Faisal Ahmad
Whenever a scene is ready to be immortalised on film, an old tradition is followed. The director calls ‘Lights, Camera, Action’. Yet for nearly a decade, this tradition has been radically altered within the halls of Bollywood. The cue has changed; today, it is ‘Lights, Camera, Propaganda’! Following this cue, a new Bollywood movie, loosely based on the Karachi Lyari Gang War, has been released. This movie is currently trending massively on social media. Its attractively snappy trailer, which I saw amid the online frenzy, contains Pakistani characters such as SSP Chaudhary Aslam, Abdul Rehman Dakait, an ISI operative, and one Indian RAW agent who was deployed to go undercover in Lyari. This setting has sparked massive outrage on social media, with critics lambasting Bollywood’s obsession with Pakistan and Islam. This is a stark contrast to the past. Although Pakistan’s entertainment industry lags behind India’s, several decades ago Pakistanis were so captivated by Indian movies. They were head over heels for Dilip Kumar, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, and the songs of Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, and Lata Mangeshkar filled every home and store in the country. The legacy still continues in my own family, as we are all massive fans of the old songs and movies, the kind of work Pakistani cinema should emulate.
But where did such rhetoric start from? The shift in narrative started after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, with films such as Deewar, Gadar and Border bringing forward an anti-Pakistan rhetoric, but these early adventures did not quite ring the major alarms. Significant shifts were seen after the BJP came into power. Gradually, the Indian film industry started moving away from its old secular ideals and themes. Rather, it began functioning as a ‘mouthpiece’ for the Modi Sarkar’s ultra-nationalist vision. The secular era, where films like the cult classic ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ could celebrate three religions, was apparently over. The new course was evident: “India is on its way towards a Hindu Rashtra.” So, in a Hindu Rashtra, other faiths are presented as outsiders or as a burden on India. We are not watching regular cinema anymore; we are watching political discourse set to high-octane action and flashy dance numbers. This is where the obsession with Pakistan really ramps up.
Honestly, Pakistanis would be really flattered by all this attention if it weren’t so darn nasty. Before writing this piece, I simply googled “Bollywood’s obsession with Pakistan” and the first search result absolutely caught my eye. It was an article published in The Guardian titled “Bollywood is obsessed with Pakistan. We’d be flattered if it weren’t so nasty”. The author noted that Bollywood seems to be ignoring other geopolitical rivals, like China, and directing all its nasty energy exclusively towards Pakistan. It is very evident in the movies. The villain is almost always a Pakistani, usually wearing a military uniform, and if the villain is not Pakistani, he would surely be a Muslim with a beard and kohl in his eyes. He would be wearing kameez shalwar, a topi and a rumaal round his shoulders, with a tight taweez strangulating his neck. Moreover, he would be speaking awkward, pure Urdu.
This shift towards Islamization, or if I may say Islamophobia, also puts Muslim stars in an uncomfortable position. Ironically, Bollywood’s three biggest stars happen to be Muslim. Even they are forced and pressurised to walk a fine line. Salman Khan recently faced severe backlash when he did not tweet about Operation Sindoor during the May standoff. Anyone who goes against the will of the government is instantly labelled “anti-national” and told to “go back to Pakistan.” It creates an atmosphere where Muslim figures are expected to be the “ever-grateful Muslim” who must constantly prove their patriotism.
This trend goes beyond traditional rivalry; it is now full-fledged propaganda. Before elections, there was a slew of new films that overtly praised Modi and targeted his political opponents. They spared no one, not even the Founder of India, Mahatma Gandhi. These films often peddle Islamophobic conspiracy theories. Such filmmakers try to rewrite history by portraying Muslim rulers as “barbarians and temple-destroyers” to promote the idea that Muslims are not native to India. They belong to Pakistan.
Bollywood’s obsession with Pakistan is not the real tragedy. The real one is, in fact, the sacrifice of its art to become a propaganda factory. There was a time when masterpieces like Mughal-e-Azam and Sholay were cherished across the border. Even comedy movies like Hera Pheri are still enjoyed today. Why? Because they were simply good cinema. Indian audiences are getting fed up too. They are tired of this constant, low-quality anti-Pakistan rhetoric. That is why films with stellar casts have started to flop. People want something new and reliable, which is why the South Indian film industry is growing so fast. When every other film turns into a nonsensical action flick, the only thing that gets destroyed is the viewer’s intelligence.
So, for now, many of us have simply stopped watching. Maybe if formulaic propaganda films keep failing at the box office, the industry will finally be forced to grow up and create genuine art again. Until then, Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar will continue to amuse us with their evergreen melodies!
The writer is a freelance columnist who is an alumnus of QAU and FUI He can be reached at fa7263125@gmail.com
