Reading the Representations of Children and Childhood(s) in Malayalam Films

This article examines the representation of childhood(s) and child characters in Malayalam cinema. Child characters have been constantly used since the beginning of Malayalam cinema to fit into the specific normative roles that are largely inconsequential to the plot. Juxtaposing the evolution of the Malayalam film industry with representations of child roles and child-based films through the decades, this article explores the hegemonic adult gaze that conceptualizes such functions to childhood. The dominant adult gaze structures the film to be a medium for adult consumption, where the child’s body becomes a device, and its ‘intellect’ is largely discredited in films. This indicates the social indifference towards ‘children and childhood(s)’, which equates the child as a belonging/property of the parent (adult) and rejects the child’s ability as a creative individual with an ability to think and perform. The paper argues for a space to explore complex child characters in Malayalam films, but in doing so, it does not support the ‘Child’s’ conception as an ‘Adult’. It urges the need for better understanding from the creators of films, who must be creative, rational, and inclusive in fashioning their child characters.