In 1975 when Gulzar wanted to highlight the perils of draconian Emergency and how the then PM Indira Gandhi had used dictatorial powers to muzzle the media in a ruthless manner in his film Aandhi, the lyricist-turned-director would never have thought that he was about to create history. He cast versatile actress Suchitra Sen in the title role and deliberately showed her sporting a black and white hairstyle, reminiscent of then PM, in his realistic film. Suchitra, a Bengali actress, looked and even acted in a way to help filmgoers identify her with the then PM. It was a novel idea by Gulzar. ;The casting and change in hairdo became an instant hit and helped the aggrieved public – reeling with joblessness – to grasp the message that it was indeed the Prime Minister, who murdered democracy by putting seasoned media persons and those with Jan Sangh behind the bars.
However, Aandhi was a one of a kind film. It, nevertheless, made a huge impact on the electorate’s mind when elections were held two years later. Even though there were no modern gadgets like mobiles and satellite TV, there was awareness among the masses because newspapers like The Motherland, The Indian Express, were revealing the dictatorial side of Indira Gandhi. When General Elections were held in March 1977 to elect members of sixth Lok Sabha, the nation breathed a sigh of relief when it resulted in the big defeat of incumbent PM and Congress leader Indira Gandhi. The call for restoration of democracy and human rights violations during Emergency was a major reason for the sweeping victory for the opposition Janata Alliance, whose leader Morarji Desai was sworn in as the fourth Prime Minister of India.
Though Indira Gandhi was a Kashmiri Pandit, she never gave justice to them. Over the years, Pandits were systematically persecuted by Islamic invaders and moved from their homes to refugee camps. Many of them settled in North India. This task was completed on celluloid by filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri when he was brutally honest while depicting the plight of Kashmiri Hindus in The Kashmir Files, which gave an authentic depiction of how about four lakh Pandits, original inhabitants of the Valley, were made to flee their homeland at gunpoint and other coercive tactics.
Speaking about the film’s impact, Vikram Bal, a Hindu living in Srinagar, said, “Kashmiri Hindus have been driven out from the Valley six-seven times during the past few Centuries. What was disturbing in each exodus was the fact that it was locals who hijacked properties of fleeing Hindus, plundered their ancestral heirloom and charred their belongings. However, the collective grief of 1989 came out like a catharsis when the film was watched by those who became refugees mainly due to tacit understanding between an opportunist Congress regime at Centre and Farooq Abdullah in the State.”
Thanks to Modiji, many Pandit families have returned to their homeland and are once again serving in the administration, says Vinod Kumar, a teacher based in Jammu. “This positive move is welcomed by the majority of locals, who are jubilant that the Valley’s economy is back on track. Obviously, this positive gesture from the Government has created income generation among the minority Hindu community. BJP’s agenda of Viksit Bharat has brought development and acceleration in economic activities. Its positive fall out has been the influx of tourists from across the country into Kashmir. I am optimistic that Pandits and even non-Pandits in the Valley would vote for BJP,” he adds.
Aditya Jambhale’s impactful film Article 370 also helped the masses, including prospective voters, to grasp the message of how the Modi Government managed to bring the people of the Valley into the national mainstream.
With peace dawning in the snow capped Valley and our men in uniform safely manning the entire State, the Lok Sabha elections will see BJP’s ascendancy in the heart of Kashmir. Businessmen as well as the working class, especially women and young generation, are enthusiastic about casting their votes for the saffron party. Indeed, Kashmir is known the world over for its precious saffron.
From Kashmir to Kerala, the narrative is more or less similar. In the Southern-most State, Islamic fundamentalism has been nurtured and patronised by ISI while the Left Government has been nonchalant to it. It is against this background that makers of The Kerala Story need to be commended for creating awareness among Hindus as well as Christians on how radical Islam in God’s Own Country is creating problems for co-religionists.
Dr NR Madhu, Chief Editor of Kesari Weekly, says, “Most Keralities have watched this film on DD. This film has influenced the Christian community; this can be seen from the fact that it is organising free screenings nowadays. This will reflect in the voting pattern of Christian community in Lok Sabha polls.”
Over the years under Congress and Left rule, Kerala has seen Hindus being dominated due to relentless pampering by parties that follow Muslim appeasement. Vote for the saffron party will be in those pockets where there are muffled voices of Hindus who are less in numbers in comparison to Christians and Muslims. Will screening of The Kerala Story make an impact on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections? The film, which highlighted the woes of a Malyalee Hindu nurse who becomes part of Islamic State and lands up in Afghanistan, has made an impact. It’s a film which connects with believers of Sanatan Dharma. This is the reason why the State saw so much resentment and vociferous protests by CPM and Congress over screening of the film on Doordarshan in April.
Will it lead to consolidation of Hindu votes? “There is a kind of anger against it. Not only Hindu girls but also Christian girls are being targeted by Islamists. Now, it has become a conversation,” says PR Ramesh, a seasoned print journalist who hails from Kerala.
Pointing out that Left promotes “cancer culture” which is prevailing in Kerala, Ramesh says, “Otherwise, how can a film on DD become problematic for the Left? It has been emboldened by the fact that Hindu society doesn’t talk about issues.”Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s recent controversial statement that The Kerala Story is an attempt to damage the State has not been taken well by the electorate.
Meanwhile, Randeep Hooda’s Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, which offers a provocative perspective on history, emphasising Savarkar’s role and questioning established narratives, has galvanise masses not only in Maharashtra but also in other States like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other States of North India.
The menace of Islamic terrorism can be seen in films like the upcoming film The Sabarmati Report that focuses on an incident where a suspected Muslim mob set fire to a train carrying Hindu pilgrims in Gujarat in 2002. The film releases in theaters in May. Films of this genre show that the present generation of filmmakers no longer shy away from depicting reality that shows the ugly side of Islamists. The menace of Islamic terrorism can be seen in films like the upcoming film The Sabarmati Report that focuses on an incident where a suspected Muslim mob set fire to a train carrying Hindu pilgrims in Gujarat in 2002. Films of this genre show that the present generation of filmmakers no longer shy away from depicting reality that has been considered as politically incorrect under the garb of secularism.
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