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Theorising the Politics of Yakshi in Malayalam Cinema

The fear of the monstrous feminine, yakshi, may be read as an element of collective political fear, threatening the stability and functioning of established systems of power and normalcy. Films attempted a curious balancing of tradition with modernity. The film representations of female ghosts mark a transformation of Kerala's cultural psyche in its relation with the supernatural. One of the common characteristics of yakshi legends and their film representations in Malayalam is that class/caste identity of the woman plays a significant role in the experiences narrated. The myth of yakshi—a cultural fantasy still popular in Kerala, forming an integral part of Malayalam film industry from 1964 to 2017—is analysed through the subaltern theory popularised by Gayathri Spivak and various other theorists together with the psychological theories of the conscious evolved by Freud and Jung. The refashioning of the image from the voluptuous and monstrous one to a more realistic and relatable image proclaims the politics and the social context of fear evoked through this terrible concept.