Are Bollywood Movies Massacring Democracy?

The torrent of upcoming, patriotic, hate fueled – targeting a particular religion, extolling the Narendra Modi government, concocting and manipulating history, denigrating an eminent central varsity, whitewashing the Gujarat riots 2002, defaming and calling out a revolt by the world’s poorest, hungriest, most malnourished people in the world just because they’re demanding land redistribution and basic human rights, Bollywood movies just before 2024 Lok Sabha election couldn’t be a mere coincidence by any means!

Bollywood movies have become an effective tool for swaying voters’ minds and opinions. People have a tendency of trusting whatever is shown in a movie. This likeliness of believing the facts presented in a movie increases rapidly if it contains the label of ‘Inspired by true events’ or if it’s a historical movie. These propaganda driven movies are doing a tremendous job of molding and inserting fear, of being attacked by a particular religion, in their hearts and minds.

“There is Kerala in your neighborhood. I do not wish to say more,” Home Minister Amit Shah said at a rally in Karnataka in 2023, hinting at the supposed “anti-national” elements in the state. He had earlier referred to the Malappuram district in Kerala as “mini Pakistan”. Isn’t it surprising how Sudipto Sen, an unknown filmmaker, suddenly comes up with the idea of a movie named ‘The Kerala Story’ thus taking Shah’s sentiments forward? The fact that the movie crossed Rs 200 crore at the box office is enough to know how efficiently these movies impact and influence the minds of the voters. The movie has an inane and gibberish plot with nothing but targeting Muslim community of the country hence advocating BJP’s argument of Muslim takeover and spurious issue of love-jihad.

“JNU celebrated when 76 soldiers were killed in Bastar. Just think about it. Where do they adopt this mentality from? Leftists, liberals, pseudo-intellectuals from cities are behind those in Bastar who are planning to divide India. I’ll shoot these Leftists dead in public. Hang me then,” thunders Neerja Madhavan (Adah Sharma) in Bastar- The Naxal Story. Bastar- The naxal story is yet again directed by Sudipto Sen, the unknown filmmaker, carrying BJP’s ideology forward and defaming JNU and left front, calling out urban Naxalites. A very feeble approach at portraying the Naxalites or Indian Maoists as people’s enemy. Film at no point talks about the history addressing why Naxalite movement started in the first place, why it got the name Naxalite, there is no mention of Naxalbari uprising of 1967. The film has tried its level best to connect Naxalites with LTTE and Lashkar-e-Taiba. In a nutshell, a huge threat to us from which only right winged, Hindutva preaching BJP can save us!

Another movie which goes a step further is Aditya Dhar’s Article 370. He’s the same person who directed Uri: The Surgical Strike. Seems like, Dhar’s obsessed with glorifying how peaceful, powerful, strong and bold India has become after 2014. The movie revolves around how the Modi government is single-handedly responsible for peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir through the abrogation of Article 370. Politicians like Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti are shown as power-hungry proponents of separatism and militancy. Abrogation of article 370 is a failed venture, it’s not a hidden fact. Abrogation of article 370 failed badly to restore peace and mitigate terror activities which the BJP leaders had promised. If anything, dwellers of Kashmir valley faced 145 days of internet shutdown, entirely cutting them off from the rest of the world and posing a serious threat to children’s online classes. Politicians have turned the people of Kashmir into experiment rat. In contrast the movie has done a fabulous job of licking the government’s boots by ignoring all these facts brazenly and eulogizing how Kashmir has become an epitome of a peaceful state after abrogation of article 370.

The astonishing fact about this propaganda driven and hate fueled movies trying to influence a certain ideology is that they claim they’re not political movies. It’s no brainer to decode the political link of these movies. The PM of the country commending a movie, two movies glorifying the government wins national awards, making these movies tax free in BJP ruled states, it's just a mere coincidence, isn’t it? Plethora of coincidences are happening in the country lately!

The fact that such movies release just before the elections, be it general elections or state elections and create a narrative of ‘us vs them’ (Hindus vs Muslims) is enough to fathom how these propaganda Bollywood movies are massacring the cornerstone of democracy.

Fair elections in a functional and effective democracy like India are supposed to be fought on real issues like poverty, inflation, women safety, women empowerment, farmers empowerment, quality and free education and health services, and employment rather than on Hindu vs Muslim or Rich vs Poor Tribal.

Akshay Kumar, Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Randeep Hooda, Yami Gautam, Nana Patekar, Vikrant Massey, Vivek Agnihotri, Adah Sharma, Sudipto Sen, Aditya Dhar have become poster children of BJP with the movies - Swatantra Veer Savarkar, The Kerala Story, Bastar - The Naxal Story, Article 370, Emergency, JNU Jahangir National University, Fighter, Main Atal Hoon, The Kashmir Files, The Sabarmati Report, 72 Hoorain.

However, the citizens of India viably gave a reality check to both Bollywood and BJP by reducing the vote share of BJP by a staggering half as compared to 2019. This time BJP formed a coalition government with a heavy heart. I must commend the citizens of India for choosing the country over dirty politics.

Many more such communal movies will come however we, the citizens of India, have to stand up against them and hold the principles of our holy constitution high and alive!