The James Bond series has been my favourite series for a host of reasons. However, one primary reason why I loved watching these films was to see a good MI6 secret service officer named Mr Bond. Having codename 007, James Bond is fighting to save the world from villains like Soviets and Communists, and later after the fall of Soviet Union many other notorious villainous characters. What the film went on to highlight is how the West (read: the US and the UK) saved humanity. This is how a positive image of the West was created.
Portraying the US as Soft Power
Many times, many movies were made to cover up the crimes and acts supporting terrorism. Take for instance, the movie Rambo III very nicely and smartly showed Soviets as aggressors and Talibans as freedom fighters who fought shoulder to shoulder with the Americans. Did it even mention that Taliban was a group of religiously indoctrinated fighters who were waging a religious war against infidels, which by default was a regressive communal agenda? Leaving aside these dimensions and contours not known to many, the image created by these movies was of the US being a great country. This helped in creating a soft power and in turn respectability for the US.
Films are an important mode of communication for brand building and image management. The ability to use movies that tell persuasive stories is a powerful tool, particularly if it is consciously used to legitimise war, assassination and illegal activities and to undermine the core principles of democracy. Propaganda is a practice that affects all our lives. From what products we buy, to who we vote for, we are all subject to propaganda. The manipulation of popular culture is a phenomenon that has existed for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and Romans understood the power that a theatrical event could have on a population. It could be used to placate the masses and act as a distraction, or it could be used to mold a particular political and cultural viewpoint.
Capitalism Vs Communism
In 1943, the Office of Strategic Services, an intelligence agency of the United States during World War II and the precursor to the CIA, described cinema as a powerful propaganda weapons at the disposal of the United States and called for a voluntary cooperation of all motion agencies not under the control of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Even Lenin understood this very well and in his note dated February 17, 1922, addressed to the Commissariat of Education, Lenin requested that the Commissariat draw up a programme of action based on his directives. Lenin believed that of all the arts the most important for the Communists and the Soviet Union is cinema. He also called on the Commissariat that counter-revolutionary and immoral films should be barred. The Commissariat of Education was responsible for cinema in the erstwhile Soviet Union. These two pieces of evidence highlight how both the sides of the divide in the post-World War II era and both the prominent ideologies – capitalism and communism – accepted the importance of films in propaganda.
Now let us come back to India. All the paragraphs mentioned above have more to do with building a premise for discussion on films in India and the role of the Indian film industry in either building India’s positive image and soft power globally or otherwise.
Ambassadors of Bharatiya Culture
The Indian film industry is looked upon as one of the brand ambassadors of Indian culture, society, and currently prevailing social and political environment in the country. The Indian film industry started its post-Independence era with many leading actors and directors hailing from Lahore and what is now called West Pakistan. It also had important film personalities from the then undisputed capital of India’s film industry – Calcutta – to Bombay. During those days, films revolved around social and political reforms and development in India. The inclusion of romance along with soulful music, melodious songs and meaningful lyrics resonates with the people even today. This combination made Indian films the most sought after choice of entertainment abroad, which includes African and Central Asian nations. Indian films of that era captured many prominent social and political developments like family issues, widow remarriage, land reforms, green revolution, Indo-China war and Indo-Pak war.
Raj Kapoor’s Socialist Films
This was followed by the era when revolutionary and progressive political thoughts found its way in films. One of the most prominent political thoughts was socialism and showman like Raj Kapoor came in forefront with his extremely exquisitely made films with a subtle soft socialist undertone. His movies like Awaara found resonance and popularity in erstwhile Soviet Union and influenced a whole generation of cinema watchers in India and abroad. The movies very effectively portrayed the plight of the poor and the crony capitalist’s and political class’ nexus that was created in the Nehruvian era due to license permit quota raj and the loot of India during that era that ultimately hurt the poor as they were at the bottom of the pyramid and hence on the receiving end of the loot and exploitation of the country and its people. This was bundled with lovely songs and music that is cherished even today not only by the music connoisseurs but even today’s youth.
Bollywood’s underworld Connection
The Dawood-Bollywood connection is of the darkest chapter in the history of India’s entertainment industry. Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most-wanted fugitive and mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai blasts, has wielded significant influence over Bollywood through financing films and links with certain actors and filmmakers. His shadow loomed large during the 80s and 90s when underworld financing in Bollywood was rampant.
Dawood and his associates allegedly invested in films. Reports suggest that prominent figures attended his parties, either out of greed or fear. Some actors were forced to perform at underworld events, while others faced threats over film disputes. …..
Gulshan Kumar Killing
Gulshan Kumar died in a shooting outside the Jiteshwar Mahadev Mandir, a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva of which he attended daily in Jeet Nagar, Andheri West suburb of Mumbai, on 12 August 1997. He was shot 16 times. Back in the 90s, Bollywood was living under the threat of the underworld ruled by Muslim gangsters and its ransom demands, ransoms to just let the stars and producers stay alive. Gulshan Kumar too started to get these threats. Reportedly, Abu Salem had placed a demand of 5 lakh rupees to be sent to him every month to Gulshan Kumar, but the industry tycoon paid no attention to his threats.
He was taken down at a neighbourhood temple right after this daily pooja. It was not only the murder of Gulshan Kumar, it was an attack in the Hindu sentiment as if mocking that the gunmen are taking him down right in front of his God, and after his prayer, challenging their existence. When the gunmen’s small talk, “you have done enough pooja. Now go up and do your pooja” reeks of Hindu hate. By committing bloodshed at the temple, the gunmen also desecrated the temple.
