Political dramas nationalistic films to stream theatres ahead of 2024 General Elections
Political dramas nationalistic films to stream theatres ahead of 2024 General Elections
Ahead of the 2024 General Elections, a cascade of political dramas and nationalistic movies are to stream cinema halls with films such as Emergency and a biopic on Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the works.
Notedly, Kangana Ranaut will be roped in to portray Indira Gandhi in the upcoming film Emergency, even as a biopic of Atal Bihari Vajpayee is in the works. ,
This stream of political dramas and nationalist movies seems to be inspired by the success of period films like ‘Gadar 2″.
Director Vivek Agnihotri of The Kashmir Files fame releases his The Vaccine War, later this month and a sequel to Sunny Deol’s patriotic film “Maa Tujhe Salaam” has also been announced.
With nationalist films resonating with prevailing sentiments, film industry experts predict their continuing popularity and expect them to influence the cultural landscape in a pre-election year.
According to Yusuf Shaikh, business head of feature films at production and distribution firm Percept Pictures, anything pro-India is welcome and appeals to the masses.
Sunny Deol-Ameesha Patel starrer “Gadar 2” definitely transformed the game and, similarly, if made like a human drama with the true cinematic elements that manage to entertain audiences, it can be a popular genre.
Shaikh added that an election campaign uses a combination of elements such as print, social media, and ground activities. Therefore, cinemas can definitely be a potent and popular tool.
As per Industry Experts, audiences can’t be taken for a ride. Subtly leveraging the commoner’s patriotic sentiments is fine, but outright bashing of a community only to provoke may misfire, industry experts said.
Over the past few months, films such as 72 Hoorain and Akelli, which touched upon polarizing issues, failed at the box office. A trade analyst, requesting anonymity, said patriotism sells, but non-Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states, especially in South India, don’t take to the films. Screening of The Kerala Story was stopped in Tamil Nadu earlier this year, citing issues related to law and order. West Bengal banned the film much before.
Political analyst Manisha Priyam claims that apart from just screening these movies in theatres; many audiences are introduced to ideas and themes via snippets, including scenes and dialogues circulating on social media. Priyam further added that the current regime is clear that it is aligned with strong nationalist and pro-Hindu sentiment.
The manner in which they project themselves isn’t unusual. Such movies are definitely tools to create a cultural setting in the run-up to elections.
Shivam Shankar Singh, a political analyst, said cinema is an important tool worldwide in shaping people’s thoughts. He feels that it could fuel nationalist sentiment in a pre-election year, but it remains to be seen if these films reach the masses.
News Edit K.V.Raman
