{"product_id":"cut-outs-caste-and-cines-stars","title":"Cut-outs, Caste and Cines Stars","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content\" aria-expanded=\"false\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA must for [anyone] who wants to understand Tamil Nadu politics' —New Indian Express Tamil Nadu is a state very different from the rest of India, both culturally and historically. It has retained a fundamentally separate identity for itself in language and caste structure, and this is most evident in its politics. Cut-outs, Caste and Cine Stars: The Word of Tamil Politics tells a political story that has all the elements of a blockbuster film, where ironies and larger-than-life characters abound: Periyar, a Kannada-speaker, who introduced the notions of Tamil self-respect and regional pride, yet dismissed Tamil as 'a barbaric language'; the matinee idol MGR, a Malayalee born in Sri Lanka, who became Tamil Nadu's most popular mass leader; the Dravidian movement which, by its own ideology, should have helped the Dalits but has instead supported only the upwardly mobile middle groups; and parties that rose to power by propagating anti-Hindi and anti-Brahmin sentiments but have now allied themselves with the BJP. It is fitting that this reel-like scenario is presently dominated by the electoral politics of Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, one a scriptwriter and the other a former actress. Well-known writer and journalist Vaasanthi has observed the dramatis personae in this epic drama at close quarters for a decade. Now updated with an additional chapter on the war of succession Cut-outs, Caste and Cine Stars offers an objective and insightful view of a political world that is both fascinating and perplexing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-expander-header a-expander-partial-collapse-header\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Best of used books","offers":[{"title":"Used","offer_id":44270727364865,"sku":"2U8HK3K75-Used","price":199.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0421\/4299\/0495\/files\/Cut-outs_CasteandCinesStars.jpg?v=1684831974","url":"https:\/\/bestofusedbooks.com\/products\/cut-outs-caste-and-cines-stars","provider":"Best Of Used Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}