EXPLORING AN ANTI-HERO NARRATIVE: A CASE STUDY OF ARDHARAATHRI SWAATHANTHRYAM

Thulasi Kumar Marella; Samarjit Kachari

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i5.2024.1149

Authors

Thulasi Kumar Marella Assistant Professor, School of Communication and Media Studies, St. Joseph’s University, Bengaluru, India
Samarjit Kachari Assistant Professor, Department of Electronic Media and Mass Communication, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i5.2024.1149

Keywords:

Cinema, Narrative, Hero, Anti-hero, Social Change, Collective

Abstract [English]

Cinema as a cultural artefact, by adapting, modifying, and reimagining narrative structures from mythology, folklore, and ancient storytelling traditions, has traditionally embraced single hero-centric narrative structures. Telugu cinema, one of the regional film industries from India, has significantly adhered to this conventional storytelling pattern, featuring star heroes who are strong, handsome, powerful, morally upright, and have God-like characteristics, confronting single-centric antagonists characterised by opposing traits. However, "Ardharaathri Swaathanthryam (1986 - Telugu)”, a film by R Narayana Murthy under the production house Sneha Chitra Pictures, challenges this norm by shifting the narrative focus away from the hero to societal issues. Departing from the traditional hero's journey, the new genre’s narrative highlights the societal problem as the central theme, providing raw material for examining the complex historical trajectory from a counter perspective. The current study employs Joseph Campbell’s mythological framework ‘Hero’s Journey’ as the foundation to explore this unconventional narrative structure with the transformative learning theory and the concept of oppositional consciousness to enrich the exploration of the film's nuanced narrative. By unravelling the complexities of Ardharaathri Swaathanthryam’s narrative dynamics, the study provides a deeper understanding of narrative forms that challenge established norms and encourages a more nuanced exploration of societal challenges and collective resistance.

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