Bollywood Movies

Why Bollywood is cranking out pro-Modi films ahead of Indian election

April 9, 20248 Mins Read


As India prepares for a massive general election, its theaters have been flooded with films that extol Prime Minister Narendra Modi and amplify his party’s platform. 

One is a biopic of the founder of Hindu nationalism. Another casts Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, long considered a leftist bastion, as working against the nation. And “Article 370,” which still pulls in decent crowds weeks after its release, celebrates the government’s 2019 decision to revoke Kashmir’s autonomy. 

Why We Wrote This

An uptick in brazenly pro-government Bollywood movies highlights the close relationship between India’s ruling party and mainstream media – as well as the risks of blurring the lines between politics, news, and entertainment.

These new releases reflect a broader shift in Indian cinema over the past decade, one that critics say has transformed Bollywood into an extension of the prime minister’s PR machine. Films that support his party’s stance are often given tax breaks at the box office and praised by government ministers. Films that don’t face intense backlash.

In some ways, the films are simply a reflection of the country’s mood, with surveys showing 79% of Indians hold a favorable view of Mr. Modi. But experts warn that growing pro-government bias in entertainment and news media can exacerbate fault lines in Indian society. 

“Mainstream Hindi cinema [or Bollywood] has always been pro-establishment,” says Sreya Mitra, an associate professor of media studies. “But you’ve never witnessed so much explicit alignment with the establishment to the extent that it is parroting the same lines.”

A burqa-clad woman walks through a bleak version of Srinagar in India-administered Kashmir. She’s an undercover agent hot on the trail of a young separatist militant.

Over the next 2 1/2 hours of the recent Bollywood production, titled “Article 370,” the audience follows her action-packed journey against the backdrop of the troubled Himalayan region. 

The movie’s climax? The Indian government’s real-life decision to revoke Kashmir’s special autonomy in 2019. That shocking move and a subsequent media blackout were broadly criticized by human rights organizations and the international media, but “Article 370” celebrates it unequivocally.

Why We Wrote This

An uptick in brazenly pro-government Bollywood movies highlights the close relationship between India’s ruling party and mainstream media – as well as the risks of blurring the lines between politics, news, and entertainment.

The movie 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 extolling his decision. 

“Article 370,” named after the constitutional article that formerly granted Kashmir some autonomy, is one of several films with striking pro-government narratives released just ahead of the country’s massive general election, which begins this month.

Another is a biopic of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a radical leader who opposed Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance and founded the Hindu nationalist ideology embraced by Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). And “JNU” – a film that appears to cast Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, long considered a leftist bastion, as working against the nation – is set to reach theaters later this month. 





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