Tag: article 370

Lights, camera, election: Bollywood goes into poll mode

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A female police officer vowing to eliminate left-leaning liberals that support the rights of tribals on natural wealth, a fighter pilot eager to occupy Pakistan, and a news anchor desperate to put out the truth of the fire in Sabarmati Express at Godhra station in 2002. The images of aggressive nationalism, Islamophobia, and the ‘Red Scare’ are wafting into theatres to build public opinion against the political opponents of the ruling dispensation.

As it seeks a third term, cinema halls are turning into rallying points for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to help create the mahaul (political atmosphere) in its favour. The notification of election is yet to be made and parties and alliances are still being broken and forged but a section of the film industry has already declared its manifesto and is indulging in dog-whistle politics.

A far cry from the stated credo of inclusivity defined by sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas, historical events, it seems, are being skewed to fit a particular communal narrative by dividing communities into monolithic groups of heroes and villains based on religious and ideological identity. The spaces and issues that are contested or have existed for years in a grey zone are being insidiously turned into a black-and-white contrast that suits a political narrative.

The chronology of the release dates tells a story. Since January, every other week we have a film that reflects the ruling dispensation’s thrust on a contentious issue, stated or otherwise. Hrithik Roshan’s Fighter took a shot at the promised Akhand Bharat while reimagining the Pulwama attack and the subsequent Balakot strike. Yami Gautam’s Article 370 explained the government’s vision of Naya Kashmir where peace is earned through the bullet and not negotiated through the back channel diplomacy. This week, Adah Sharma’s Bastar: The Naxal Story is holding left liberals, which the party leaders often describe as urban Naxals, to account for the Maoist insurgency.

A poster for ‘Bastar: The Naxal Story’

A poster for ‘Bastar: The Naxal Story’

This idea of finding the enemy within is taking another shape in the form of the upcoming film JNU whose provocative poster made it to social media this week where a reputed Central university’s name is mischievously expanded as Jahangir National University — a centre of education that promotes anti-national ideas, teases the poster. The university is being repeatedly used to get even with political opponents with hardly any creative filters.

Then, The Sabarmati Report will unravel in the first week of May when the political temperature is expected to be peaking. In a statement, the makers said that the film narrates a story of events that took place in The Sabarmati Express on the morning of February 27, 2002, near the Godhra railway station in Gujarat. Before that Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad backed by a BJP politician and set against the blood-soaked backdrop of Hyderabad’s merger with India, is striking a disconcerting tone against a religion with its trailer.

Changing ecosystem

Apart from seeing controversial issues and events in a ‘new’ light, an attempt is being made to put one source of light against the other to provide ideological muscle to the claims. It started with Rajkumar Santoshi’s Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh, where Gandhi was charged with appeasement and Godse had the last word.

It continued this year with Pankaj Tripathi’s Main Atal Hoon, a sanitised biopic of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and is now ready to take the next level with Randeep Hooda’s Swatantra Veer Savarkar that seems keen on whitewashing the conflicted personality and legacy of a freedom fighter who wrote multiple mercy petitions to the colonial power and accepted a pension from those he once fought against. Unlike Gandhi, Savarkar believed in the power of cinema, and, ironically, decades after his death, the medium is being used to help him scale Gandhian stature.

Randeep Hooda in ‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar’

Randeep Hooda in ‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar’

There is a concerted effort to correct the ecosystem which the right-leaning influencers in the film industry say hasn’t changed as much as they wanted it to in the last ten years. They see it as an ideological shift and put it under the umbrella of freedom of speech, a counter view that was allegedly suppressed when film folks saw the world from the prism of bhaichara (brotherhood) or Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (syncretic culture), euphemisms for appeasement politics.

However, in the real world, the Prime Minister still takes G-20 leaders to pay floral tributes at the Gandhi Samadhi. The new ecosystem speaks with a forked tongue. Replying to an RTI query, the Home Ministry said it didn’t have any information about urban naxals or their activities.

We saw a similar but limited attempt without much box-office success before the 2019 polls as well but the new variants are a lot more technically polished and emotionally manipulative in putting the point across. Also, they are being headlined by competent actors such as Hrithik Roshan, Randeep Hooda, and Yami Gautam and are backed by producers for whom it is proving to be a safe proposition.

Investing in political narratives

As the industry means business, producers are investing in political narratives after seeing the box-office success of The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story. They feel there is a mass that wants to see the dramatic representation of what is dog-whistled at political rallies and newsroom debates and give the crude WhatsApp chats a creative shape. For the foot soldier, the advantage is that ‘suitable’ portions make it to reels to roll over the facts over and over again.

For instance, the Indian government had described the surgical strikes after Pulwama as a ‘non-military pre-emptive strike’ but Fighter frames it clearly as revenge. The Central Board Of Film Certification, until recently was very careful about how the Prime Minister is portrayed on the screen, let a declamatory statement like “Show them who is daddy” go in his name in Fighter.

