Ameera VU

This Grant was amicably cancelled based on reasons mutually agreed upon by the Grantee and IFA due to unavoidable circumstances.

Ameera VU is an assistant professor at the Department of English MES, Ponnani College, Malappuram, Kerala. Her writing in English have appeared in various journals. She has also published articles in leading Malayalam weeklies including Mathrubhumi, Madhyamam, Samkaleena Malayalam and Sangaditha.

This grant will enable Ameera to study Oppana through a feministic perspective. Oppana is a popular form of social entertainment practised predominantly by women from Muslim communities in Kerala. Performed during marriage ceremonies and other social functions, Oppana songs are written by male poets. Ameera will examine the presence of male fantasies in Oppana and the male-centric patriarchal notions about women in everyday life. She intends to study the restrictions and control placed over women’s identity and how Oppana reinforces them.

Tracing the evolution of Oppana from an art form performed among Muslim communities to its gradual entry into Malayalam cinema, Ameera will map its trajectory against Kerala’s social, cultural and political context. The depiction of Oppana in films not only transformed the ways in which it was traditionally performed but impacted its lyrics and aesthetics as well. Most of the films did not essentialise Oppana as a Muslim art form, instead used it with commercial intent. Thus Oppana broke away from its traditional settings and evolved into a popular form for diverse audiences.  

Alongside the cross-cultural transactions that have contributed to Oppana‘s evolution, Ameera will study how different Islamic factions and their evolving conceptions of faith have influenced its acceptance among Muslim communities in Kerala. She will analyse the extent to which Sunni, Wahhabi, Jamath and Mujahid factions of Islam have influenced the aesthetics of Oppana.

Ameera will conduct interviews with both women who perform Oppana as well as experts who have worked on the cultural history of Kerala and the contribution of Muslim women in it. Building on the available archival material on Oppana, she will study the relevant existing literature. The outcome of this project will be an essay in Malayalam. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be an essay and audiovisual documentation of the Oppana performances. The budget is commensurate with the proposal.

This grant is made possible with support from Titan Company Limited.