Framing the neo-noir in contemporary Tamil Cinema: Masculinity and modernity in Tamil Nadu
2017; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/14746689.2017.1351788
ISSN1474-6697
Autores Tópico(s)Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Literary Criticism
ResumoThe Tamil cinema industry, or 'Kollywood', in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has been a prolific producer of movies since the 1930s. From the mid-2000s, there has been a considerable shift to tone, content and themes that diverge from the dominant mainstream films with their masala formula and hero-centric plots. In particular, since 2011, the genre of neo-noir has emerged as a commercially successful prototype, finding favour with young, debutante male directors and urban audiences in Tamil Nadu. Through a close analysis of the visual aesthetic of three recent, neo-noir films—Soodhu Kavvum (2013), Jigarthanda (2014) and Jil Jung Juk (2016)—this article investigates how Tamil neo-noir, with its use of black comedy and nihilistic overtones, reframes the stock gangster figure found in classical Hollywood noir and traditional Tamil cinema. By examining the performative nature of masculinity shown in crisis on screen through filmic content and its visual style, this article posits that neo-noir sheds light on the anxieties that frame contemporary Tamil masculinities in the wake of shifting conceptions of Dravidian identity in Tamil Nadu.
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