At another level, it shows the makers like politicians don’t want the Pulwama episode and the Balakot strike to go off public memory. In 2019, we had Uri: The Surgical Strike on the same operation by the same producer. The difference is while the movie threatened home invasion, Fighter talked of the possibility of ‘India Occupied Pakistan’. Telugu film Operation Valentine also milked the same events with lesser intensity and craft. Curiously, the creative fraternity, like the ruling party, is silent on the martyrs of Galwan so far.

It is not that this polarising cinematic discourse is going uncontested. Dissent is taking allegorical shapes to avoid censorship. Last year, it was very much present in the measured subversion of Pathaan and Jawan while Afwaah and Bheed measured the impact of disinformation. The surge in films around the 1971 war and Indian intelligence officers’ exploits in Pakistan ended up endorsing the view that India had a well-endowed chest before 2014 as well.

Ae Watan Mere Watan, a Karan Johar production, releasing on an OTT platform next week documents the sacrifices the youth made to win us free speech. Based on the life of Usha Mehta, the freedom fighter who ran the secret Congress Radio during the Quit India Movement to take the message of the incarcerated Congress leadership to the people, the film will see socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia who has hardly been discussed in popular culture. Not to forget, Devashish Makhija’s Joram evocatively talks of the deliberate invisibilisation of tribals in the name of development and Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies cleverly delivers a political punch on social hypocrisy by stimulating those who seek a ban on hijab to look within.

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‘Article 370’ Review: Yami Gautam-starrer Is High on Action, Low on Nuance

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Article 370 ends with a choice pick of headlines, showing Kashmir as a Utopia after the abrogation of Article 370 that accorded special status to Jammu & Kashmir. This neatly ties up the politics of the entire film and the half-hearted attempt at nuance. 

A still from Article 370.

The film, at first, is led by two women – intelligence officer Zooni Haksar (Yami Gautam Dhar) and the joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s office Rajeshwari (Priya Mani). They both believe that abrogation of Article 370 will solve all of Kashmir’s problems – we never get any acknowledgment of actual dissent; everything is easily conflated with terrorism and ‘misguided youth’ (something like the Palestinian intifada could happen here, a character warns, with little to no effort to actually delve into what that means). 

The word ‘stone-pelter’ is frequently thrown around and accusations of them being ‘paid’ come soon after. But this is, after all, a fictional film as the disclaimer tells you. That is probably why a journalist can fearlessly question the ruling party without any fear of repercussions (India ranked 161 of 180 in 2023 in the Press Freedom Index). 

A still from Article 370.

There is one scene where an elderly man asks Zooni to not punish the entirety of Kashmir for the actions of a few – an interesting commentary against collective punishment rears its head only to get lost in the rest of the film’s politics. To its credit, the film frequently points out that civilians shouldn’t be harmed – that their safety is paramount. Whatever the ground reality be, the sentiment is sound. 

But, I digress. Zooni is as you would expect her to be in the political-action-thriller genre – she flouts her superior’s orders and carries out a raid that ends in the encounter of a militant Burhan Wani. His death triggers violence in the valley but the only thing Zooni regrets doing is ‘returning the body’. You would think that at this point we would get glimpses of the people of Jammu & Kashmir – well, keep wishing.

A still from Article 370.

Rajeshwari meets Zooni and believes that she is the best person to lead the mission to ensure that the abrogation of Article 370 does not lead to unrest in the valley. She does, of course, have personal stakes in the abrogation – she blames the special status provision for the lack of investigation into a scam that led to her father’s death. Does the film try to examine how this makes her a non-objective narrator? 

A still from Article 370.

Article 370’s strength doesn’t come from an understanding of its subject. Instead, it comes from the way the film is made. Seeing two women in power navigate what is clearly a high-stakes mission is interesting – it also helps that both actors are clearly giving their best. The film, directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, gives its female characters their due – they are given the space to be the heroes of their own story (for the most part). 

There is no space for them to rely on their male counterparts or unnecessary segues into love stories – they’re just incredibly powerful women on a mission. Like the film’s producer Aditya Dhar’s directorial Uri, Article 370 is well-made, the hammy background score aside. It makes the paperwork seem as interesting as the action sequences, the camera constantly on the move to properly capture it all. 

A still from Article 370.

Considering that the film is clearly a celebration of the Article 370 abrogation, there is little to no stakes to worry about though (and stakes are something you wish to see in a ‘fictional film’ such as this). When Zooni and her team enter rooms, armed and ready, no matter how many guns blaze and no matter how many shells litter the floor, you know who will emerge victorious. 

