Caste and Resistance: A Comparative Study of Untouchable and Lagaan
Keywords:
caste system, dalit literature, subaltern studies, postcolonialism, untouchable, lagaan, resistance
Abstract
This paper explores the representation of caste discrimination and subaltern consciousness in Mulk Raj Anand's seminal novel Untouchable (1935) and Ashutosh Gowariker's Bollywood film Lagaan (2001). Through a humanistic lens, the study analyzes how both texts critique the entrenched caste hierarchies of Indian society. Drawing on subaltern theory and postcolonial frameworks, the paper argues that while Untouchable presents a direct and emotionally charged portrayal of Dalit oppression, Lagaan uses metaphor and cinematic spectacle to raise subtle questions about caste, unity, and resistance under colonial rule.
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References
Mulk Anand, Raj (1991) Unknown Title.
Sharmenaz Bano, Shaista Maseeh Writings of the Marginalized & Oppressed Class: The Ultimate Territory of Dalit Literature.
Britt Crossman The Human Spirit in Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India.
Ashutosh Gowariker, Director (2002) Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India.
Gayatri Spivak, Chakravorty (1988) Can the Subaltern Speak?" Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture.
Antonio Gramsci (1971) Quintin Hoare and Geoffrey Nowell Smith (eds), Selections from the prison notebooks of Antonio Gramsci. 93-94.
B Ambedkar (2014) Annihilation of Caste.
Teacher (2024) Paragraph on Caste System in English.
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2025-11-11
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