Indian filmmakers are rushing to register patriotic movie titles inspired by a recent four-day clash with Pakistan. The trend is sparking debate over opportunism, political influence, and the portrayal of national pride on screen.
Indian filmmakers are locking up the rights to movie titles that can profit from the patriotism fanned by a four-day conflict with Pakistan, which killed more than 70 people. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone, and air strikes in May, after India blamed Pakistan for an armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. The fighting came to an end when U.S. President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire.
Now, some Bollywood filmmakers see an opportunity to cash in on the battle. India tagged its military action against Pakistan "Operation Sindoor," the Hindi word for vermilion, which married Hindu women wear on their foreheads. The name was seen as a symbol of Delhi's determination to avenge those widowed in the April 22 attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which sparked the hostilities.
Film studios have registered a slew of titles evoking the operation, including: Mission Sindoor, Sindoor: The Revenge, The Pahalgam Terror, and Sindoor Operation.
"It's a story which needs to be told," said director Vivek Agnihotri.
"If it was Hollywood, they would have made 10 films on this subject. People want to know what happened behind the scenes," he told AFP. Agnihotri struck box office success with his 2022 release, The Kashmir Files, based on the mass flight of Hindus from Kashmir in the 1990s.
Colored Narratives
The ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party gave that film a glowing endorsement, despite accusations that it aimed to stir up hatred against India's minority Muslims. Since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, some critics say Bollywood is increasingly promoting his government's ideology.
Raja Sen, a film critic and screenwriter, said filmmakers felt emboldened by an amenable government.
"We tried to wage a war, and then we quietened down when Mr. Trump asked us to. So what is the valor here?" Sen told AFP of the Pakistan clashes.
Anil Sharma, known for directing rabble-rousing movies, criticized the apparent rush to make films related to the Pahalgam attack.
"This is herd mentality... these are seasonal filmmakers, they have their constraints," he said.
"I don't wait for an incident to happen and then make a film based on that. A subject should evoke feelings and only then cinema happens," said Sharma.
Sharma's historical action flick Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001) and its sequel Gadar 2 (2023), both featuring Sunny Deol in lead roles, were big hits. In Bollywood, filmmakers often seek to time releases for national holidays like Independence Day, which are associated with heightened patriotic fervor.
Fighter, featuring big stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, was released on the eve of India's Republic Day on January 25 last year.
Anti-Muslim Bias
Though not a factual retelling, it drew heavily from India's 2019 airstrike on Pakistan's Balakot. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews but raked in $28 million in India, making it the fourth-highest-grossing Hindi film of that year.
This year, Chhaava, a drama based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, a ruler of the Maratha Empire, became the highest-grossing film so far this year. It also generated significant criticism for fueling anti-Muslim bias.
"This is at a time when cinema is aggressively painting Muslim kings and leaders in violent light," said Sen.
"This is where those who are telling the stories need to be responsible about which stories they choose to tell."
Sen said filmmakers were reluctant to choose topics that are "against the establishment."
"If the public is flooded with dozens of films that are all trying to serve an agenda, without the other side allowed to make itself heard, then that propaganda and misinformation enters the public psyche," he said.
By Seema Sinha / AFP
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