Girish Karnad's Cheluvi: Taking ‘Eco Feminism' to a New Height

Abstract

Eco feminism has hardly been used as a subject matter in Cinema. There are very few movies which have used the subject as a major theme. In India, it has not just remained untouched by the filmmakers but also been unsuccessful in gaining a space in Popular culture and to spread awareness about itself. Only a few people know about the concept. In such a scenario, Girish karnad's  Cheluvi is definitely an exceptionally  stunning and outstanding film  which not just introduced the subject to Indian cinema but also took it to a different level, beyond one's imagination, with its unusually emotional and heart touching story line and extraordinary use of symbolism. Karnad has brilliantly brought to light many issues related to the life of a woman in Indian society in the background of the theme of deforestation. This paper is a close textual analysis of the movie.