Dr. Adarsa A K
Abstract
Islamophobia in India manifests as a product of Brahminism and its caste structure, the oppressive order which colonizes the Indian society. Positioned as the other to the hegemonical power, representation of the Muslim in Indian cinema has mostly been stereotyped, demonized, and misinterpreted. This study aims at probing into the sociological and political manifestations of how aspects of animal ethical philosophy have been manipulated to suit the dominant Brahminical interests in Indian context, especially that of Kerala, with reference to internationally acclaimed Malayalam movie, Biriyaani. Vegetarianism in India carries the brahminical supremacist notions of purity and superiority than the ethical notions of reducing animal abuse. The dominant brahminical hegemony has posited the Muslim as its other and has tried to create distaste towards almost everything related to the culture of this community. The paper tries to analyse how the Malayalam movie, Biriyaani, which tells the story of a Muslim woman, seeks to use the animal as a prop and projects its Islamophobic elements.
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Published: July 2025 [Vol. 08, No. 07]