Page - 40 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 07/02

40 | Genoveva Castro www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/2, 31–53 lighted; there are no songs describing him in the movie. In contrast, the associations with Bīrā are positive, despite his being a bandit: Bīrā has ten foreheads Bīrā has a hundred names Those who provoke him have to face a fight Bīrā is a rising storm Bīrā is a typhoon There is fire upon his breath Bīrā is burning life Don’t ask about his birth Don’t ask about his caste Ask him about his pride which is his identifying feature.34 In the Tamil version of the same song, the ambiguities of the characters of Rāvaṇa and Rāma suggest they are remarkably similar: He is Rāma if you say he is Rāma He is Rāvaṇa if you say he is Rāvaṇa If you say he is both, then he is both He is both Rāma and Rāvaṇa.35 After the introduction to Bīrā, the main character, we learn that Dev (repre- senting Rāma) is the Superintendent of Police just transferred to a district called Laal Mati, where people are terrorized and protected by Bīrā. Dev’s job is to catch him. He explains that nothing good or bad happens without Bīrā’s acceptance. Dev’s wife notes, “It is not clear if he is Rāvaṇa or Robin Hood”, as Bīrā is an angel for some and the devil for others. “Bīrā is where the blood is shed”, remarks Dev. Although Laal Mati is a fictional place, the characters are speaking Hindi in Raavan, locating the movie in a Northern cultural context, whereas in Raavanan the language matches the Southern 34 Raavan (Mani Ratnam, IN 2010), 00:04:04. I have translated all the quotes from the Hindi movie. 35 Raavanan (Mani Ratnam, IN 2010), 00:02:15. I thank Preeti Gopal for her help translating the lyrics in Tamil.