Reading Caste in Cinema: A Thematic Analysis of Audience Responses to Indian Films
| International Journal of Humanities and Social Science |
| © 2026 by SSRG - IJHSS Journal |
| Volume 13 Issue 2 |
| Year of Publication : 2026 |
| Authors : Nikhil Shenoi |
10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V13I2P101
How to Cite?
Nikhil Shenoi, "Reading Caste in Cinema: A Thematic Analysis of Audience Responses to Indian Films," SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 1-15, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V13I2P101
Abstract:
The hierarchical caste system in Indian society dictates status and occupation, and leads to social and moral injustice in society. The caste system, although legally abolished by Article 15 of the Indian Constitution, still continues to shape social and cultural realities, especially in rural areas. By examining anti-caste narratives and the ways they either reinforce or challenge these social structures, this work will attempt to address how cinema has the capacity to shape both public perception and collective responsibility in society. Five films were selected that had been released across years in different languages and with differing popularity. The top twenty reviews on Google Reviews by star rating (5 to 1 stars) for the films chosen - Pariyerum Perumal, Article 15, Sadgati, Homebound, and Masaan - were systematically thematically analysed. The findings showed that, although most reviews had similar opinions no matter the caste or religious background of the respondents, issues like heroism, and an unsimplified depiction of caste-based discrimination in India seemed to be present. For society at large, this paper has found that both general and historically marginalized castes understand the representation of caste in Indian Cinema, though there are some stereotypes and superficial portrayals of historically marginalized castes and religious minorities that still have to be broken instead of constantly reinforced. Increasing the representation of marginalized voices can be incorporated to allow for an authentic portrayal of caste issues, with the necessity of cast and crew belonging to a certain group in order to understand the dilemmas.
Keywords:
Caste system, Indian cinema, Caste discrimination, Prejudices, Historically marginalised castes.
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