TY  - BOOK
AU  - Pandian,M.S.S.
TI  - Image trap: M.G. Ramachandran in film and politics
SN  - 9789351500667 (hardback.)
U1  - 324.254072095482 PAN 
PY  - 2015///
CY  - Los Angeles
PB  - SAGE Publications
KW  - Ramaccantiran, Em. Ji.,
KW  - Politics and culture
KW  - India
KW  - Tamil Nadu
KW  - History
KW  - 20th century
KW  - Popular culture
KW  - Motion pictures
KW  - Political aspects
KW  - Public opinion
KW  - Hegemony
KW  - Social aspects
KW  - Politicians
KW  - Biography
KW  - Actors
KW  - Tamil Nadu (India)
KW  - Politics and government
KW  - Social conditions
N1  - Shanti Books
8429/04
Rs.895/-; The image trap -- Appendix I: A brief chronology of MGR's life, 1917-87 -- Appendix II: MGR's filmography -- Appendix III: Electoral performance of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu
N2  - "Social scientists in India have made substantial headway in understanding forms of counter-hegemonic politics of the subaltern classes (lower caste/poor people). However, there is little analysis of how the ruling elite produce consent for their domination and hegemony from the subaltern classes whom they make use of. The author takes this as a point of departure and explores subaltern consciousness under conditions of hegemony. This is done through a detailed study of the immense popularity enjoyed by the late M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), the film actor-cum-politician of Tamil Nadu, among the subaltern classes whose interests he constantly and blatantly violated. The book begins by delineating the cultural elements which were meticulously mobilised to constitute a stereotypical cinematic persona of MGR. Accounting for the success of this cinematic persona among the subaltern classes, the book details how the elements that went into the making of MGR's film persona were a selective appropriation of the cultural idioms of the subalterns themselves. The book further analyses how the cinematic persona of MGR was encoded as though it represented the political persona of MGR. This was done by means of what Pandian terms as 'constructed biographies' which were popular narratives that ingeniously present what was cinematic as real. A special feature of the book is its engagement with MGR's popularity, both as an actor and a politician, with women. Knowingly crossing disciplinary boundaries, the book offers itself to political scientists, historians of the contemporary, and scholars of film studies, popular culture and gender studies"--Provided by publisher
ER  -