Celebration of Fahadh Faasil’s casteist antagonist from Maamannan is a tragic and unintended outcome

While Mari Selvaraj's Maamannan depicts Rathnavelu as a psychotic casteist, some netizens have made memes and videos glorifying the character.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | August 1, 2023 03:26 PM IST

3 min read

Fahadh Faasil in Maamannan.

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After a good run in theatres, Maamannan, starring Vadivelu, Udhayanidhi Stalin, and Fahadh Faasil, was released on Netflix on July 27. Directed by Mari Selvaraj, known for movies like Pariyerum Perumaal and Karnan, Maamannan is an anti-caste film that depicted how even an elected MLA belonging to a progressive political party can end up becoming a victim of caste-based discrimination. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, some netizens are celebrating the antagonist of the film, Rathanvelu, a psychotic casteist.

Brilliantly portrayed by Fahadh Faasil, Rathanavelu is a son of an upper-caste politician. Though belonging to a progressive political party (inspired by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam aka DMK), Rathnavelu remains a casteist. He beats his dogs to death if they lose in races, conducted illegally. Humans, especially the ones belonging to socially backwards classes, also get a similar treatment from him. As the district head of the party in Salem, he doesn’t allow Maamannan (Vadivelu), a Dalit MLA, to sit in front of him, which leads to the conflict between him and the protagonist Adiveeran (Udhayanithi Stalin).

ALSO READ | Maamannan review: A well-meaning but rudimentary film from Mari Selvaraj

Though in no way Mari Selvaraj glorifies Rathnavelu and his actions, he has become the favourite character of some netizens. Many on social media have rooted for the sinister villain. A part of the credit for this unintended outcome goes to the incredible performance of Fahadh, who brought to life this problematic character, who would go to any extent to win against the downtrodden.

A look at a few such posts celebrating Rathnavelu:

https://twitter.com/JustJanakiram/status/1685607017917165568

Most clips featuring Rathnavelu have old Tamil songs such as “Mundaasu Sooriyane” and “Thirupachi Aruvaala” that celebrate caste pride. Many have also expressed their disdain for the outright celebration of casteism. While movies like Devar Magan and Virumandi have been accused of glorifying certain castes, Maamannan was supposed to be the antithesis of such films. However, such deliberate misinterpretation of the film has made it counter-productive. Post the incredible reception to his character, Fahadh has now changed his Facebook cover picture to a collage of his stills from Maamannan.

Keerthy Suresh and Lal also star in Maamannan, which has music by AR Rahman. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.

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