By Tanisha Garg
The Netflix anthology Ajeeb Dastaan's short film Geeli Pucchi attempts to explore the intersections of caste, gender, sexuality, power, and privilege. It explores how love is interrupted and disfigured by sexual marginalisation and class prejudice.[1] Crenshaw explores intersectionality as the “need to account for multiple grounds of identity when considering how the social world is constructed[2]”. The story breaks the monotony of ‘aspirational heroines’, while depicting the vulnerability of queerness and caste, It yearningly appeals to feelings of dignity and affection. When it is viewed from a narrative of caste-sexuality marginalisation[3], it ignites a discussion about issues that are historically prevalent and chronic which people should talk about more but don’t.
It is a story of two people, Bharti as a dark-skinned, androgynous factory machine operator dressed in blue overalls and Priya as a softspoken feminine married woman. The story from the start delves into the idea of caste discrimination when Bharti’s Dalit identity plays a significant obstacle in the way of her ideal job as a data operator. But Priya, who was referred to as “Sharmaji ki bahu”, enjoys the same position with no prior experience and takes advantage of her privileges with total ignorance. The ‘idea of pollution’ as a characteristic of caste emerges to define the highest rank of the priestly caste [4] that follows customs in all their strictness to continue their position in the social hierarchy of the Hindu society. Ambedkar gives a reasoning for such a caste divide that in the history of the Hindus, “the priestly class socially detached itself from the rest of the body of people and through a closed-door policy became a caste by itself. The other classes being subject to the law of social division of labour underwent differentiation”, into groups and these subordinate groups themselves have internalized the caste system [5].
Further the story explores the idea of intersectionality and queerness when Bharti and Priya develop a feeling of fondness for one another. They are shown loitering around a park as they talk about childhood and friendship while engaging in soft romantic teasing. Queerness is also linked with caste as Bharti struggles with her feelings towards Priya while dealing with her emotions of anger, helplessness, revenge, and vulnerability towards the caste marginalisation of which Priya is an unaware perpetrator[6]. Bharti feels discriminated against at Priya's birthday party at her workplace . She also realized that her caste status rendered all of her abilities and efforts meaningless when Priya naively recounts that she got the job by a simple palm reading. It is evident that the marginalized individuals must excel in their aims and achieve equality if they consistently exceed the standard requirements. This contrasts with the more lenient standards applied to upper-caste individuals, where their achievements are not examined to the same degree.
There exists an inherent biased perspective on caste, which has rendered Bharti invisible, whereas Priya is ensnared within the constraints of Brahmanical cis patriarchy and struggles with her identity as a queer. While Bharti recognizes the challenges in her path - despite her merit, diligence, and determination, she continues to struggle and assert her presence, but Priya, on the other hand is bound by patriarchal norms where her primary duty is expected to revolve around her family, husband, and procreation, limiting her ability to explore her sexuality. In the Indian context, an Idea of feminity and ideal woman combine complex values of chastity, virginity, beauty and devotion to one’s husband, which is to be expected of Priya. This idea is portrayed when the male workers of her factory refer to her as ‘lakshmi’. Furthermore, Priya’s mother-in-law advising her to be cautious about her social interactions shows that the safeguarding of the caste structure is achieved through the highly restricted movement of women[7].
One's caste shapes their queerness, and one's queerness shapes their caste. The act of coming out is politically charged by nature since it implies that there is a secret that must be taken into account and acknowledged in order for friendship or love to exist. In the story, Priya confesses her love for Bharti and shares her struggle to connect with her husband. Bharti assures her that they should not be afraid to accept their truth emphasizing that only then can they find genuine happiness.. Following which, Bharti comes out as a Dalit person to Priya due to the fact that her caste needs acceptance. [8] Her hesitation in revealing her last name “Mondal” was followed by a burden of anxiety that marginalised people constantly battle over consequences of rejection and judgment. In addition, she reveals her Dalit identity in the hopes that her profound affection and desire for her will be sufficient to overcome caste discrimination, but it is followed by Priya’s discomfort as their caste differences still separates them. As Ambedkar has mentioned that, “This absence of messing with outsiders is not due to positive prohibition, but is a natural result of Caste, i.e. exclusiveness “that has acquired the prohibitory character of a religious injunction.
Dashrath, a senior colleague tells Bharti that “I worry that you may get singed in trying to reach a higher station ”, that serves as a reminder of the physical and spiritual harm befalling Bharati as well as the years of unnarratable violence faced by Dalits [9]. Caste system creates and normalizes violence against Dalit women by establishing a "graded patriarchy" for women with "graded caste inequalities.[10] The 2012 Delhi gang rape highlighted that upper caste/middle class woman’s purity needs to be guarded by the caste groups or even by the state. However, it failed to address the endemic caste based sexual violence against Dalit women. Sodwana T, in her article “ Who is a woman and who is a Dalit”, mentions that “In almost all regional languages in India the word for ‘rape’ is equivalent to the phrase ‘stealing the honour of’ and since lower caste women by the virtue of their double oppression have no ‘honour’ to speak of the right to redressal is often denied.” Consequently, Sexual violence is not recognized as caste violence because “it is normalized as upper-caste privilege and experienced as an unspeakable form of intimate humiliation”. This leads to denial of justice due to the inscrutability of sexual violence and humiliation as caste crime.[11]” It is crucial to recognize that the Dalits should persistently reject such a treatment and work towards achieving justice for themselves.
