Politics and cinema: A history of propaganda

Mass media and the state have always been very close ever since the time of their conception. The state/authorities all around the globe have been on the lookout for different mediums of mass communication to deliver their “message” to the people. The Nazi party under the leadership of Adolf Hitler heavily utilised newspapers and radio to push their ideology into the psyche of the German public that also gave rise to prominent communication theories such as the magic bullet theory of mass communication.

In the Indian context, when the freedom struggle was at its peak in the 1930s cinema and theatre served as tools for both the state and the freedom fighters to reach the public. After independence, however, there was a massive shift in the content of cinema in a way that the Indian film industry, especially Bollywood, distanced itself from movies that had anything to with the government although there were common recurring plot lines about the injustices of the system of the common Indian man. But for the most part, politically opinionated or charged content wasn’t really Bollywood’s cup of tea, until recently.

The last five to seven years has witnessed a tremendous shift in the functioning of Bollywood and what type of content it serves its audience. There has been a surge in political films which is totally in contrast to the historical patterns in regard to what type of content Bollywood produces or has been producing. Movies like The Accidental Prime Minister, URI, and PM Narendra Modi all released in 2019 merely three months apart from each other pretty evidently portrayed content that was heavily catering to the right-wing hinting at a strong political influence creeping up within the industry.

The fact that these releases were just a year before the 2020 Lok Sabha elections could be pure coincidence but might not be a one at all as well. BJP party under the Modi leadership has been lauded constantly since 2015 for their incredibly effective use of mass media to shift the public opinion in their favour and after all, everyone is aware of how much of a success the “Abki Baar Modi Sarkar” campaign was with BJP succeeded in securing the biggest majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In 2020 BJP repeated its previous result gathering 301 seats to return to power. It is almost undeniable the influence the hold BJP has over the people of India that could easily explain why Bollywood started producing content that would be catering to the right-wing supporters because that would directly translate to increased financial incentive meanwhile building the ruling party’s reputation that reinforces their place in the political system.

The South Indian film industries are also not far away from producing movies that have an impact on the election polls. The politics is also different in the south region, politics in the south is majorly run by regional parties. These parties are usually run by a single celebrity figure or are driven by a regional, language, culture-oriented ideology. The films also are also made to cater to such ideologies. Films such as Thackeray created a huge impact on the Maharashtra election polls for the Shiv Sena party. The film is based on Bal Thackeray. Thackeray was a huge personality in terms of politics.

The film on him was simultaneously released in both Hindi and Marathi languages. Released in January 2019, Maharashtra was going for general elections in the same year. The film is based on the idolised leader Bal Thackeray portrayed on how he entered politics from his profession as an artist (controversial cartoonist) to a very powerful politician. It also portrays the process of the founding of the Shiv Sena Party and the ideologies behind it. The film though released a lot earlier than the elections it still had its impact. The film is more of a biography than a political tool, but it had its share of impact on the elections.

Thalavi is a new film based on Jayalalitha, the film is made to portray the life journey of Jayalalitha. She started as a young actor but ended up being a powerful personality in politics. She has also served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. Though the film was released after the elections, the film continuously made headlines for various reasons.

The South Indian film industry has not been using films as a tool for elections as much as Bollywood, but is gradually catching up with the trend. Looking at various regional establishments and politics, films made in the South Indian film industries are creating an impact on the viewers. The recent trend shows that such films have an impact but does not translate to poll victories. A language bias also plays a factor in how open is the public to receiving that message.