A society of castes does funny things. It not only creates a diabolical mind but also kills all values of humanity. The caste cultural values force us to speak morality but makes us act on immoral beliefs. It forces us to live exactly opposite to what we profess. The best example for this is the story narratives of Indian films, whatever the language is. Historically, the Indian caste-bound society has never allowed love marriages. Since the concept of love is vague — rather indefinable — choice marriage system was never allowed to exist and operate in the social layers of the system. Caste system worked out mechanisms to arrest the hybridisation of the Indian people. Caste system and choice marriages cannot go together because that choice could cut across caste. So arranged marriage is the authenticated Hindu caste cultural heritage. All Hindu literature and real life practice emphasised that marriages must be strictly arranged within the caste system. Otherwise all hell breaks loose.

But Indian cinema chose to go against the grain for decades now. Whether in Bollywood (Hindi) or Tollywood (Telugu) the majority of story narratives revolve around love marriage. The male lead emerges as a hero out of his skillful efforts to ensnare a girl and the female lead becomes a heroine by responding to that in a dare-devil manner, in opposition of either her rich or upper caste parents. Then the song and dance follows, which we can never see in a real life situation. Almost a stereotype kind of forceful stopping of the love effort, attempts to attack the boy involved in the love affair, the boy single-handedly facing hundreds of hired goondas of the girl’s parents and an invariable win by the hero — leading to a happy marriage — is what Indian cinema is all about.

The youth from the toiling masses see, in such unrealistic cinema, an escape route to their struggling life and poverty-ridden existence. The riches of the cinema heroes, heroines, producers, and directors come basically from these rag-picking masses.

The Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi himself became a hero and amassed wealth, name, followers while acting as an effective lover boy, master dancer and also a bull fighter to show the purity of the hero’s love towards the heroine. Not only he, but every great actor in every Indian language film becomes a hero in the same stereotype course. Quite ironically, most of the Indian movies avoid caste being a problem in inter-marriages. They basically show class as the basic problem. Of course in some films, caste becomes a problem. But, however, love marriage has become the key of the Indian film industry to make money. A social mass, which cannot think of a love marriage in real life because of its caste, cultural heritage — not so much of class — enjoy that aesthetically operating love for those two-three hours and lose their money for no effective learning or positive entertainment.

Now look at the real life of the very same heroes, when it comes to their children’s marriage. Chiranjeevi’s younger daughter Srija did it in the same cinematic way that she saw in her father’s films. Many cinema stars, politicians, industrialists — even ordinary Indians — oppose inter-caste choice marriages as caste has become a culturally conditioning institution in this country. As per Srija’s own version she “loves” her classmate Sirish Bardwaj, a Brahmin middle class boy. Chiranjeevi’s family comes from the Kapu background, a Sudra-upper caste of coastal Andhra. Given Chiranjeevi’s respect for Brahminic Hinduism, caste may not be a problem in this case.

But, exactly in a cinematic mode, his family saw it as a class problem. However, the boy said his parents would not accept the marriage because of caste. Chirnajeevi’s riches do not matter to them. What matters is the caste. So the couple eloped and got married on October 17 and both of them asked for protection of the State.
A section of the media reported that the boy and his family were threatened if he does not give up his love affair with Srija. Chiranjeevi has refused to talk to the media. Since the boy comes from a Brahmin family Chiranjeevi’s family might reconcile slowly and the poor son-in-law might be drawn to his riches. But imagine if the boy were to be a Dalit, rich or poor. The question of Chiranjeevi’s family getting reconciled would not have arisen. This is what caste culture is about.

After this incident, will the Indian film industry stop producing films around the myth of love marriages in India? Will Chiranjeevi stop acting in such films and move to realistic cinema that changes people’s life around concrete issues?