Bollywood’s Close Encounters With Reality-Vs-Propaganda Storms

The controversial remarks on ‘The Kashmir Files’ made by Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, the head of the jury at the recently concluded 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, have once again triggered a debate on propaganda-versus-reality in cinema. Bollywood has been no stranger to such controversies over the years. There have been many films which divided the viewers vertically into opposite camps. Here is a list of ten movies purportedly based on (or inspired) by real events that stirred the hornet’s nest before and after their release.

‘Aandhi’ (1975)

Writer-director Gulzar's film ‘Aandhi’ faced a ban during the Emergency after being accused of tarnishing the image of the erstwhile Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The character played by actress Suchitra Sen in the film was compared to Mrs Gandhi prompting the ban. The ban was. However, it was lifted later. Sanjeev Kumar played the lead opposite Suchitra Sen in the film with great songs by R.D. Burman.

‘Kissa Kursi Ka’ (1977)

‘Kissa Kursi Ka’ directed by Amrit Nahata, made a scathing comment on Indian politics and politicians. The film purportedly depicted the inhuman treatment meted out to the public by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi during the Emergency. All its prints were subsequently confiscated and the film was banned. Most of the prints of the film were burnt during the Emergency. It was, however, broadcast on TV after the end of the Indira regime. The film starred Shabana Azmi, Utpal Dutt, Manohar Singh in lead roles.

‘Dil Se’ (1998)

Director Mani Ratnam's film ‘Dil Se’ talked about terrorism and separatism in the North Eastern states. The film also underlined the allegedly inhuman treatment of the Indian soldiers with the local citizens in the name of discipline. It led to fierce opposition to the film upon its release. It was said that the film serves to tarnish the image of the Indian Army. There were protests across the country. The film starred Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, Preity Zinta in lead roles.

‘Gangaajal’ (2003)

Director Prakash Jha's film ‘Gangaajal’ was based on a gruesome incident that took place in Bhagalpur, Bihar. In the 1980s, incidents of blinding of criminals by the police by pouring acid into their eyes, Bihar came to light. The film met with protests in Bihar with allegations that it had not depicted the reality. There was also a demand to ban the film which starred Ajay Devgan, Yashpal Sharma, Gracy Singh, Akhilendra Mishra and Mohan Joshi in lead roles.

‘Haider’ (2014)

Director Vishal Bhardwaj's ‘Haider’ kicked up a storm over comments made in the film about the Indian Army, Kashmiri terrorism and the Armed Forces Special Power Act. The film was accused of tarnishing the image of the Army and promoting separatism. There were demonstrations against the film and also a demand to ban it. The movie starred Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon, Shraddha Kapoor in lead roles.

‘Indu Sarkar’ (2017)

‘Indu Sarkar’ was directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. The film revolved around the actions of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi after the Emergency was imposed. Ever since the film was announced, it came under attack from Congress party workers. It was alleged that the film was going to malign the image of Indira Gandhi. The film faced massive protests in Congress-ruled states. Posters of the film were burnt and cinema halls were boycotted. The film starred Kirti Kulhari, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Sheeba Chadda, Anupam Kher, Manav Vij in lead roles.

‘Padmaavat’ (2018)

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ‘Padmaavat’ faced massive protests and violent protests even before its release. The film was accused of maligning the image of Queen Padmavati and glorifying the invader Alauddin Khilji. Bhansali and Deepika Padukone, who played Rani Padmavati in the film, received death threats from Rajput organisations. Karni Sena protested against the film across the country, and tried hard to get the film banned. The film starred Shahid Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh in the lead roles.

‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ (2019)

Director Vijay Ratnakar Gatte's ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ was surrounded by controversies, as it was based on the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In the film, Singh was shown to be meekly following the directions of Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi rather than acting independently. It was based on the book by Sanjaya Baru, who was media advisor to Manmohan Singh. Congress workers opposed the film across the country and demanded a ban on it. The film starred Anupam Kher, Akshaye Khanna, Suzanne Burnett, and Arjun Mathur in lead roles.

‘The Tashkent Files’ (2019)

Director Vivek Agnihotri's film ‘The Tashkent Files’, based on the mysterious death of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent in 1966, was supported by the nationalists but the Congress workers termed the film as propaganda. It was alleged that the film sought to malign the image of Congress. The film starred Pankaj Tripathi, Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Pallavi Joshi, Vinay Pathak in prominent roles.

‘The Kashmir Files’ (2022)

‘The Kashmir Files’, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, was opposed by a section that accused the film of being propaganda backed by the central government. The film depicted the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits and Islamic terrorism in the Kashmir Valley in the nineties. The protesters said that the film would spread hatred in society. with distortion of facts. But the director claimed that none of the movies shown in the film was untrue. The film turned out to be a blockbuster. The film starred Darshan Kumar, Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty in pivotal roles.