Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry (2013) marks a watershed moment in Marathi cinema, moving beyond the pastoral romanticism of rural Maharashtra to expose the brutal reality of caste-based apartheid. This paper argues that Fandry utilizes the semiotics of the body, the metaphor of the pig (fandry), and spatial geography to illustrate how Dalit bodies are systematically dehumanized and confined. Through a close analysis of the film’s protagonist, Jabya, and his impossible desire for a upper-caste girl, this paper examines how Manjule replaces melodrama with visceral realism to critique Brahmanical patriarchy and the cyclical nature of caste violence.
paved the way for a new wave of Dalit consciousness in Indian cinema, preceding Manjule’s massive commercial hit . It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Mumbai Film Festival and the National Film Award for Best First City of a Director. Marathi Fandry Movie
Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry (2013) marks a watershed moment in Marathi cinema, moving beyond the pastoral romanticism of rural Maharashtra to expose the brutal reality of caste-based apartheid. This paper argues that Fandry utilizes the semiotics of the body, the metaphor of the pig (fandry), and spatial geography to illustrate how Dalit bodies are systematically dehumanized and confined. Through a close analysis of the film’s protagonist, Jabya, and his impossible desire for a upper-caste girl, this paper examines how Manjule replaces melodrama with visceral realism to critique Brahmanical patriarchy and the cyclical nature of caste violence.
paved the way for a new wave of Dalit consciousness in Indian cinema, preceding Manjule’s massive commercial hit . It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Mumbai Film Festival and the National Film Award for Best First City of a Director.