Throughout the length and breadth of history, women have been snubbed of their work, appearance and representation. The histories of marginalised and oppressed communities is even more grave and its reference is missing to a great extent. For years, privileged, the so-called ‘upper caste’ and ‘upper class’ men have enjoyed all frivolities and have lived an equal and fair life. History needs to be viewed and scourged from a different perspective, from the perspectives of institutionally oppressed classes. Yogesh Pagare’s short film, Mulakaram, (translated: The Breast Tax) is bringing the forgotten rebellion by Nangeli against casteism and misogyny into view. Directed as well as written by Yogesh Pagare, the 14-minute movie is heavy with a blood-curdling dismissed history.
Synopsis
The movie is set in the kingdom of Travancore. This was the 19th century when there was rampant casteism and misogyny lurking at every corner of the country. The rigid caste system was maintained through appalling means. One of these was the ‘Breast Tax’. As lower caste girls reached puberty, they were expected to not cover their upper body, and if they did so, they were charged with taxes. The Breast Tax was determined on the size of the woman’s breast. In other words, the larger the breasts, the more the tax.
The tale follows a lower caste woman named Nangeli, played by Anushree Kushwaha, who refuses to follow the law, and moves out with her upper body covered. Anushree Kushwaha’s passionate acting brings the character of Nangeli’s rage alive. The upper caste men come knocking at her door to pay the taxes. Nangeli’s husband, Chirukandan, played by Yogesh Pagare himself, buys the time of one month for the payment. Exactly a month later, the men arrive for the tax. Nangeli pays the tax in an insurmountable manner, a horrific turn which is desponding. She cuts off both of her breasts, and places them on a leaf and offers it to the men as ‘tax’. The men run away. Due to the loss of blood, Nangeli succumbs to her injuries. She passed away, but her rebellious act made loud thunder in the village. The act forced the King of Travancore to roll back the breast tax.
The cast of the movie play their roles with great depth and sensitivity. The cast, along with Anushree Kushwaha and Yogesh Pagare, also includes Nazneen Patni, Saumyy Shivhare, Ravi Khengle, Gautam Shyam Bhojpuria, Shashank Prajapati and Biraj.
Mulakaram as a Mirror to the Manifold Oppression of Women Under Casteism and Patriarchy
The movie explores a multitude of themes that have plagued our societies for centuries. The Lower Caste women and men weren’t allowed to cover their upper body as a sign of respect in front of the upper castes. Moreover, the clothes distinguished the lower castes from affluent and ‘superiors’.
The Breast Tax was one of the many means to force the poverty-drenched lower caste communities to further drown in debt. Their lack of material wealth forced women to move out with exposed breasts. The unconsenting brahmin male gaze often followed them, which not only sexualized their bodies but also reduced them to objects. Women were easy targets on which undignified baseless laws could be applied to strengthen the upper caste hegemony.
Movies like Mulakaram become important as they help to grasp the lost histories of women, caste, marginalised communities and their struggles. They help us realise how caste and patriarchy are deeply rooted institutions, which still to this date, are practised in different manifestations, sometimes explicitly, sometimes inexplicitly.
