Bollywood’s Nationalism Films: Shaping Public Discourse and Identity
Image Source: PIB
In a remarkable feat, Gadar 2 is on the verge of crossing the 500 crore mark at the box office. In the sequel, Tara Singh aka Sunny Deol returns to Pakistan to bring his son Charanjeet back home. The success of movies dealing with nationalism in Bollywood begs the question: Why do movies that deal with the idea of nationalism do exceptionally well in Bollywood?
The answer lies in the political scenario of the country. The current political temperament supports nationalism, but their understanding of nationalism is very twisted. Someone who doesn’t question authority is a nationalist, but the core idea of nationalism is to reform, and reform comes with constructive criticism.
Cinema has never been just a source of entertainment; it has the capability to mold the way the public thinks, and hence it’s a discourse. People tend to debate that cinema is not reality, but if we look back, we will observe that cinema truly is a reflection of society. In the early 1950s, we get to see Dilip Kumar portraying the uncertainties of a nation, which is very much a reflection of the political situation back then. Then we had Raj Kapoor who, through his phenomenal acting prowess, depicted the need for an egalitarian society in his film Awaara. All of these movies filled you with pride but at the same time made you think, deliberate, and question.
The current cinema lacks this quality; it portrays a protagonist who is suffering. It makes you sympathize with the protagonist, but at the same time, filmmakers won’t question the institutions that are responsible for the protagonist’s suffering, even if it does, it would be in a way you and I do every day in our homes and at our dinner tables. Nationalism has shades, and filmmakers need to recognize that. In the past, filmmakers have successfully depicted those shades. In Ompraksh Mehra’s Rang De Basanti, we get to witness the complexities of nationalism. It can blind you and at the same time, it can make you question and it can certainly make you choose radical ways to attain justice.
The nationalist sentiment is said to be the most dominant sentiment of man. As Mohan Bhargava aka Shahrukh Khan from Swades said and I quote- “Main nahi manta hamara desh duniya ka sabse mahaan desh hai. Lekin yeh zaroor manta hoon ki hum mein kabliyat hai, taqat hai, apne desh ko mahaan banane ki”. This is probably the most realistic form of nationalism I have seen in a movie. The current understanding of nationalism lacks depth, and filmmakers should be the ones who through their films can enhance and shape the public sentiment.
Being an artist is not just about growing personally. An artist’s growth can lead to the growth of society. If one is associated with creating art, be it cinema or music, they should keep in mind that they are not just entertainers but they are thinkers and they can give rise to more thinkers through their art. When filmmakers start portraying the nuances of nationalism in their cinema, they are pushing the public to become thinkers and not just consumers.
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