Early this week, a new movie debuted on Netflix featuring Yogi Babu and Sheela Rajkumar. This movie, directed by Madonne Ashwin, is an allusion about the flaws and strengths of today’s political and democratic structures. In fact, it appears to be a foregone conclusion about the importance of voting without bias in the midst of the high-stakes Tamil Nadu assembly elections.
Mandela sheds light on what happens when voters fail to realise the significance and full power of their right to vote and are seduced by such freebies. What is meant by “freebies” here is cash for votes, which is one of the threats that has plagued the election system in many countries.
According to Manoj Kumar of Indian Express,
This film exposes the long-running fault lines in our electoral process, from caste division to free polls.
Yogi Babu has established himself to be a brilliant actor in movies where he has been given opportunities to perform outside of the typical body shaming comedy. In Mandela, the actor plays Ilichavayan, who is later renamed Nelson Mandela by Sheela Rajkumar.
The story takes place in the Tamil Nadu village of Soorankudy, where two rival caste groups, the Vadakkoorans and Therkkoorans, cannot get along.
Mandela, a Dalit barber who lives under a banyan tree and is treated as an outcast, is caught between the two fanatical groups. However, he will be in an unusually “powerful” position as the sole deciding vote.
-CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MOVIE-
Have you seen the movie yet? What is your take on the film? Share with us in the comment section below.
