Screening of 'Punishing the Professor' followed by a Q&A with P. Senrayaperumal, Aayna, & P. Sainath

Name: Screening of 'Punishing the Professor' followed by a Q&A with P. Senrayaperumal, Aayna, & P. Sainath
Start: 2025-10-31T19:00:00+05:30
End: 2025-10-31T21:00:00+05:30
Location: Prithvi House

Schedule

Fri Oct 31 2025 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC+05:30

Location

Prithvi House | Mumbai, MH

Vikalp@Prithvi - In-Person Screenings - October
Watch 'Punishing the Professor' followed by a Q&A session.
Joining the Q&A will be P. Senrayaperumal (the protagonist), Aayna (the director), and P. Sainath (Founder Editor, People's Archive of Rural India).
On Friday, 31st October at 7 pm
At Prithvi House, Juhu, Bombay
Entry free, on a first-come-first-seated basis
RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/1130523515303238 or at [email protected].
Synopsis:
What happens when success challenges the caste order?
P. Senrayaperumal a Dalit folk artist desperate to escape the fate he has been trapped in, enduring slurs and sexual harassment since birth due to his caste position, turns to education 12 years later. Becoming a professor only to be dragged back into the worst systematic trap.
For Dr. P. Senrayaperumal, rising from a village dropout to a college professor wasn’t just personal triumph—it was defiance. As an Arunthatiyar, one of Tamil Nadu’s most marginalised Dalit communities, his very success became a threat.
This film traces his extraordinary journey—from a hereditary performer of Raja-Rani Attam to a respected academic, and the heartbreak that followed when he was unjustly dismissed from his post. Though the High Court ruled in his favour, the institution refused to reinstate him—revealing how deep-rooted caste prejudice can sabotage even the most hard-earned victories.
The film is produced by People's Archive of Rural India.
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Upcoming Screenings:
Nov. 24 at Prithvi Theatre: Screening of 'Chronicles of the Forgotten Genocide – The Kissinger Doctrine' + Online Q&A with Ramesh Sharma
Nov. 28, at Prithvi House: Screening of 'Music in a Village Named 1 PB' + Q&A with Surabhi Sharma
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