LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 22:12 December 2022
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Waterscapes in the Celluloid:
Illusory Gratification amidst Parched Reality

Dr. Muralikrishnan T.R., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.

Abstract

It has been long realized that water is an elusive fluid in the medium of films, and it has the power to express the hidden emotions. In this paper it is argued that such water-based narratives do have a ‘virtual’ interplay with audience who are feeling the ‘lack’, the absence and it is a kind of gratification for those who toil under this reality. The movie makers make use of images which will satisfy the audience for purposes which are more than one. The paper touches upon the multifarious dimensions of water in the socio-political arena and then focuses on how water becomes a fluidic entity which merges the visual giving a scopophilic sensation to the audience.

Keywords: celluloid, public sphere, waterscape, enwaterment

Introduction

In various cinematic work, bodies of water have often been represented as romantic spaces where an imaginative and fantastic life can be discovered, encouraging critics to argue that the water-sites within such narratives function ‘as the mise-en-sce`ne of desire and sexual liberation’. Water sites are predominantly represented as chaotic spaces beyond the rational plane of society, reflecting the unstable dualism found in local myths and folklore.

In the given context of the paper, scenes taken from Tamil are focused. The rural and semi-urban are often replete with traditional belief systems. The water, as it is going to be argued in this paper, is a precious commodity and this aspect has greatly influenced the film makers to project the folklore wherein gods and goddesses are part of the fertility ritual and water is considered sacred due to its scarcity.

Although such bodies of water frequently foreshadow a fertile, sacred realm, they also possess a darker side because on many film narratives the water could also signify darkness and death. In continuation with the pan Indian belief of the sacredness of watery places such as Ganga, with its all-pervasive presence, it is often considered as a source of fertility and salvation. Further, the fluidity of the film medium goes well with the nature of water as they create a substantive union for the cause of the ultimate image/meaning that is produced.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. Muralikrishnan T.R., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Department of English
Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit
Kalady, Ernakulam, Kerala
mesmurali@gmail.com
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