The Portrayal of Musliyars in Malayalam Cinema; Representation and Visibility of Muslims in Post Babari Demolition Era

Abstract

  This research intends to look at the portrayal of Musliyars (Muslim religious scholars) in Malayalam Cinema, particularly focusing on films produced in the aftermath of the Babari Masjid demolition in 1992. The demolition of the Babari Masjid and the political events around it deeply influenced the representation of Muslims in popular culture in India. Indian society started experiencing communal-cultural disruptions in public spaces in a similar way to the post-9/11 world. This research investigates the representation and visibility of Musliyars to understand how popular culture has mediated the perceptions of these religious figures in the broader context of everyday life.

This paper looks at how religiosity and religious figures are depicted in Malayalam cinema to create political binaries like good Muslims and bad Muslims. The paper will underscore how stereotypes, prejudices, and misinformation about Muslims were carried out in Malayalam cinema by using distorted Muslim clergy figures. Thus, the study explores how popular culture, here the cinematic narrative, reinforces or deconstructs the visual imageries about Muslims and their religious figures, signs, and identities during a period marked with communal polarisations and complex socio-political climate in India. It may contribute a different understanding of the broader discourses of mediation of everyday life through the visual narratives, critically engaging with the visual representations of religious figures.