Representation of Political Ideology Through Bollywood Movies: a Critical Study of the Movie “Uri- the Surgical Strike”
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Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Representation of Political Ideology through Bollywood Movies: A Critical Study of the Movie “Uri- The Surgical Strike” Bharat Banga1, Dr. Vaishali Kapoor2 1Research Scholar, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Manipal University, Jaipur, Rajasthan-303007. 2Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan-303007. Abstract This critical study attempts to explore the representation of political ideology through Bollywood movies with special reference of the blockbuster movie “Uri: The Surgical Strike”. Political messages in the majority of the Bollywood films are cloaked within entertainment. With the aim of conveying their messages to the public, movies use interesting and thrilling plots blended with political content. Films also construct the political ideology in addition to reflecting reality. “Uri: The Surgical Strike” is one of the best movies of 2019 based on the political ideology. Generally, the audience is oblivious to the degree to which they are being managed, manipulated, and conditioned by the political ideology discourses in the movies. This research tries to carry out the critical analysis of the 3rd highest grossing Bollywood film of 2019, “Uri: The Surgical Strike”. The present critical study tried to represent the political ideology concealed in the movie. The study also attempts to explore how politics and entertainment are merged together in the movie and persuade the public opinion. The movie is based on the surgical raids performed in 2016 by “the Indian army” against militant launching pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). The critical study of the film will help in exploring the representation of political ideology in the movie. The Bollywood movies seem to have woken up to making movies on the real stories, the writers and directors well execute the cinematography to represent the political ideology in the movie. Keywords: Political ideology, Critical study, Uri: The Surgical Strike, Bollywood. Volume XII, Issue III, 2020 Page No: 2889 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Introduction A political ideology can be defined as a set of values, ideas, beliefs, and opinions, which exhibit a persistent pattern, which intentionally and involuntarily competes to provide action plans for the formulation of public policies, in order to rationalize, clarify and contest, or alter the political and social processes and arrangements of a political group (Freeden et al., 2001). Politics as a fundamental entity in highly politicized and democratic state like India has its influence, impact, and discourse on all social classes in this country. Cinema has a great influence on our society and shapes our shared inner consciousness as the vital life of this country. The present study attempts to perform a critical analysis of the Bollywood movie" Uri: The Surgical Strike" to explore the representation of political ideology in the film and how the political ideology in the film together with entertainment influence public opinion. The movie “Uri: The Surgical Strike”, is based on surgical raids performed in 2016 by “the Indian army” against militant launching pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). According to reports, 35-50 terrorists were killed in the covert operation in retribution for “the Uri terrorist attack” in which nineteen of the Indian soldiers were martyred. Subsequently, Pakistan denied the incident (Vyavahare, 2019). The film story is based on a true incident of surgical strike by India. On September 29, 2016, the Indian army carried out a surgical attack along the border between India and Pakistan. The Indian mainstream media followed the event with assertive nationalist rhetoric. What should have been a covert military operation against terrorism has become a political rhetoric aggravated by the unjustified jingoism of television news and social networks. The coverage of the strike in television news is typically characterized by the ideological labeling of specific communities and a confluence of militant nationalist speeches (Pandit & Chattopadhyay, 2018). As influential and important aspects of our society, Cinema and Politics have several kinds of impacts. These two have the capability and capacity to influence each-other. These two, together become more influential in representing the ideology behind the story of the movie. As cinema has its own construction, meaning making process, pattern, structure, style and form for depiction and reflection, this study has focused on these cinematic considerations and its interaction with current political discourse. Volume XII, Issue III, 2020 Page No: 2890 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 It’s no wonder that when Bollywood movies became one of the most important expressions of Indian popular culture in the 20th century and continued till today, they couldn’t escape the narrative landscape of democratic politics that unfolded in the later half of the century. If not for anything else, the inextricable links of politics and its cast of characters with everyday India make it too visible to escape the attention of Bollywood’s sense of histrionic-laden storytelling and contemporary commentary. From its origin, the modern Hindi cinema of the 21st century has its own political debate and discourse legacy. Because in our struggle for freedom, after freedom with Nehruism, its disillusionment with promises, which represents frustration and anger with its central focus on entertainment. In seven decades since Independence, the Hindi silver screen’s encounters with political churning in the country have ranged from fleeting glimpses to intense themes. Sometimes it has given impressions of a dabbling dilettante, sometimes that of an engaged chronicler, and sometimes that of an involved commentator. There are identifiable fragments of political India in Hindi cinema. If we take a look at the post-Independence period, what would be worth probing is whether political drama has carved a niche for itself as a regularly-visited genre in Hindi cinema. What we are more likely to come across more often is the weaving of the political as a subtext, or even footnotes, to the narrative canvas of Hindi films. As the leading site of people’s entertainment of a young republic, it put some bits of key political conversations of the times. While doing so, it ensured the political animal was enjoyable, in its storytelling and the songs it hummed. Cinema and Politics are weird bedmates. Although some of our greatest movies have managed to hold a mirror to the country's political underbelly, others have fallen victim to the anger of some powerful politicians. Political parties often try to take advantage of a film's popularity. Likewise, the film released delved in the political debate is Shoojit Sircar's “Madras Café”, based on the civil war in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s. Colloquially known as "Bollywood", the Hindi commercial cinema is now a focus of growing interest, both among film and media professors and in the intellectual society. Skillfully choreographed dances, touching music, aesthetically pleasing and luxurious attires and decorations and sensational characters and plots have attracted the interest of new and wide viewers and, together, have lead to literature that seeks to clarify the recognition of Bollywood movies. Lately, several book length studies and dozens of scholarly and journalistic articles (Nadeem, 2009)(Ramnarine, T.K, 2011)(Rasul et al, 2011)(Chaturvedi, R., Kumar, C. M., & Mehrotra, S, 2014)have presented fascinating textual analysis of various Volume XII, Issue III, 2020 Page No: 2891 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Hindi movie facets ranging from politics, culture and nationalism to the “nature of the hero” and “role of women”. In the past, though, textual studies argue that Bollywood movies are based on master narratives of “good versus evil” in epics, are pre-realistic, irrational, spectacular, based on emotions, formulas, escapists, patriarchal and/or ultranationalists and on general politically reactionary (cf. Dasgupta 1991, Rangoonwala1975). But now, despite this the makers have focused on the realism in the story and they never hesitate to choose story based on real incidences with political background. Such movies like “Uri: The Surgical Strike, Madras Café, The Accidental Prime Minister” etc. are the great examples of movies with the background of political ideology. Objectives 1) To explore the representation of political ideology through Bollywood movies. 2) To critically analyze representation of political ideology in the movie ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’. 3) To study the role of Bollywood movies as device to not only imitate reality but also raise the political ideology. Literature Review Bollywood films play an important role in the national identity negotiation. For decades, the Indian expatriate served as a counterexample to suitable behavior, a living proof of inadequacy. In the mid-90s, after the liberalization of the Indian financial system, the rise of Hindu nationalism, and the advent of a multiple urban middle class, the stereotype was reversed. In the 90s, the liberalization of the Indian economy, the rise of Hindu nationalism, and the renewed liking of the Indian middle class for cinemas, which were earlier abandoned for home entertainment, created more production