Mapping the liberties: an analysis of the portrayal of Tamil Eelam in selected cinema

Cinema as an art expounds the nuances in the lives of humans by letting them experience various emotions. The multi-store model of memory of Atkinson and Shiffrin is used in this study to understand how the mainstream media’s emotionally stimulating information gets retained in memory, and to explain further, the authors juxtaposed the real narratives of a vulnerable community through historical events with those of ‘reel’ stories to explain the standard of portrayal. This study aims to delve into the political scenario, narrative shift and the adverse effects of misrepresentation. This paper critically examines the portrayal of the Tamil Eelam struggle in Mani Ratnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal and the second season of The Family Man, focusing on how these depictions shape societal understanding of the Tamil diaspora and their political aspirations. This qualitative study tries to develop an argument on the discourse of representation and how it is possibly involved in creating a perception in the audience's minds by incorporating a mise-en-scène approach for the selected mainstream cinema. While Kannathil Muthamittal juxtaposes the personal journey of a Tamil child adopted by Indian parents with the Sri Lankan-Tamil conflict, reflecting the ideas of war trauma and separation, The Family Man Season 2 has the portrayal of Tamil rebels as one-dimensional "terrorists," by simplifying the whole narrative of the conflict. This paper argues that representations have real-world implications, perpetuating biased narratives that delegitimise the community's aspirations and struggle for autonomy. Through this study, the paper calls for nuanced storytelling that respects the socio-political intricacies of the Tamil Eelam struggle, emphasising the need for accurate and empathetic representations in popular culture media.