5 Things Netflix Film Sir Teaches Us About The Caste System In India
Although the caste system was abolished in the Indian constitution in 1948, it is prevalent in several parts of our country even today. The most obvious example of this is the way domestic helps are treated in households, including those run by supposedly educated people. Those belonging to the ‘lower caste’ as they’re so labelled, do everything from cleaning to cooking for the privileged folks, but cannot sit at the same table or share food with their employers, let alone form a romantic relationship with them.
Sir, a Netflix film starring Tillotama Shome and Vivek Gomber, is a commentary on this issue that is deep rooted in our society, but in an ever so entertaining and engaging way. The cast had no reference for this kind of relationship between the protagonists, as stories like that are typically thought to be salacious. It is the first time a filmmaker has explored this subject and in the process, taught us a thing or two about the preconceived notions and prejudices that we pretend do not exist within us. Watch a snippet of the film right here:
Sir premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and has received massive critical acclaim for stunning performances by the cast. AskMen India shares five things the film teaches us about the caste system in India:
We are not as liberal as we think
We may fancy ourselves for being highly educated and eloquent enough to express our dreams, fears and shortcomings, but how open-minded are we if we cannot view our domestic helps as human beings, who deserve to have just as many opinions and opportunities as we do? Sir germinates this question in your head and makes you wonder whether you really are as good a person as you think. It makes you look within and come face to face with the monsters that keep you from maintaining eye contact, sitting at the same table, sharing food or even imagining falling in love with the people who work for you and feed you day in and day out.
Our daily decisions are rooted in prejudice
We think that love is something that just happens to us. That it hits us out of the blue and we have no autonomy over it whatsoever. Sir, on the other hand, shows that while we may not have control over infatuation, to love is a choice that we make and one that is often rooted in social conditioning. The character of Ashwin was a rare breed to fall for his domestic help and own up to his feelings, blurring class divisions in the process. When his friend comes over and finds out, he is quick to say ‘You cannot date your maid!” In fact, even Ratna finds herself thinking about what the watchman, driver and her own family will have to say about this relationship. The film exposes all the preconceived notions and prejudices we pretend to not have.
Everyone is entitled to dream
Sir shows us how much harder a person from the so-called lower caste has to work to reach the same level (or less) than someone who’s privileged. Ratna works as a domestic help but carries in her heart the dream of running her own boutique and getting her younger sister to handle all her accounts. She asks Ashwin for permission to learn from a skilled man in the neighbourhood during her free hours, to which he says yes in an instant. This wasn’t a big deal for him, but it meant the world to her. “Did you always want to become a tailor?” he asks her. To which she says “Fashion designer” and reveals how deep-rooted classism can be, even among those who mean well.
People will have something to say about everything
When Ashwin confesses his feelings to Ratna, she asks him to forget about everything that happened between them out of fear of being ridiculed by their own families before the rest of the world. As someone who became a widow at the age of nineteen and was sent to the city so that her parents will have no less person to feed, she doesn’t want to mess up the life she has managed to build from scratch. She leaves Ashwin’s place and lives in a small room on rent with her recently-married sister. This is where she finds out people are already cooking up stories about her. Realizing that Ashwin truly loves her, she decides to no longer care about the opinions of others and follows her heart for the first time.
It takes effort to erase conditioning
Sir teaches us to be patient with people and ourselves when it comes to overcoming class divides in our society. Instead of getting riled up because Ratna turned him down, Ashwin understands where she is coming from and gives her the time and space to process her feelings. Change cannot be brought about overnight. Despite knowing that it’s not her fault that she’s in love with a privileged person, she has to muster the strength to follow her heart and go against the expectations of society.
Watch Sir to understand how love and mutual respect can break the shackles of social structure.
Cover artwork by Dhaval Punatar/AskMen India
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