Zoomorphic symbolism: Elucidating the Paradoxical Clans in Nithilan Swaminathan's Maharaja (2024)

Abstract

Swaminathan's Maharaja film, currently the subject of much discussion, presents the narrative of a middle-class father who pursues a tyrant who coerced his daughter into adultery. The narrative of this film is straightforward from a visual perspective; however, the director employs his artistic abilities to employ distinctive symbols throughout the film and encourages viewers to delve deeper into these symbols. The aim of this paper is to provide an explanation following an analysis of the symbols employed in the film. For this, the analytical part employs the methodology of symbolic analysis which is the study of words or images that create concrete ideas. In order to achieve this, the current paper concentrates on three categories of symbols: Zoomorphic symbolism, character symbolism, and object symbolism. Consequently, the analytical section reveals that the symbols employed in the film are crucial in conveying the primary theme of the film. Furthermore, the manifestation of paradoxes in each symbolic category makes this film more iconic in both aspects; artistic and thematic.