Why Bollywood is churning out pro-Modi films before the Indian general election
As India prepares for a major general election, movies praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expanding on his party’s platform are flooding theaters.
One is a biopic of the founder of Hindu nationalism. Others have accused Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, long considered a leftist stronghold, of rebelling against the state. And “Article 370,” which is still drawing a decent audience weeks after its release, celebrates the government’s 2019 decision to strip Kashmir of its autonomy.
Why I wrote this
The rise in brazenly pro-government Bollywood films highlights not only the close relationship between India’s ruling party and mainstream media, but also the risk of blurring the lines between politics, news and entertainment.
These new releases reflect broader changes in Indian cinema over the past decade, changes that critics argue have turned Bollywood into an extension of the prime minister’s public relations machine. Films that support the party’s positions are often given box office tax breaks and praise from government ministers. A movie that doesn’t face intense backlash.
In some ways, the film simply reflects the mood of the country, with surveys showing that 79% of Indians have a favorable view of Mr. Modi. But experts warn that growing pro-government bias in entertainment and news media could exacerbate fault lines in Indian society.
“Mainstream Hindi cinema (or Bollywood) has always been pro-establishment,” says Sreya Mitra, associate professor of media studies. “But I have never seen such clear alignment with the establishment, so much so that it parrots the same line.”
A woman wearing a burqa walks through the desolate Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir. She is a secret agent on the trail of a young separatist militant.
Over the next two and a half hours of the recent Bollywood production titled ‘Article 370’, audiences follow her action-packed journey against the backdrop of the troubled Himalayan region.
The climax of the movie? The Indian government’s actual decision to strip Kashmir of its special autonomy status in 2019. While that shocking move and subsequent news blackout was widely criticized by human rights groups and international media, Article 370 explicitly praises it.
Why I wrote this
The rise in brazenly pro-government Bollywood films highlights not only the close relationship between India’s ruling party and mainstream media, but also the risk of blurring the lines between politics, news and entertainment.
The film ends with a montage of positive headlines about Kashmir, set to uplifting music, and a shot of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, played by actor Arun Govil, smiling as he reads a newspaper article praising his decision.
Article 370, named after the constitutional clause that once granted some degree of autonomy to Kashmir, paints a striking pro-government narrative, unveiled just before the country’s big general elections starting this month. It is one of the few movies that were made.
The other film is a biopic about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a radical leader who opposed Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance and founded the Hindu nationalist ideology supported by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. And JNU, a film about Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, long seen as a left-wing bastion, set against the state, is scheduled to hit theaters later this month.
The new film reflects broader changes in Indian cinema over the past decade, changes that some critics argue have turned Bollywood into an extension of the prime minister’s public relations machine. Films that support the BJP’s stance often receive tax breaks at the box office and even receive encouragement from government ministers. A film that doesn’t face swift and fierce backlash.
“Mainstream Hindi cinema (or Bollywood) has always been pro-establishment,” says Sreya Mitra, associate professor of media studies at the American University of Sharjah. “But I have never seen such clear alignment with the establishment, so much so that it parrots the same line.”
Bollywood led by Modi
Media experts say Bollywood movies have always reflected the collective anxieties of the nation. In the past, villains have been either mysterious foreign entities or wealthy businessmen profiting from deceiving the public. These days, the bad guys are often liberals, rebels, and Muslims.
“Kerala Story” (2023) depicts a Muslim man seducing a Hindu woman and recruiting her to join the Islamic State, sparking a widespread Hindu right-wing conspiracy theory called “love jihad.” It reflects that there is.
The latest film features a cameo appearance by the prime minister’s character, with the Indian tricolor at his side, a steely stare and punchy dialogue, and a “clear rewriting of the historical narrative.” Dr. Mitra says. “It aligns very well with Modi’s own populist deification,” she says.
What you see on your screen can have an impact in the real world. “Kashmir Files” (2022) presented a graphic and exaggerated depiction of violence against Kashmiri Hindus by Kashmiri Muslims.Some Hindus were furious after watching the movie Speech and Islamophobic comments At the movie theater.
implicit censorship
Whenever a film deviates from this formula, Hindu hardliners are quick to protest.
In 2017, right-wing Hindu nationalist groups threatened violence against actors in a historical drama that was rumored to contain scenes depicting a romance between a Hindu queen and a Muslim ruler.And in 2021, the political drama series will be available to stream on Amazon I apologized Changes were made to the show after a scene allegedly made light of Hindu gods and the office of the prime minister.
In such an environment, Dr. Mitra says, nuanced depictions of religious and socio-political issues are rare.
Implicit censorship extends to the press as well. Kunal Majumder, India representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, points to several disturbing trends over the past decade. Among other things, it includes an increase in the number of police complaints against journalists, the unprecedented use of anti-terrorism laws against journalists, and the cancellation of visas for foreign journalists. .
Several news organizations, including the Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar and the BBC, also face tax penalties after publishing articles critical of the government.
“When something like this happens, it has a chilling effect,” Majumdar said.
He added that governments are a major source of advertising revenue for major media companies, which makes news organizations wary of publishing stories that upset those in power. Moreover, many of India’s top news organizations are now controlled by billionaires close to Mr. Modi, including Gautam Adani, India’s second-richest person. In 2022, he acquired his NDTV, one of his last remaining networks pursuing hard-hitting reporting.
“India’s vast media landscape is controlled by the Bharatiya Janata Party,” said Zoya Hasan, professor emeritus at Jawaharlal Nehru University.The repercussions of flattering reporting on the Modi government’s policies and sensational anti-Muslim rhetoric have given much of the Indian media this nickname. Godie or “lapdog” media.
Indeed, Mr. Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party are extremely popular across the country. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 79% of Indians have a favorable view of Mr. Modi, who is expected to easily win a third term in the next election starting April 19. ing. But observers say there is a pro-government bias in entertainment and news. The media can distort viewers’ perceptions of Indian politics and exacerbate the fault lines in Indian society.
Propaganda or point of view?
‘Article 370’, like many new releases, has been labeled ‘propaganda’ by critics. Anjali Sharma, who saw the film recently in the Delhi suburb of Gurugram, agrees that such films can be one-sided. “There is a big difference between what we are shown and what is happening[in Kashmir],” she says.
But Siddharth Bodke, who plays the lead role as a right-wing Hindu nationalist student leader in the upcoming film “JNU,” says these films only present a particular point of view to the audience. He claimed that his films were “well-rounded” and added that if he had the opportunity to do a more anti-establishment film, and if the script was good, he would take it.
Either way, viewers agree.
At the screening of “Article 370” in Gurugram, the theater was three-quarters full even a month after its release. ‘Kerala Stories’ and ‘Kashmir Files’ were also successful at the box office, but not all pro-government films did well.
Dr. Mitra says today’s filmmakers feel they can exploit the current socio-political situation in the country, but they will stop if more films fail.
Could these films shape voters’ opinions? Probably for a long time, says movie buff Dinesh Bansal. But that’s not the case, he added. “I always look at the entertainment product,” he says. “I don’t really think about the message.”
