Bollywood The Latest Victim of Color Politics in India

In India, Bollywood is considered a culture, and artists are a divinity. The industry, including films and performers, has long impacted social transformation, Indian identity construction, and national politics.

The film industry’s impact in India is not limited to individuals. The industry shapes and influences the entire society. Nevertheless, with the passage of time and changes in the political environment, the control and power of state and national governments have increased significantly in the industry.  

Today, the political climate has affected the creation of movies and enhanced political involvement in the film industry.

This article dives into how cultural ideology and political pressure are pressing the film industry. How is religious propaganda propagated through Bollywood? And how do local and global politics affect movie productions and corporate structures?

The Boycott Campaign – Killing Freedom of Expression

Not the fierce competition from streaming platforms but the ongoing boycott trend of movies has been a major concern for Indian filmmakers. 

Artists and fans believe these campaigns are a part of a bigger effort to stifle artistic Freedom of expression. The social media trends like #BoycottBollywood #BoycottIndiancinema are trending high on major social media platforms. 

The call for a boycott started and was linked to an interview by a famous Muslim actor. The actor expresses this feeling by narrating that he and his then-wife Kiran Rao would leave India due to “increasing intolerance” and the absence of action from the Bharatiya Janata Party government.

Since then, a group of the community has started boycotting films performed by Muslim actors. The collaborative group comes on social media platforms and starts trolling the movies acted by Muslim actors. 

However, the Muslim Actor’s statement of feeling insecure and “increasing intolerance” was made after the Hindu mob lynched a 50-year-old Muslim man. The man was a butcher and was found storing cow meat inside his house. Since cows are considered sacred animals in India and are frequently revered by Hindus, this didn’t sit well with Indian netizens.

But the sincerity of Hindi cinema and courageous storytellers to show the true dark side of polarized religious extremists is not bearable for some groups.

No Space for Showcasing Reality in Bollywood

In India today, some old customs like girls cannot take part in significant sports events, the practice of dowry, the inequality in the share of the property for a girl child, and many more are still in practice even though time has changed drastically. 

Some religious customs lead to prejudice against people based on gender, color, and other factors. Indian society has a severe problem with this, and during the past few years, numerous Bollywood movies like Oh My God, My name is Khan, P.K., and more have addressed the problem. 

But as one could imagine, plenty of these movies were the target of nationwide demonstrations and intense pressure from political and religious organizations.

Color Politics – The Saffron Controversy in Bollywood

Communist and political activists are now targeting and trapping the film industry from every side. Absurd political activists are dividing Indian culture and religion with color politics using Bollywood songs performed by the Muslim actor Shah Rukh Khan. 

The activists of BJP(Bhartiya Janta Party) and other communists called for a boycott of Shah Rukh Khan’s film Pathan for insulting ‘Sanatan Sanskriti.’

The protest against the film Pathan was so high that communist and antisocial elementary people burnt the statue of Shah Rukh Khan. They appealed and demanded that the state and central government ban the movie. 

The reason to boycott Pathan is a song that narrates ‘Besharam Rang.’ In a section of the song, actress Padukone is seen wearing orange swimwear, and Khan is wearing a green shirt. Some people mistook the hue orange for saffron, connected to the BJP, the country’s dominant Hindu nationalist party. Islam has always been associated with the color green. Historically, there have been many conflicts between the two religions in India regarding the same issue.

BJP leaders and various communists consider such acts as vulgarity with the color saffron and consider it as an insult to Hindu communists and Sanatan Sanskriti.  

There have been suggestions to have the song removed from the Pathaan movie due to the uproar. An advocate has even submitted a written complaint for the same to the Information & Broadcasting Ministry. BJP activities have forcefully taken off the theatres and auditoriums with posters of Pathan movies, and theatres are warned not to release Pathan movies in some states.  

However, after its release, the film gathered to love and support from the audience. Some even claimed it was a patriotic movie showcasing the zest of secret agents for the country.

Diving People on Polarising Topics

Such an antisocial act of ideology is dividing people of the country through color politics. Bollywood movies shape and influence the youth of the country, and such acts of discrimination divide the youth drastically. 

Saffron for Hindu, Green for Muslim, and White and Red for Christians are embedded among the youth through antisocial activities. In a democratic country like India, everybody has Freedom of speech and Freedom of expression. Still, due to racist ideology and wrong beliefs, the act of color politics compromises human rights.  

However, color politics is not new for India; it has happened in the past too, but this time it has reached unprecedented levels. Some have referred to it as a political agenda and a means of deflecting focus away from more important matters.

The Effect on Movie Production & Bollywood

The effect of acts like boycotting Bollywood and color politics in Pathan movies has forced the filmmaker to make necessary changes. Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) of India has advised Yash raj films to edit the song besharam rang and make adjustments. 

On the other hand, the modifications and edits in movies encourage the activist more to commit antisocial behaviors in the future. Such central board recommendations feed the anti-socialist attitude that leads to these pointless deeds.

To believe some news from TV media, CBFC will introduce a new act for the certification of Bollywood films in India. The film will undergo the inspection of CBFC first and then be forwarded to the high court for more inspection. After the approval of the high court, the movie will be forwarded for release.  

The new rule is introduced to control and protect the religion and cultural sentiments influenced by some movies. However, such political and governmental meddling will only undermine the films’ fundamentals, and it will never reveal the dark aspects of Indian society and culture.

Interestingly, many famous Bollywood actors like Amitabh Bachchan have shown concern over the viewer’s transformed ideology. But concerns were not highlighted by the media or censored.