Published Paper Details:

Myths have historically functioned as cultural narratives that legitimize social order and moral values. In the Indian context, epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have provided enduring archetypes that continue to shape contemporary discourse. This paper examines how Indian cinema reframes myth as political allegory to interrogate issues of caste and class, focusing on Mani Ratnam's Thalapathi (1991) and Raavan (2010), and Pa. Ranjith's Kaala (2018). Drawing on Roland Barthes' theory of myth as ideological signification and Dalit studies on counter-myths, the analysis highlights how these films subvert traditional narratives by elevating marginalized figures such as Karna and Ravana into heroes of resistance. Through visual symbolism, characterisation, and narrative inversion, the films destabilize hegemonic interpretations of "good" and "evil," foregrounding caste-based exclusion, land struggles, and state violence. By reading these cinematic texts as modern allegories, the study argues that Indian cinema does not simply retell mythology but actively reinterprets it as a tool for social critique. In doing so, it transforms myth from a static cultural repository into a dynamic medium of resistance, allowing suppressed voices to contest dominant ideologies. The paper positions cinema as a contemporary myth-making practice that reimagines epics in the service of social justice.