After Gulshan Kumar’s demise, the course of Bollywood took a turn towards Hinduphobia in the guise of secularism. The objectionable “Kafir” word was romanticised, lyrics were flooded with words like Maula Mere Maula, Ya Ali, Khudaya. Bollywood films don’t do bhajans anymore.
Celebrities caught in Drug and criminal activities
Sanjay Dutt: Arrested under the TADA Act in 1993 for illegal possession of arms during the Mumbai blasts investigation. He also admitted to drug addiction in the early stages of his career.
Salman Khan: Involved in the Blackbuck poaching case and hit-and-run case. Accused of driving under the influence and killing a man sleeping on the pavement in 2002. Monica Bedi: In September 2002, Bedi and Abu Salem, an Indian gangster were arrested and later served prison sentences in Portugal[8] for entering the country on forged documents. In 2006, an Indian Court convicted Bedi for procuring a passport on a fictitious name.
Mamta Kulkarni: In June 2016, the Thane Police named Kulkarni as one of the accused involved in supplying ephedrine for illicit manufacture of methamphetamine to a 2000 crore international drug racket and gangster, intended for trafficking. It is alleged that Kulkarni along with her partner Vicky Goswami and other co-accused attended a meeting in an international drug ring in Kenya in January 2016.
Films promoting violence
Animal, Kabir Singh, Gangs of Wasseypur. Shootout at Lokhandwala. Haider
However, in the last two to three decades we have seen a massive shift in the way films are made and the underlying message that is given through those films. Rise of propagation of vices using films and its songs that hurts the society, culture, political and social environment, moral values and ethical standards, and sovereignty and integrity of the country at an alarming pace has nudged the society to discuss the status of film industry in and its contribution to the country. This has especially come to the forefront with the recent controversy surrounding the film – Pushpa 2. One political party vandalised the house of the lead actor and now it is understood that cases are being filed for undermining and insulting the police force by picturising the scene wherein the main protagonist in the movie urinates in the swimming pool where a police official was swimming. Here it is imperative to disclose that the author has not watched the movie and this information is based on media reports. However, bigger concerns that the movie and its prequel raises are:
- Can we convert a criminal into a main protagonist in a movie and thereby glorifying a criminal and that whole criminal activity and call it entertainment?
- Can we highlight this kind of overt disregard of law and order and undermine the primacy and credibility of law enforcement agencies and its officials, including security forces, in the name of entertainment?
- What kind of message does it send to society, especially young impressionable minds?
- What kind of message does it send to people outside India about the state of affairs in the country and the governance and administration in the country?
This brings us to the core of the issue with the transformation and developments in the Indian film industry and whether the Indian film industry is really working for India and its interests within and outside India.
Notably another issue is the rise of overt or covert, subtle or crass distortion of political and social situations in the country. This is either done to create a agitprop narrative which can be later be used to widen and deepen the wedge in society and playing on the faultlines. Movies are also used to cover up and whitewash the crimes and even terror and anti-national activities and at times shift blame for those activities on the innocent people. It is also done to convert criminals and perpetrators of crime into victims and twist the narrative. Films like Haider are guilty of justifying and glorifying criminals and terrorists. Pakistan-backed terrorism in Kashmir was not just justified but even the terrorists were glorified and the Indian state was squarely blamed for Pakistan backed terrorism in Kashmir. Some films even distorted facts to portray social harmony between both the communities using romance and display of fictional Ganga Jamuna tehzeeb to hide the truth. Such films also hinted on denial of truth by manufacturing fictional harmony and love. After a few decades such films become part of the mainstream narrative and are taken as a gospel’s truth. We know about films where smugglers and terrorists and their siblings are lead protagonists in the movies and are portrayed in positive light as heroes and very smartly and subtly their crimes and terror activities are hidden to whitewash their image. I would not be surprised if Bollywood makes films glorifying Dawood Ibrahim and Osama bin Laden and even the ISI. Needless to say, there is a film in which an Indian and a Pakistani intel officers of RAW and ISI respectively foil the terror attack on India. Now it is really worth pondering whether the US or the UK would any day make a movie glorifying the Soviets or the KGB or the Communists or even any enemy of the US or the UK. Check whether any Chinese movie would glorify Japanese. Look at how the Chinese have rekindled the glory of its past and importantly even its ancient martial arts, its culture and traditions, etc with its movies. Now juxtapose that with what is happening in India through the Indian film industry.
Unholy Nexus
This makes us wonder why such movies are coming out. Who is funding such movies? It is fairly understood that some of these movies would be indirectly funded by agencies of the hostile neighbouring nation. Earlier, the Indian film industry, to be specific the Bollywood, had huge funding from absconding terrorist accused in the 1993 Bombay serial blast terror attack Dawood Ibrahim. This is established with call records in public domain wherein prominent actors and directors were caught talking to point man of Dawood Ibrahim. Presence of Bollywood stars and starlets in his parties in Dubai was known to all and was a matter of pride in Bollywood. Till 1993 crime money was invested in Bollywood and films became an efficient vehicle to money laundering. However, with the turn of the millennium, Bollywood has slowly become an agency to project India in a negative light.
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