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Arjun Reddy as 'Selfie Movie'

I have heard a lot of good things said about Arjun Reddy before I went to watch it in the theatre.
I have heard criticisms about the film from people who, thought in the minority, seem to have
approached it from some ideological perspective and wished it to have reflected the tenets of the
same to rightfully claim the title of being pathbreaking. But the reception of Arjun Reddy has
been overwhelmingly positive and it is being hailed as something new in Tollywood irrespective
of whether some doubt if it's really progressive or same old material repackaged in a new way.
Putting aside the question of whether it is good or bad movie or a progressive or regressive step,
I want venture into the question of why everyone loves it.

Firstly, I believe the success of this movie lies in the fact that it belongs to the new group of
movies like Pellichoopulu and Sairat who have in common the element of holding up the
rawness of real life. These movies, in my opinion, function as selfies, as they reflect back reality
to their viewer. They could be called 'selfie movies' because in a way they replicate and create a
sense of familiarity with characters and their interaction on screen that bears stark resemblance
of the real life people and experiences of the audience. Discovering the self on screen unbridled
by any sort of idealism seems to be the new thing in Telugu film.

This is not to say that Arjun Reddy mimics real life as it is but as it is experienced by young
man. I found many things in the movie that point to an clear picture of male fantasy embodied in
the protagonist's character. He is an alpha male who has problems managing his anger and holds
powerful position in the social life of his college and friends circle. The way he falls for a junior
girl in college and go about the business of impressing her may seem less than real to many. He
threats his junior not to near her, ordering her around and we see her comply easily to his orders.
All this makes the female lead character look flat and unrealistic because in real like any guy
doing the above would scare or evoke some form of resistance in a girl. How Arjun Reddy treats
his girl like a toy that belongs to him alongside his bike and narcotics and even the way he treats
his friends is indicative how relationships function for young men these days. There is heavy
emphasis of how each person in his life makes him 'feel' as opposed to him making any real
effort to recognize their full personhood and individual lives. The way he infantilizes his
girlfriend when she gets hurt and his response to his grandmother's death speak of this fact. He
removes the photo of his late grandmother and plays a song to relive the emotions he associates
with him in contrast to the collective mourning that his family is going through. When he relates
to his friends of how he remembers his ex-girlfriend, he speaks of an intimate sexual game of
reconciliation they used to play while they were together. These affect based relations grounded
in particular emotions and sensations associated certain people with little regard for their
complete humanity is something to be occasioned in more and more millennials these days.

Which brings me to another new thing about this film in the Telugu film industry, the
foregrounding of sexuality and bringing it into normal conversation. The usual titillating and
taboo aspect is left behind as we see Arjun and his generation speak about sex casually as a part
of common everyday life. There is also a lot of attention given to genitals and the self awareness
of the lead characters as sexual beings without any pretence or an attempt to send sexuality into
the realm of subtext. This identification with sexuality, the body and euphoric states attained by
sex, drugs and even violence or anger, I believe is characteristic of millennial masculinity.

Some find the inconsistency of Arjun Reddy in one scene accusing a guy of misogyny for his
comment of fat ladies in one scene and in other scenes where he holds up a knife to threaten a
girl to have sex with him and in another scene where he stereotypes "fat chicks" in front of his
girlfriend. They question the progressiveness of this film pointing to these inconsistencies in his
character and how there is no development of character in the protagonist. A guy who is
consistently anti-misogynist in his principles may be politically correct but I doubt it would have
made the movie a hit because it would fail a 'selfie movie'. The contradictory actions and words
of Arjun Reddy are consonant with how millennials relate to principles and values. The
incoherence of being a feminist one day and acting the opposite the other day is part and parcel
of the new ideal of a lack of ideals. The ironic relationship with any set of values or an absence
of a stable selfhood is grafted into the fragmented way millennials express their personalities.

His behavior and his words, like in the scene where he declares that if he were in ancient times
he'd wage against the girl's father, reveal peculiar male fantasies of millennial males. The
fascination with shows like The Game of Thrones, and movies like Fight Club and even
Bahubali is not far off from the craze developed for this film and the way it shows how young
men relate to the world they live in. This not a mere return to some past that they have no real
access to but a construction and entry into a pure fantasy that reverberates with their desires. It is
similar to entering into a simulated virtual reality at whim. I believe, the movie even showcases
the ambiguous way that millennials relate to categories like caste. There is an ironic distance
drawn by Arjun to his caste identity It remains as a tag that enhances his fame and popularity but
becomes irrelevant and is questioned when it creates problems in his relationship.

All in all shows many realities already experienced by many among the audience and creates a
special sense of inter-texuality where the texts of everyday life mingle with those on screen and
create an effect of elation and familiarity.

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