Bollywood gives early vote to Hindu nationalism

An avalanche of pro-government films has taken over the film industry. cinema of the Indiablurring the line between entertainment and political campaigns, as Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi seeks a third consecutive term as prime minister in general elections beginning this week.

Almost a dozen new films openly promote the current prime minister and the policies of his Government, leaving those accused of being ‘leftists’ or liberal ‘pseudo-intellectuals’ in the line of fire, without also missing some Muslim terrorists from neighboring Pakistan.

Among a varied range of films is the film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, released on March 22 in honor of one of the historical figures of the Hindu extremist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

He is a controversial historical figure who is opposed to the champion of Indian independence, Mahatma Gandhi, whom Modi and the BJP have always praised as he belongs to the same ideological current as the RSS.

Article 370 also appeared on the billboards, which practically glosses the authorities’ reasons for ending in 2019 the status of relative independence enjoyed by the disputed region of Indian Kashmir.

The film is the work of the same director who already covered, before the 2019 general elections, the Indian offensive in 2016 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation against the terrorist attacks on a military camp in Uri.

On April 5, JNU: Jahangir National University was added, targeting one of the most prestigious universities in the country and which has been the target of continuous attacks by the BJP for its leftist nature.

The opportunism of the seventh art

There is a clear relationship between the films of “propaganda” mentioned, the professor at the University of Delhi Apoorvanand Jha revealed to EFE, and that these ““They will help the BPJ politically, and the BJP in return will ensure income and benefits to the filmmakers.”

Propaganda cinema appears to have found a flourishing market in India, with a pro-Hindu ideological narrative driven by the ruler of the world’s largest political party.

It is a cinema “opportunistic, hastily done, poorly researched, poorly acted, and shoddily directed,” film critic and scriptwriter Raja Sen told EFE.

The expert emphasized the conformity of directors and actors with this type of work, due to a “certain opportunistic desperation” to please Modi or the Minister of the Interior, Amit Shah, and achieve tax-free status.

The boom of propaganda cinema

The rise in films deemed propaganda comes after the 2022 success of the film The Kashmir Files, which addresses the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, a Hindu minority group, from their homeland due to increasing attacks. of the separatist insurgency in the 90s.

The film grossed nearly US$40.4 million, one of the best results at the Indian box office that year.

““After having tasted blood with The Kashmir Files, the industry thought that they would continue doing this every month and make money from it,” Krea University film and literature professor Sayandeb Chowdhry told EFE.

No other pro-government film could match its notoriety, and viewership numbers declined. Despite this, critics reveal some concern about the effects of these during the electoral campaign.

movies can “shape our imagination, change the way we feel or see the world, and subsequently affect our life decisions, such as how we vote.””Jha stressed.

“It is sad that interest or that genuine belief in cinema is being misused to sell things that go far beyond mere entertainment,” Chowdhury revealed.

Filmmakers with a “guillotine on the creative voice”

Prior censorship continues to exist in the Asian country to control film and television, and prevent the broadcast of images judged to be too sexual or vulgar, but Sen lamented the increasingly radical limitations imposed by a “guillotine on the creative voice.”

Added to the official limitations are frequent calls to boycott series or movies by very diverse groups.

“Right now we don’t see many filmmakers struggling. Due to government interference and disorder, many producers, many financiers, many platforms refuse to touch any content that may be considered politically provocative.”he added.

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