Explore the intriguing world of nationalist cinema in India, a genre that has been used as a tool for propaganda. This deep dive uncovers how cinema has been manipulated to promote narratives, particularly those of Hindu nationalism. The films often portray the Hindu nationalist state as the hero, with dissenting individuals or 'rogue' nations as the enemy. This trend is not new, with roots tracing back to the early 20th century. However, the caution once exercised has given way to blatant propaganda. Despite commercial failures, filmmakers persist in their mission to 'correct' perceptions and rewrite history. This exploration also delves into the ideology of national parties like the Congress and BJP, revealing how cinema and politics intertwine in the context of the upcoming general elections. Join us as we navigate the complexities of history, propaganda, and ideologies in the realm of Indian cinema.
#Nationalism #Propaganda #Cinema #HinduNationalism #IndianPolitics
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#Nationalism #Propaganda #Cinema #HinduNationalism #IndianPolitics
Read Article: https://www.outlookindia.com/national/amplified-nationalism-through-cinema
Follow us:
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Outlook brings to you excerpts from its latest issue titled Cinema Politico.
00:06 The issue explores politics and cinema and the ever blurring lines between the two.
00:12 Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a slew of propaganda movies have hit the big screen and OTT platforms amid much criticism and approach,
00:22 while many more films are slated to release in the coming weeks stirring even a bigger debate.
00:28 The latest issue of Outlook looks at the genre of nationalist and propaganda films in the Indian context
00:35 and also continues with the exploration of the ideology question in the context of upcoming general elections.
00:42 Both themes are contextual and linked in many ways.
00:47 In the introduction titled Amplified Nationalism, editor Chinke Sinha writes, quoting John Saunders from the braindead megaphone,
00:56 "But if we define the megaphone as the composite of the hundreds of voices we hear each day that come to us from people we don't know via high-tech sources,
01:06 it's clear that a significant and ascendant component of that voice has become bottom-dwelling, shrill, incurious, ranting and agenda-driven.
01:16 It strives to antagonise us, make us feel anxious, ineffective and alone,
01:22 convince us that the world is full of enemies and of people stupider and less agreeable than ourselves,
01:30 is dedicated to the idea that outside the sphere of our immediate experience, the world works in a different, more hostile, less knowable manner.
01:41 This braindead tendency is viral and manifests intermittently.
01:46 While it is in the blood, in the veins of some of our media figures, it flickers on and off in others.
01:54 For a long time now, we have been submerged in nationalistic zingoism and propaganda of the kind that is ambitious enough to attempt a disintegration of history itself.
02:06 The megaphone cinema, as I call it, is part of the machinery that feeds itself with a version of history
02:13 that can be fictionalised and edited to suit a particular mood and serve a particular time or promote a set of narratives that include Hindu nationalism.
02:24 The amplification is too much.
02:26 The new propagandists imagine themselves as influencers, as those who rectify and serve the new emergent super-nation
02:35 that is trying to assert its glorious past, rooted in the Ram Rajya and then in the independence movement
02:42 and now in the showcasing of Hindu nationalism that is benevolent and yet has been denied its rightful place.
02:50 In these times, this Hindu nationalist state is the hero.
02:54 The rest all are in supporting roles.
02:57 The enemy is always the rogue nation that threatens the unity and the integrity of the state or the dissenting individuals within,
03:06 who don't agree with the majoritarian politics or see the dangers of the alienation of others.
03:12 In any case, manipulation via cinema is not a new phenomenon in terms of promoting certain ideologies depending on who is in power.
03:21 It all started in the early 20th century. Propaganda is never accidental.
03:27 But then it still exercised some caution.
03:30 Now, there isn't much room for anything except blatant propaganda.
03:35 Many of these films have not done well commercially.
03:38 Only a few have.
03:40 But that hasn't deterred the filmmakers from marking themselves as those who want to be correcting perceptions
03:47 and even history by taking all kinds of liberties and even imagining themselves as doing an act of service
03:55 by making derogatory films about the minorities and being preposterous about branding them as factual.
04:02 In recent times, the genre has been used to promote a framework for a new kind of patriotism,
04:08 riding the wave of anti-colonialism at first and continuing to do so while also marking any others,
04:15 particularly minorities, as enemies of the nation that will stress on the public to forego neutrality
04:22 when viewing history from a different perspective.
04:25 Propaganda films are a whole genre and in India, the growing trend of making biopics of slain Hindu heroes
04:33 or telling one-sided stories that influence the perception of the Hindutva ideology are,
04:39 in fact, simplistic and reductive in their messaging.
04:42 And history is always complex.
04:45 This is the retelling of history from the Hindu nationalist viewpoint.
04:49 And the lead-up to the general elections that begin this month includes a bunch of films over the years
04:55 ranging from epic war films and historical films that glorify and romanticize the Hindu pride
05:02 to the ones that are rooted in recent history or controversies like the Kashmir Files or the Kerala Story
05:09 or Jahangir National University.
05:11 They are embedded with the system and immersed and soaked in Hindu nationalism.
05:17 They polarize. They divide.
05:20 The makers indulge in othering.
05:22 This issue of outlook looks at the genre of nationalist and propaganda cinema in the Indian context
05:29 and also continues with the exploration of the ideology question when it comes to the national parties
05:35 like the Congress and the BJP in the context of the upcoming general elections.
05:40 Both the themes are contextual and linked in many ways.
05:45 Both are about propaganda and ideologies.
05:48 Both are about brain-dead megaphones.
05:51 Too much noise, too much amplification, too many dangers.
05:56 For this and more, read the latest issue of Outlook.