Love as "Folk Devil": Navigating Caste and Moral Panic in Kottukkaali

This paper examines the film Kottukkaali (The Adamant Girl) through the lens of Stanley Cohen’s theory of moral panic, arguing that the film constructs love across caste lines as a socially produced “folk devil.” When a young girl falls in love with a boy from a marginalised caste, her family interprets her defiance as spiritual possession, initiating a series of ritualistic and punitive responses. These responses, including consulting a seer and performing animal sacrifice, symbolise the mechanisms through which caste and patriarchal norms regulate female autonomy. The objective of this paper is to analyse how Kottukkaali exposes the cultural logics that stigmatise inter-caste love and reframe desire as deviance. By situating the film within the broader discourse of caste politics and moral panic, the paper highlights how such narratives challenge the legitimacy of tradition and reveal the social violence embedded in efforts to preserve normative social order.