Portrayal of Caste and Social Identity in Contemporary Telugu Cinema: a Study of Andhra Pradesh

MEKA RAMA KRISHNA; SURA GOVARDHAN

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.89221

Portrayal of Caste and Social Identity in Contemporary Telugu Cinema: a Study of Andhra Pradesh

Author(s)	Mr. MEKA RAMA KRISHNA, Dr. SURA GOVARDHAN
Country	India
Abstract	The treatment of caste in Telugu cinema is socially significant given its political and fan and community allegiances. The political, fan and community allegiances of the Telugu cinema make its treatment of caste socially consequential. The focus of this study is on how caste and social identity has been depicted in current Telugu cinema (from 2000 to nowadays) in the context of Andhra Pradesh. The aims of this are to explore the nature of caste representation, who is being represented, which stereotypes are common, how it's changed since 2014, how it's changed with new filmmakers, OTT platforms, and in the post-2014 context of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and how industry structure and fan culture influence representation. The study uses qualitative textual analysis of a purposive sample of films, chosen for impact on the box-office, critical reception, and the presence of caste themes to code each film for the caste of its protagonist, depiction of the presence of Dalits and Other Backward Classes, language and dialect, rituals and symbols, inter-caste romance, violence, and resolution. The analysis is based on Ambedkar's critique of caste, Guru's analysis of the politics of representation and Madhava Prasad's account of ideology in the popular cinema and is supplemented by a review of recent research and Census data on the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. The results suggest that, whereas the male and female figures of the dominant caste are more frequently portrayed as heroes, those of the Dalits are stereotyped as comedians, villains, sidekicks or victims. It shows that the male and female Dalit characters are less likely to be main characters than to be comedians, villains, sidekicks or victims, while male and female characters of dominant castes are more likely to be main characters than the Dalit characters. Inter caste romance is a depiction of caste hierarchy but often presents it as class conflict.
Keywords	Political, Allegiances, Depicted, Rituals And Symbols, Stereotyped, Hierarchy
Field	Sociology
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-10-11
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.89221

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Portrayal of Caste and Social Identity in Contemporary Telugu Cinema: a Study of Andhra Pradesh

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