Narappa release postponed: Tollywood films that explore caste issues to catch up on

The Srikanth Addala directorial was supposed to hit screens on May 14 but the filmmakers announced that the film stands postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Narappa is a Telugu remake of Vetrimaaran’s iconic Tamil film Asuran, which shows the plight of a tight-knit family that lives in a village riddled with caste oppression. If you were looking forward to watching the film on the big-screen, stay safe at home and catch up on these recent releases that deal with a similar subject instead:

Buchi Babu Sana made a stellar debut with the Vaisshnav Tej, Krithi Shetty and Vijay Sethupathi starrer Uppena. Vaisshnav plays a fisherman’s son called Aasi, who has a fondness for Rayanam’s daughter Bebamma, played by Krithi. Seeing as how Rayanam, played by Vijay Sethupathi believes his daughter is too good for someone of Aasi’s economic and social stature, problems arise for the young couple. While most such films show the result of such a mindset is honour killing, what Rayanam does to Aasi is far worse.

If you’ve already watched the film, you know Bala Yesu, played by Harsha Chemudu’s, cries at the end are hard to forget. This Sandeep Raj directorial sees Suhas play a bright student call Jayakrishna who falls for Deepti, played by Chandini Chowdary. Her brother Inspector Rama Raju, played by Sunil, however doesn’t believe in giving the women of his family any agency. While it’s not hard to predict how it all ends, the journey to there and Deepti’s pain in the aftermath is gut-wrenching to watch.

There’s a reason why everyone wanted to work with director Karuna Kumar after Palasa 1978 released. The director brought to the forefront a story of folk artists engaged in a battle of dignity and will with those who are landlords and believe in oppression. This Rakshit, Nakshatra and Raghu Kunche starrer reminded India as to how little has changed when it comes to caste discrimination in the country. The fact that a Dalit filmmaker told the story of Dalit characters makes it all the more laudable.

Ask any youngster in India about caste and the first thing that comes to mind is how they might face issues should they fall in love with a person from another caste – that’s how deeply it’s ingrained in our minds. Rakesh Varre and Gargeyi Yellapragada play Hari and Harathi, youngsters who fall in love, except the latter’s father will not agree to the union because they’re not of the same caste. This Basava Shankar directorial proves that love stories that explore such a theme can also be fresh.

Right from the moment Raju, played by Anand Deverakonda falls for the titular Dorasaani, played by Shivathmika Rajasekhar, he knows the kind of risk he’s taking and maybe that it’s not meant to be. KVR Mahendra fills the film with little details that stand out – like the usage of colour red throughout the film – to show both love and a war being fought against oppression. While many have often compared this film to the heart-wrenching Marathi film Sairat, Mahendra’s film deserves to be acknowledged as a stand-alone and stellar film.

Sukumar’s Ram Charan, Aadi Pinisetty, Samantha Akkineni, Jagapathi Babu and Anasuya Bharadwaj starrer Rangasthalam truly does play out like a stage play. On one hand you have the innocent, hard of hearing Chitti, played by RC, who seems to live in a bubble of his own, pining after Ramalakshmi, played by Samantha. Then there’s his brother Kumar, played by Aadi, who dares to stand up to the village President, a steely-eyed Jagapathi Babu, and challenge the existing system. Once Chitti’s bubble is popped, chaos ensues and while he cannot make do with the oppression, he can try.

Venkatesh Maha broke barriers and set the bar of storytelling with his 2018 film that saw the people of Kancharapalem and Visakhapatnam turn actors for the film. While the film explored the love, spirituality and heartbreak experienced by a man who has stayed in this town his whole life, the film also subtly touches on the topic of caste, without spelling it out. At every single stage of his life Raju (and his late father) are reminded time and again of what they deserve and don’t. And all through it, Radha – the widow he eventually ends up marrying – is the one who offers him a seat at the table.

Yes, we know what you’re thinking. How does Ajay Bhupathi’s Kartikeya and Payal Rajput starrer RX 100 touch upon the topic of caste? The film is the story of how a young man is left hreartbroken by a woman, who never had any intentions of marrying him. But flip the tables and imagine a woman in his place. Siva, played by Kartikeya is an orphan brought up by Daddy and falls for the rich Indu, the daughter of a rich politician. Not only does Indu long for him the minute she lays her eyes on him, she also believes treating his love for her with disdain will have no consequences. While Ajay never mentions the word caste in the film based on the true story of his friend, the way Indu treats Siva brings to mind the feudal mentality of doras who exploit women.

Yes, technically this Pa Ranjith directorial and Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar starrer is Tamil but the dubbed version was also still widely watched. Often hailed as the film that is Dalit storytelling done right, the film tells the story of the people of Dharavi, led by Kaala, played by Rajinikanth, fighting for dignity against the ‘pure’ politician Haridev, played by Nana Patekar. The film tells the age-old tale of the oppressed fighting for dignity and their land, but set in the modern context, showing just how little has truly changed over the years.