A librarian who views two people with skepticism will obviously keep taking them at their word…right? It all feels too convenient even as the background score pushes you to sit at the edge of your seat. Mostly, the film’s dialogues are devoid of the jingoism we’ve come to expect from the genre if the past few films have been any indication. The acting too, holds the film together.

Yami Gautam’s character Zooni, a Kashmiri Pandit, has her own emotional connection to the valley. As part of the mission, she now also has professional stakes there. The way the actor balances these two aspects of her character is commendable.

Through her, the film does attempt to take a look at the merits and demerits of back-channel diplomacy. Article 370 also doesn’t go down the route of using double agents for shock value – instead it attempts to look at the mechanism. Separatist movements are touched upon and local political leadership is questioned but this questioning lens never shifts to Delhi. But it is still one of the other few instances where the film uses nuance. 

A still from Article 370.

Once lookalikes of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister (mostly unnamed characters played by Arun Govil and Kiran Karmakar respectively) enter the screen, we find out who the real heroes of the film are. The hero worship is evident, the hagiography is imminent. To the film’s credit, the journalist Brinda Ghosh (Iravati Harshe) constantly questions the government’s decisions regarding Kashmir on prime-time (maybe the film is actually fiction huh?). She brings up human rights violations and civilian injuries from pellet guns to point out a few things.

She and the Opposition leader even get the chance to criticise the internet shutdowns in the valley, questioning where acts such as that fall in the fabric of a democracy. 

After recreating the horrific events of the Pulwama attack, an angered Zooni rushes into another intelligence operative’s office to question him about his methods. The film hints at oversight from within the intelligence ranks playing a part in the security breach. 

A still from Article 370.

There are parts in the film where it tries to dabble in complexity – from the way the character of Khawar Ali (Arjun) is written to providing moments of introspection to Zooni’s ally in the mission. 

But all of it is bulldozed by the hero worship. Even as the journalist continues to question the government’s methods, she soon becomes a character to be outsmarted for the greater good. Even as the Opposition gets a voice in the Rajya Sabha (swiftly pointing out that everyone but Kashmir is represented in the Parliament while decisions about their lives are being taken), it is clear whose side the audience is supposed to take. 

The Home Minister (in the film, of course) is given the one-liners and the punches – they’re on the winning side. Everything else is just details. 

A still from Article 370.

Article 370 does borrow heavily from real-life events (it is already clearly milking the ‘any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental’ bit to its limit). The film also has a reference to a harrowing incident from 2017 where a Kashmiri man was tied to the front of an Indian Army Jeep as a human shield. In Article 370, the man is a double agent and Zooni later soothes the officer’s conscience by assuring him that he did no wrong. 

Ah, the film’s release is probably just a coincidence isn’t it? It’s all a convenient coincidence…perhaps.

Food for thought: Have we as a country, the home to Bollywood (and now a brilliant pan-Indian pantheon of cinema), really reached a place where we think films are ‘just watched for fun’? Have we forgotten that Indian cinema was the place where filmmakers would make films about dissent, rising poverty, the cruelty of the feudal system – all because cinema matters? Can we view a film like Article 370 and ignore its messaging? Think, ponder. 

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Morning Digest: August 9, 2023

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Manipur Police register criminal case against Assam Rifles

In an unprecedented move, the Manipur Police have registered a criminal case against the Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary force in the country, for “obstruction of duty” and “criminal intimidation”. The police have accused the personnel of the 9th battalion of the Assam Rifles of the “arrogant act” of “giving a chance to the accused Kuki militants to escape freely to a safe zone”. The Assam Rifles has been under continuous attack from Meitei civil society groups and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs in the valley since the start of ethnic violence on May 3, which has claimed more than 150 lives.

Defence Ministry to switch to locally built OS Maya amid threats

In the face of increasing cyber and malware attacks on defence as well as critical infrastructure across the country, the Defence Ministry has decided to replace the Microsoft Operating System (OS) in all computers connected to the Internet with a new OS, Maya, based on open-source Ubuntu developed locally. “Maya has the interface and all functionality like Windows and users will not feel much difference as they transition to it. To begin with, the direction is to install Maya on all computers connected to the Internet in South Block before August 15,” one official involved in the process said. In addition, an ‘end point detection and protection system’, Chakravyuh, is also being installed in these systems.

Resolution in Kerala Assembly seeks to scrap plan for UCC

The Kerala Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a unanimous resolution demanding that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government abandon the polarising move to draft a Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tabled the politically consequential motion that has an immediate bearing on preserving the personal laws that govern marriage, divorce, inheritance, and succession of minority community members, chiefly Muslims. Notably, Christians, especially Catholics, accept canon laws as personal laws.

Bilkis Bano case: Supreme Court says public outcry will not affect its judicial decision

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said public outcry will not affect its judicial decision while hearing petitions challenging the remission granted by the Gujarat Government in August 2022 to 11 life convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case. “Public outcry will not affect our judicial decisions. We will consider only legal submissions. Suppose there is no public outcry, are we supposed to uphold the order? If there is a public outcry, does it mean it is a wrong order?” a Bench headed by Justice B.V. Nagarathna addressed advocate Shobha Gupta, appearing for Ms. Bano.

