Some of the Telugu movies coming out these days are speaking up against the caste system. The Zee5 Global Telugu language show Paruvu is one of those serious dramas about men and women marrying outside of their caste and being ostracized for it. Aay, directed by Anji K. Maniputhra, takes a lighthearted to almost satirical take on inter-caste marriages.
Spoilers Ahead
Why was Karthik back in his hometown?
Aay began with Hari and Subbu finding an unconscious Karthik. They presumed he poisoned himself and shifted him to the nearby hospital. As they await the results, the movie goes to a flashback and reveals how Karthik got into this situation. Karthik was a software engineer based in Hyderabad who was back in his hometown during the COVID lockdown. He was not a fan of living in his hometown, but the work from home option forced him to move back with his parents. Karthik was not a fan of his hometown or his friends, who always pranked him in some way. His parents constantly berated him for his lifestyle back in the city, and he did not like being questioned about it. His friends, Subbu and Hari, who never meant him any harm, were excited to have Karthik back in town. Karthik was not planning to meet them because of their childish behavior, and at times refused to help them financially as well. Hari and Subbu learn of his arrival through a social media post and, as his oldest friends, they cannot wait to meet him.
How did Karthik meet Pallavi?
Karthik came across Pallavi in his hometown and immediately fell in love with her. This was love at first sight, and he had hoped to get help from his friends to pursue her. However, Subbu had been in love with her for a while and had been pursuing her himself. After a lot of trial and error trying to talk to her, Pallavi revealed she liked both Karthik and Subbu. Subbu sadly had to back away and make way for his friend to be with Pallavi. Subbu initially tried to sabotage the relationship, but he was happy to witness that Karthik genuinely had feelings for Pallavi.
Why did Pallavi refuse to marry Karthik?
Pallavi’s father Durga was a powerful and influential politician. The entire town was afraid of Durga, as he was known for playing the caste politics in the town. Karthik was against discrimination based on caste, which made him gather the courage to meet up with Pallavi’s father with a proposal for marriage. He was shocked to know her family had invited another prospective groom for her. In front of Karthik and his friends, she accepted the arranged marriage proposal.
Karthik was bewildered on hearing her take up the marriage proposal, as she had admitted to having fallen in love with him. On being confronted by Karthik, she revealed she could never marry him because he belonged to another caste. Since her father was strongly against inter-caste marriages, she would never agree to marry Karthik, as she was raised a certain way. Pallavi urged that she and Karthik remain friends, which would be easier for her and her future.
How did Karthik try to convince her?
A dejected Karthik tried every trick in the book to convince her to marry him. He tried to talk some sense into her by making her think love was beyond caste and nothing could stop them from getting married. Karthik and his friends also had plans to kill her father, which would solve a large chunk of their problems. Sadly, that did not work, which led to an awkward situation where Pallavi’s brother caught her meeting Karthik. Her brother was enraged, but Karthik salvaged the situation by not discussing anything about his feelings for her and by protecting her.
Was Pallavi worried for Karthik’s life?
Karthik tried his best but could not convince Pallavi to marry. He had suggested eloping, which further enraged Pallavi as she revealed that behind her smiling demeanor she was in pain from losing the person she loved, which was Karthik. She had to put on a strong face up until the wedding, as after that she would lead the life that her father expected of her. She chose the proposal over Karthik because she knew her father was influential enough to send hired goons to injure Karthik or, worse, kill him. Pallavi did not want that to happen, which made her choose the easiest option. She had known of a family member who had gone missing ever since they eloped with their lover. She never wanted that fate for Karthik, which pushed her to back away from the relationship with him.
Did Karthik not like what his father had become?
Karthik understood her dilemma, which put him in a horrible mood. His father, on seeing his son upset, began to ask him about his personal life. Karthik and his father Burayya had a complicated relationship, and he was not used to his father asking him personal questions. Out of sheer desperation, Karthik began to rant about how his father could have been rich if he had not kept lending money to his friends who never bothered to return the money. His father’s wealth would have made it easy for him to present a marriage proposal to Pallavi’s father. His father felt sad, but he could not say anything about the concerns shared by his son with him.
Was Burayya responsible for Pallavi and Karthik reuniting?
On the day of Pallavi’s marriage, Karthik was leaving for Hyderabad to avoid being part of the festivities. Since Pallavi was the daughter of a powerful politician, townspeople would talk about the wedding, and Karthik wanted to avoid that. Karthik believed he was doing the right thing by walking away from Pallavi because he never wanted to put her through a relationship that would keep her on the toes. Her worries were genuine, which made him give in to her decision. Burayya, during the conversation between Karthik and his friends, learned Pallavi was the daughter of Durga. This made Burayya finally get out of the house and head to the wedding. Neither Karthik nor his friends were aware why his father was suddenly interested in meeting Durga, who was a dangerous casteist man.
Burayya reached Durga’s home in the middle of the ceremony and proposed marriage between Karthik and Pallavi, which enraged everyone from the bride’s family. Burayya claimed this was the only thing he could give to his son, and he had hoped Durga would understand and accept the proposal. To everyone’s shock, Durga agreed to the proposal and stopped the wedding rituals. This was a shock to everyone, because no one had ever expected Durga to showcase his subdued side and agree to a match that was against his ideals. Durga quietly agreed to the proposal, which Pallavi could not believe, seeing this as a possible ploy to kill Karthik.
Pallavi had grown up seeing her father championing against inter-caste marriage as he was proud of the community he belonged to. She was having a hard time believing her father would agree to a match like this, as he was a ruthless person. Durga agreed to the proposal given by Burayya and announced a new wedding date would be announced.
Were Pallavi and Karthik’s fathers’ rivals or friends?
Pallavi and Karthik were in for a rude shock when their respective fathers announced the wedding. Karthik had never seen his father take a stand and never expected Durga to accept quickly. On meeting a village elderly, Karthik learned that the only person Durga in his younger days was afraid of was Burayya, who belonged to another caste. Both were involved in a fight, which Burayya won, and ever since there has been a truce between them. This subplot was added to highlight the deep-rooted caste system, which would take generations to erase. The caste system keeps people from marrying each other, which further causes more social divide. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been known for rampant caste-based discrimination, ostracization, and killing. However, Durga and Burayya, who belonged to two different castes, found their way back as they helped each other financially when they were going through tough times. Both refused to see their respective caste and helped each other while no one from their community offered any aid. There are families that show caste pride but refuse to help people from their own community when they need help. Durga and Burayya kept their friendship hidden, fearing ostracization from their own people. This was the hypocritical side of the people from their community, something the writer-director tried to showcase through the climax.
Karthik felt guilty when he learned his father had lent money to Durga, which was why he never had money for his college fees. Karthik apologizes to his father as he realizes Burayya was a bigger person. Burayya chose to work above the social norms and help a person in need instead of choosing the ego of his community. The same could be said about Durga as well, which was why it was easy for the two to accept the marriage. The problematic part comes when the makers dismiss the caste system. They instead work their way around it. Pallavi and Karthik get married by the end of the film, but that was one of the rare incidents because the climax of the film portrays the parents as friends. This indicates friendship was always above caste, which further lets Karthik go out of his way to help his friends Subbu and Hari.
