The Symbolic Role of Cars in Contemporary Tamil Cinema: Reflecting Middle-Class Aspirations and Conflicts

Abstract

In movies, cars are often used as symbols of a character's social and economic status. This is especially true in middle-class societies, where owning a car is often viewed as a symbol of upward mobility and social status. Characters equipped with expensive or luxurious vehicles are often portrayed as successful or financially well-off. This behavior is reflective of understandings or notions associated with status and wealth. Cultural and Regional Context: Content from a Tamil film, like any regional film, will be imbued with specific cultural and regional traditions. The cars depicted on screen may reflect the preferences of consumers from the middle-class segment of the population in Tamil Nadu. The use of physical space and local environment will have an impact on how the cars operate within a more complicated narrative structure. This will offer opportunity to analyze cars (I.e. automobility) in Tamil film released in 2023 by examining Soppana Sundari (April. 2023), Lucky Man (Sep 2023) and Parking (Dec 2023) released in that time frame, including an analysis of the context and positioning of the car and introducing an analysis that described how main themes, symbols and representations of the car relate to the socio-economic history of Tamil Nadu's middle-class society. Unlike analyzing films, this approach looks beyond the text. It considers critical reviews of the films, as well as interviews with the filmmakers, as part of its considerations and motivations, allowing for an understanding of the extent to which filmmakers are influenced by their personal preferences.