi - The mountain man", a film by Ketan Meta released in 2015, seems to be a story of a passionate lover Dashrath Manjhi who out of sheer rage, as his wife passes away while trying to cross a mountain, carves a way out through the heart of the mountain. But it is a pathetic picture of Gehlaur, a village in Bihar, plunged in the darkness of abject poverty, illiteracy and above all exploitation. This paper is an attempt to unravel the different undercurrents flowing underneath a passionate story of love and sacrifice. It will focus on the issues of gender, casteism, feudalism, and poverty, intersecting each other and above all politicians and bureaucrats feeding on them. Nawazuddin Siddique starring as the mountain man, the film is quite inspiring no doubt, but it can be seen symbolic of a Dalit's revenge against the upper caste landlords who are no less treacherous than that mountain that was a great obstacle in the growth and development of that village. Ultimately, by his indomitable will power and courage, he carves his way out through the mountain assuring that a subaltern can also speak. Having a victory over the mountain, the film prophecies the freedom of the downtrodden from the ages long slavery under the yoke of casteism, feudalism, illiteracy and backwardness.