Bharti is one such example ,who instead of succumbing to the unsettling sense of vulnerability, chose to pursue her dream job. However, she no longer attempts to appeal to the dominant caste based on ideas of fairness and merit, but discovers a way to leverage Priya's unspoken aversion to her caste, her suppressed desires and hidden queerness, her entanglement in patriarchal expectations, and the exploitative work environment of the factory - all to forge her path forward. [12] Towards the end, Bharti proves her worthiness by taking over Priya’s work at the office during her maternal leave. When Priya’s mother-in-law serves Bharti tea in a different cup, this gesture becomes a symbolic moment as she uses the concept of Brahmanical heteropatriarchy to her advantage. She emphasises to Priya that “You’re a mother now, focus on your baby”, and agrees with Priya’s mother in law that it was too soon for Priya to return to work. This strategic move is Bharti's way of navigating the complex social hierarchy and attempting to improve her own position within it. Her struggles in both her professional and personal life do not paint her as a victim or a proponent of narrow identity politics, but rather as a fissure that threatens to disrupt everything. [13] The narrative doesn't hold back when presenting female characters who make questionable moral decisions, but due to the contextualization of their aim, it ultimately it becomes difficult to hold them responsible for their actions.[14]
Nivedita Menon in her article, “Is feminism about ‘women’: A critical view on intersectionality from India” expands how intricacies of intersectionality in India are different compared to in the west. It is because the women in our country are “double disadvantaged” arising from the convergence of various factors, including their gender, caste, and social statuses. Geeli puchi considers vivid interplay of such identities and brings representation to the issues prevalent in our society. It envisions a redistribution of opportunities and potentials without carrying the patronizing weight of a universal obligation for 'inclusion' or the limited confines of identity-centric politics.[15]
The author of this article is Tanisha Garg, a third-year BBALLB student at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat.
[1] “Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Geeli Pucchi’ Paints a Brilliant Blue Expanse of Emancipation.” The Wire, thewire.in/film/neeraj-ghaywans-geeli-pucchi-paints-a-brilliant-blue-expanse-that-emancipates. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023.
[2] Crenshaw, Kimberle. “Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color.” Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6, 1991, p. 1241, https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039.
[3] Das, Sudipta. “Geeli Pucchi: Exploring the Messiness of Caste and Sexuality.” Feminism in India, 20 Apr. 2021, feminisminindia.com/2021/04/21/geeli-pucchi-film-review/.
[4] Pritchett, Frances. “CASTES IN INDIA : Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development.” Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis, and Development, by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, 1979, franpritchett.com/00ambedkar/txt_ambedkar_castes.html.
[5] Pritchett, Frances. “CASTES IN INDIA : Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development.” Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis, and Development, by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, 1979, franpritchett.com/00ambedkar/txt_ambedkar_castes.html.
[6] Das, Sudipta. “Geeli Pucchi: Exploring the Messiness of Caste and Sexuality.” Feminism in India, 20 Apr. 2021, feminisminindia.com/2021/04/21/geeli-pucchi-film-review/.
[7] Chakravarti, Uma. “Conceptualising Brahmanical Patriarchy in Early India: Gender, Caste, Class and State.” Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 28, no. 14, 1993, pp. 579–85. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4399556. Accessed 10 Sept. 2023
[8] Das, Sudipta. “Geeli Pucchi: Exploring the Messiness of Caste and Sexuality.” Feminism in India, 20 Apr. 2021, feminisminindia.com/2021/04/21/geeli-pucchi-film-review/.
[9] “Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Geeli Pucchi’ Paints a Brilliant Blue Expanse of Emancipation.” The Wire, thewire.in/film/neeraj-ghaywans-geeli-pucchi-paints-a-brilliant-blue-expanse-that-emancipates. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023.
[10] Biswas, Soutik. “Hathras Case: Dalit Women Are among the Most Oppressed in the World.” BBC News, BBC, 6 Oct. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54418513.
[11] Rao, Anupama. The Caste Question: Dalits and the Politics of Modern India. 1st ed., University of California Press, 2009. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1pp88k. Accessed 10 Sept. 2023.
[12] “Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Geeli Pucchi’ Paints a Brilliant Blue Expanse of Emancipation.” The Wire, thewire.in/film/neeraj-ghaywans-geeli-pucchi-paints-a-brilliant-blue-expanse-that-emancipates. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023.
[13] “Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Geeli Pucchi’ Paints a Brilliant Blue Expanse of Emancipation.” The Wire, thewire.in/film/neeraj-ghaywans-geeli-pucchi-paints-a-brilliant-blue-expanse-that-emancipates. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023.
[14] Das, Sudipta. “Geeli Pucchi: Exploring the Messiness of Caste and Sexuality.” Feminism in India, 20 Apr. 2021, feminisminindia.com/2021/04/21/geeli-pucchi-film-review/.
[15] “Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Geeli Pucchi’ Paints a Brilliant Blue Expanse of Emancipation.” The Wire, thewire.in/film/neeraj-ghaywans-geeli-pucchi-paints-a-brilliant-blue-expanse-that-emancipates. Accessed 12 Sept. 2023.
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