A cluster of Bollywood films based on polarizing issues that promote Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s Hindu nationalist agenda are coming out. It's just weeks until a national vote that will determine the political direction of the country.
People walk past a large poster of the movie Swatantra Veer Savarkar displayed outside a cinema hall in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Mar. 21, 2024. The movie, set to be released on Friday, is one of several upcoming Bollywood releases based on polarizing issues, which either promote Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s political agenda, or lambast his critics.
“That appears to be fast changing,” Sen said. “The scary part is that these films are being accepted now. It is truly frightening.” The biopic on Sarvarkar, who advocated for India’s future as a Hindu nation, is emblematic of this broader trend. “The Kerala Story,” the ninth-highest grossing Hindi film of 2023, was widely panned for inaccuracies in depicting Christian and Hindu girls from India’s southern Kerala state who were lured to join the Islamic State. The film was banned in two states ruled by opposition parties, who said it was Islamophobic and would destroy religious harmony.
“You can’t ignore the emotional appeal of these films. In fact, every state government should endorse them,” Sen said. Right-wing groups have frequently threatened to block the release of films they deem offensive to Hinduism. Hindu activists often make calls on social media to boycott such films.
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