Documentary examines changing meanings of folk worship in Kerala
Kiran K.R.’s documentary “Aavasam” is being screened at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam. The film follows changes in local religious practices and argues, through its subjects and visual treatment, that folk deities and rituals are being reshaped by a dominant political and cultural narrative.
The documentary “Aavasam”, directed by Kiran K.R., examines gradual changes in cultural practices surrounding folk deities and is being screened at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam. Kiran, a student at the K.R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts, begins with a personal memory of a small deity under a tree near his home in Palakkad district.
He observes that the site, once associated with one family’s worship, has since become a temple. The film considers how familiar beliefs and practices change under the influence of what it presents as a dominant political and cultural order. It includes examples involving Maadan, Karuppaswamy and other subaltern folk deities.
According to the film’s account, some rituals are being reconfigured to fit dominant Hindutva narratives and presented as manifestations of pan-Hindu gods. The documentary uses examples from more than one location to frame the process as broader than an isolated local change. The changes depicted include alterations in the names of deities and in associated food practices.
People involved in the transformations speak about their activities, while activists interviewed in the film discuss what they describe as the political use of religious belief by communal organisations. One point raised in the documentary is that new places of worship are shaped not only by physical construction but also by the narratives attached to them. The film therefore links changes in ritual practice to wider questions about power, identity and cultural interpretation.
Adul Kamal’s visuals and Vishnu P.’s sound design and music contribute to the documentary’s immersive presentation. The source material did not provide details of the film’s length or further festival screenings.
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