Padma Noddir Majhi

To analyze this film named Padma Nadir Majhi, Karl Marx’s theory of class struggle will be used. Economic base constructs class in society. Classes constitute common positions within social relations of production, and this means that classes must always be understood in terms of their relationship to other classes. Thus, the theoretical starting point of a class analysis is to decode the social relations of production within a particular society in order to uncover the class positions which they determine. According to Bottomore(1983), for Marx, classes are defined and structured by the relations concerning to labor and work, ownership of property and means of production. In capitalist society, the main classes are ruling class and working class. Working class is the owner of labor power. Working for a capitalist- employer has an exploitative social relationship. To make profits and accumulate capital, wages are kept low. This means that the working class is exploited with the surplus time that creates surplus product. Working class is not owner of the product. They just get minimum salary in exchange of their labor and become alienated from the product. Drawing from Giddens and Held (1982), “The separate individuals form a class only insofar as they have to carry on a common battle against another class; otherwise they are on hostile terms with each other as competitors.” In this study, it will be tried to identify two different classes existed in this film. At the same time exploitation and alienation of working class will be placed in this study.

How will I apply this theory in this film’s Maxsim

I will explain this film from Marxist point of view. Identifying two different social classes presented at that time, I will discuss their traits in the film. At the same time, using maxist ideological tool, I will describe the process of exploitation of the ruling class. The discussion of common fishermen’s alienation from their product of work (fish) will also be placed in this research. I will find out the reason of Kuber’s inability to make revolution against the society. For this research, I will take help from various journals and books.

References:

Bottomore Tom (1983). A Dictionary of Marxist Thought, Harvard University Press.

Giddens (1971) Capitalism and Modern Social Theory: An Analysis of the Writings of Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber, Cambridge University Press.