Lights, Camera, Polls

Meaningful political films centred on elections can be commerical successes. So why has Bollywood, over the decades, failed to capture its nuances?

- Tanul Thakur

ON 13 September 2023, around two mon ths before the state Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, a new ‘‘film poster’’ appeared across Bhopal. It featured a man wearing military camouflage—his face and wrists wrapped in bandages—bearing stark similarities to Shah Rukh Khan in the poster of Jawan. A close look though revealed three key differences. First, the man on the poster: not Khan but Kamal Nath, the state’s ex-chief minister. Then, the movie’s name, Corruption ka Haiwan, followed by the director’s: “Corruptionnath”.

Since Indian politics can be more melodramatic than Bollywood melodramas, this wasn’t their only recent interaction. On the same day, talking to a reporter, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “Have you seen Jawan? In it, Shah Rukh Khan says to not give votes on the basis of caste and religion, instead ask the politicians if they’d give good education and medical care. Only the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) asks for votes on the promise of providing education to children.” If these two examples (out of many) show how Indian politicians appropriate Hindi cinema, then its filmmakers have returned the favour with similar flair, making enough movies on politicians, where the nuances of their origins—the electoral process—is missing.

This lack seems surprising. Bollywood directors have obsessed over (corrupt) politicians for long and the narrative of an Indian election—blending rivalries, chaos, and victors—has an in-built three-act structure, packing in enough ‘