BJP leader accused of humiliating Muslim youth

A Muslim youth was allegedly forced to lick his spit by former BJP MLA Devendra Kunwar in Dumka district of Jharkhand. A video of the purported incident, which took place on August 6, is circulating on social media in which the former MLA from Jarmundi is seen making the youth do sit-ups, forcing to lick his spit and kicking him on his back. The victim, Taufiq Ansari, is a resident of Sadhudih village. On Sunday afternoon, the villagers caught him and brought him to the panchayat, accusing him of taking photographs and videos of women bathing in a river in Naunihat.

Retired judges are not colleagues, their opinions not binding, says CJI on Ranjan Gogoi’s remarks

Retired judges are no longer “colleagues” and their opinions are not binding, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said on Tuesday, in reaction to the statement by former top judge and current Rajya Sabha member, Ranjan Gogoi, about the ”doubtful jurisprudence” of the Basic Structure of the Constitution. The Chief Justice was responding to senior advocate Kapil Sibal’s reference to the statement made by Mr. Gogoi in Parliament on August 7.

Opposition MPs stall Lok Sabha proceedings over Sansad TV scroll on PM Modi government’s achievements

Opposition members in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday stalled proceedings for over 10 minutes during the debate on the no-confidence motion after some of them objected to a scroll that was appearing on the bottom of the screen of Sansad TV. BSP member Danish Ali accused Sansad TV of showcasing “achievements of the Modi government”. He added that it was “unprecedented to highlight a government’s work against whom a no-confidence motion has been brought in by the Opposition”.

With the Delhi Services Bill out of the way, Opposition and government in no-holds barred battle in the Rajya Sabha

With the Delhi Services Bill out of the way, it was a no-holds barred battle in the Upper House on August 8. Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar first announced Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’ Brien’s suspension for disregarding his directions, but later dropped the matter altogether. This kept the House engaged for the best part of the pre-lunch session. The Opposition also submitted a notice to move a privilege motion against the Leader of the House, Piyush Goyal, for calling them (the Opposition) “traitors”. By all indications, the Rajya Sabha will see a high voltage exchange in its last three sittings of the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.

Why no disaggregated data on tribal populations, asks House panel

A Parliamentary Committee on the empowerment of women on August 8 tabled a report in the House, which pulled up the Union government for not having disaggregated data on the health conditions of tribal populations in the country and called for extensive data collection in this regard. The panel also called for a review in the Allocation of Business Rules so that the Tribal Affairs Ministry can be empowered to appropriately plan resources for tribal welfare in sectors like health, education, nutrition, skill development and livelihood.

Filmmaker Siddique passes away

Popular filmmaker Siddique, 68, who suffered a heart attack on August 7, died in Kochi on August 8, 2023. The death occurred around 9.10 p.m at the Amrita hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment for liver-related ailments over the last one month. His condition had worsened on Monday. Doctors had put him on ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) support. He is survived by wife, Shajitha, and three daughters.

BJP says doors are open after RLD chief misses RS voting on Delhi services Bill

The absence of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary from the Rajya Sabha during the debate and voting on the Delhi services Bill on Monday has led to a buzz over his association with the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The RLD on Tuesday played down the incident and cited the health condition of Mr. Chaudhary’ wife as the reason behind his absence from the House. It maintained that the party was part of INDIA and was in coalition with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh.

After clashes, garment and leather units in Manesar hub face acute shortage of workers

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, mostly in garments and leather goods space, in Manesar Industrial Model Township have been battling a shortage of workforce, with several of their employees from the religious minority having returned to homes amid fear and uncertainty in the wake of the communal clashes in South Haryana last week. “Almost half of my 60-odd employees belonged to religious minorities and have left since the clashes broke out. There was a sense of fear, and in some cases the landlords, fearing a backlash, asked them to vacate the premises,” said Manmohan Gaind, Chief Executive Officer, M. M. Creations, which makes couture clothing and home furnishings.

WI vs India, 3rd T20I | Suryakumar back to best as India keep series alive with seven-wicket win

Suryakumar Yadav was back to his disdainful best as India stayed alive in the series with a seven-wicket win over the West Indies in the third T20I here on Tuesday. West Indies skipper Rovman Powell’s whirlwind 40 not out off 19 balls pushed the hosts to 159 for five after Kuldeep Yadav (3/28) stemmed the flow of runs in the middle overs. Debutant Yashavi Jaiswal (1) and Shubman Gill (6) got out cheaply in run chase before Suryakumar came up with a special 83 off 44 balls to help India gun down the target in 17.5 overs.

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