Jathi Malli (1993)

A confused film abstractly bemoaning communal violence but actually more concerned with the victims of police violence. After losing her parents in communal riots, Sriranjani (Kushboo) seeks refuge in Ooty where she meets Kesavan (Mukesh), who is recovering from being jilted. Kesavan is involved in a car crash and Sriranjini is abducted by a stalker, Reddy (Nasser), a fan of her music. Kesavan eventually manages to get to Hyderabad, searching for Sriranjini, while a pair of young lovers they befriended obtains parental permission to stay together, allowing them to join in the search for Sriranjini amidst the communal riots besetting the city. Sriranjini and Kesavan, eventually united, witness how the police, mistaking the young lovers for rioters, brutally murder them, allowing the film to end badly while detracting attention from the issues involved in communal violence. The title refers to the jasmine flower, but its design in the film and on posters scored off the word ‘jathi’ (caste).