Festivities and faith: An analysis of environmental degradation in Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai and Kadaisi Vivasayi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48048/ajac.2027.170Keywords:
Eco-criticism, Solastalgia, Soliphilia, Drought, Cultural fest, DiscriminationAbstract
This paper puts forward the ecocritical analysis of the Tamil films Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai (2011) and Kadaisi Vivasayi (2021) exploring the communal union of the cultural festival and its relation to the distress caused by drought. The cultural festival acts as a hope for people as it is believed to bring rain to the village after the festival. From the villagers’ point of view, this study analyses depictions of Solastalgia and Soliphilia. These are the concepts proposed by environmental philosopher, Glenn Albrecht, to describe human distress and sense of belonging caused due to environmental change. These films are set in drought-stricken rural villages. Consequently, in the film Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai (AK) (2011), the desperation of the villagers for rain disturbs the peace of the horse, Appu and the protagonist, Azhagarsamy as they both act as agents of nature. In the same way, in Kadaisi Vivasayi (KV) (2021), Mayandi becomes a victim of the materialist society. The movies are to be analysed by close visual analysis, which primarily focuses on the arc of the characters and the evolving nature of the events that are unveiled occasionally. By analysing the films through the ecocritical lens, the conflicts of solastalgia, desperation for rain, discrimination and how cultural festivals demonstrate soliphilia and their connection to human emotions are revealed. This study fills a critical gap by examining Solastalgia and Soliphilia in Tamil Nadu’s cultural and ecological contexts, contributing to global ecocritical discourse.
Highlights
• Analysis of the importance of cultural festival in Indian environmental narratives.
• Studies agrarian crisis through cinematic narratives.
• Reveals cinema’s contribution to environmental consciousness.
• Introduces the concept of Solastalgia in Tamil cultural context.
• Links rural identity with environmental ethics.
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