The forgotten Indian actor who misplaced her legacy to caste oppression

[ad_1] Bimal Thankachan and Divya Uppal BBC India YouTube staff

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/eaff/live/2909abc0-321f-11f0-8891-25df3ba7128d.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/eaff/live/2909abc0-321f-11f0-8891-25df3ba7128d.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/eaff/live/2909abc0-321f-11f0-8891-25df3ba7128d.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/eaff/live/2909abc0-321f-11f0-8891-25df3ba7128d.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/eaff/live/2909abc0-321f-11f0-8891-25df3ba7128d.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/eaff/live/2909abc0-321f-11f0-8891-25df3ba7128d.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/eaff/live/2909abc0-321f-11f0-8891-25df3ba7128d.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/eaff/live/2909abc0-321f-11f0-8891-25df3ba7128d.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Illustration by Puneet Kumar An illustration of a woman with black hair. Her facial features are not clearly delineated" class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Illustration by Puneet Kumar Within the absence of a verified {photograph} of PK Rosy, the BBC commissioned an illustrator to create this picture

At a time when girls's participation within the movie trade was frowned upon, a younger lady dared to dream in a different way.

In Twenties pre-independence India, PK Rosy grew to become the primary feminine lead in Malayalam-language cinema, in what's now the southern state of Kerala.

She starred in a film referred to as Vigathakumaran, or The Misplaced Little one, within the Twenties. However as a substitute of being remembered as a pioneer, her story was buried - erased by caste discrimination and social backlash.

Rosy belonged to a lower-caste group and confronted intense criticism for portraying an upper-caste lady in Vigathakumaran.

Virtually 100 years later, there isn't a surviving proof of Rosy's function. The movie's reel was destroyed and the solid and crew have all died.

Just a few photos of the movie from a contested press launch dated October 1930 survive, together with an unverified black-and-white picture popularised by native newspapers as Rosy's solely portrait.

Even a Google Doodle celebrating her one hundred and twentieth birthday used an illustration just like the lady within the {photograph}. However Rosy's nephew and others who've researched her life advised the BBC that they might not conclusively say that it's her within the image.

PK Rosy was born as Rajamma within the early 1900s within the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore, now Kerala.

She belonged to a household of grass cutters from the Pulaya group, a part of the Dalits, who're on the backside of India's harsh caste hierarchy and have been traditionally oppressed.

"Individuals from the Pulaya group had been thought of slave labour and auctioned off with land," says Malavika Binny, a professor of historical past at Kannur College.

"They had been thought of the 'lowliest'. They had been flogged, raped, tied to bushes and set on hearth for any so-called transgressions," she provides.

Regardless of the dire social challenges, Rosy selected to dream in a different way.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/4a9d/live/706459a0-21b4-11f0-9c65-a5c3dc449bf3.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/4a9d/live/706459a0-21b4-11f0-9c65-a5c3dc449bf3.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/4a9d/live/706459a0-21b4-11f0-9c65-a5c3dc449bf3.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/4a9d/live/706459a0-21b4-11f0-9c65-a5c3dc449bf3.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/4a9d/live/706459a0-21b4-11f0-9c65-a5c3dc449bf3.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/4a9d/live/706459a0-21b4-11f0-9c65-a5c3dc449bf3.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/4a9d/live/706459a0-21b4-11f0-9c65-a5c3dc449bf3.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/4a9d/live/706459a0-21b4-11f0-9c65-a5c3dc449bf3.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Illustration by Puneet Kumar A sketch of people watching a movie in the theatre where a man is standing holding a rose and his face is towards a woman in a saree" class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Illustration by Puneet Kumar A scene in Vigathakumaran confirmed the hero selecting a flower from the heroine's hair and kissing it

She was supported by her uncle, who was a theatre artist himself, and along with his assist Rosy entered the sector of leisure.

"There are few accessible information about Rosy's life, however it's recognized that she was common for her performances in native performs," says Vinu Abraham, the creator of The Misplaced Heroine, a novel primarily based on Rosy's life.

Whereas her appearing abilities earned admiration, it was uncommon for a Dalit lady to take up appearing on the time.

