As India’s election nears, some Bollywood films promote Modi politics by embracing Hindu nationalism

By SHEIKH SAALIQ
Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — A cluster of Bollywood films based on polarizing issues that promote Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s Hindu nationalist agenda are coming out. It’s just weeks until a national vote that will determine the political direction of the country. Some of these films have been accused of stoking Hindu nationalism at a time when India has seen its religious rifts reemerge. Under Modi’s rule, many filmmakers have embraced inflammatory plots and themes. Various films have been made on bygone Hindu kings extolling their bravery, with Muslim rulers as villains. Boisterous and action-filled movies about the Indian Army have become box office successes. And political dramas and biopics that eulogize Hindu nationalists and leaders from Modi’s party are the norm.