'Thangalaan' movie review: Stories of resilience and resistance

'Thangalaan’ by anti-caste filmmaker Pa Ranjit had not revealed much in the trailer. Set in the gold mines of KGF, the film builds a new myth of resistance, transporting viewers to historic, pre-historic and mythical times. It weaves a remarkable story of love, loss and resilience.  

In Veppur village in Northern Arcot, Tamil Nadu, most people from the Pariah community are landless labourers. Thangalaan (Vikram) and his wife Gangamma (Parvathy) own land and live a relatively dignified life. But a spiteful landlord deceives them and makes them his slaves. At the same time, the British, on an expedition to explore the gold fields in Kolar, come in search of labourers. A myth that runs in the community is that the forest where these gold fields exist is guarded by a spirit, and one should never set out for such an expedition. But to fight against slavery, Thangalaan decides to help the British. Some others join him. Can they survive an expedition in unexplored terrain?

It looks like a simple story. Multiple conflicts are handled masterfully in a film that rises to the level of a fable. Escaping slavery leads to a new conflict with a tribal community which is safeguarding the forest and the gold mines. Though the British look like liberators, they have a new kind of oppression in store. Ranjit resolves the story with an Ambedkarite reading of history and creates a tale of liberation of the most humanistic kind possible. This transformative discovery stems from the oppressed community itself.

Some scenes are exceptionally well crafted. When Thangalaan returns to his village to recruit more people, the insurmountable joy that follows after gifting blouses for women folk is captured in an effective way. Asokan, son of Thangalaan, rejects Ramanujan’s follower Pasupathy’s (an untouchable) offer to wear the sacred thread. He is later moved when he is touched by an Englishman. This character arc encapsulates how religions played out on this land. 

Aarati (Malavika Mohan) is the conscience of the oppressed and tribal community. In the end she becomes a leading light. With sensible music by G V Praksh, effective editing by Selva and all the actors giving their best, Ranjith of 'Kaala' and 'Sarpatta Parambarai' fame creates magic on screen with a surrealist narrative.