"She was possible conscious of the truth that this was a brand new enviornment and making herself seen was vital," says Prof Binny.

She quickly grew to become a widely known determine in native theatre circles and her expertise caught the attention of director JC Daniel, who was then looking for a lead actor for his movie - a personality named Sarojini.

Daniel was conscious of Rosy's caste identification and selected to solid her within the function.

"She was paid 5 rupees a day for 10 days of filming," stated Mr Abraham. "This was a considerable sum of money within the Twenties."

On the day of the movie's premiere, Rosy and her household had been barred from attending the screening.

They had been stopped as a result of they had been Dalits, Rosy's nephew Biju Govindan says.

And so started a sequence of occasions that pushed Rosy out of the general public eye and her dwelling.

"The group that got here to observe the film had been provoked by two issues: Rosy enjoying an upper-caste lady and the hero selecting a flower from her hair and kissing it in a single scene," stated Mr Abraham.

"They began throwing rocks on the display and chased Daniel away," he added.

There are differing accounts of the extent of the injury to the theatre however what is obvious is the toll the incident took on each Rosy and Daniel.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/a199/live/5e47ec30-3089-11f0-8947-7d6241f9fce9.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/a199/live/5e47ec30-3089-11f0-8947-7d6241f9fce9.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a199/live/5e47ec30-3089-11f0-8947-7d6241f9fce9.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/a199/live/5e47ec30-3089-11f0-8947-7d6241f9fce9.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/a199/live/5e47ec30-3089-11f0-8947-7d6241f9fce9.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/a199/live/5e47ec30-3089-11f0-8947-7d6241f9fce9.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/a199/live/5e47ec30-3089-11f0-8947-7d6241f9fce9.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a199/live/5e47ec30-3089-11f0-8947-7d6241f9fce9.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Poster of the movie Vigathakumaran A black and white poster of the film Vigathakumaran shows two men, with the man at the back forcibly clutching the other by hand." class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Poster of the film Vigathakumaran Buried in debt after the failure of his movie Vigathakumaran, JC Daniel by no means made one other film

Daniel had spent some huge cash to ascertain a studio and collect sources to provide the movie, and was closely debt-ridden. Going through immense social and monetary stress, the director, who's now extensively thought to be the daddy of Malayalam cinema, by no means made one other movie.

Rosy fled her hometown after an indignant mob set her home on hearth.

She minimize all ties along with her household to keep away from being recognised and by no means spoke publicly about her previous. She rebuilt her life by marrying an upper-caste man and took the title Rajammal.

She lived the remainder of her life in obscurity within the city of Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu, Mr Abraham says.

Her kids refused to just accept that PK Rosy, the Dalit actor, was their mom, Rosy's nephew Mr Govindan says.

"Her kids had been born with an upper-caste Kesavan Pillai's identification. They selected their father's seed over their mom's womb," he says.

"We, her household, are a part of PK Rosy's Dalit identification earlier than the movie's launch," he stated.

"Within the house they inhabit, caste restricts them from accepting their Dalit heritage. That's their actuality and our household has no place in it."

In 2013, a Malayalam TV channel tracked down Rosy's daughter Padma, who was dwelling in monetary pressure someplace in Tamil Nadu. She advised them that she didn't know a lot about her mom's life earlier than her marriage however that she didn't act after that.

The BBC made makes an attempt to contact Rosy's kids, however their relations stated they weren't comfy with the eye.

Prof Binny says that the erasure of Rosy's legacy exhibits how deeply caste-based trauma can run.

"It may be so intense that it shapes or defines the remainder of one's life," she says, including that she is glad Rosy finally discovered a secure house.

In recent times, Dalit filmmakers and activists have sought to reclaim Rosy's legacy. Influential Tamil director Pa Ranjith has launched a yearly movie competition in her title which celebrates Dalit cinema. A movie society and basis have additionally been established.

However there's nonetheless a haunting sense that whereas Rosy was finally saved, it was at the price of her ardour and identification.

"Rosy prioritised survival over artwork and, because of this, by no means tried to talk publicly or reclaim her misplaced identification. That is not her failure - it is society's," says Mr Govindan.