There is something both ignorant and fraudulent about the debate surrounding Bollywood’s position in this general election.
Ever since such film world veterans as Salim Khan praised Narendra Modi and another group of film industry luminaries signed a letter about the threat to Indian secularism, the mainstream media have acted as though a cow has suddenly jumped over the moon.
Oh my God, they chant. Bollywood has political views! Wow! We thought these guys were only interested in money and glamour. Who would have imagined that these filmis have any interest in national affairs?
The debate is marked by ignorance because Bollywood has been politically active almost from the time that India became independent – and long before the term Bollywood was coined. And it is fraudulent because many of the journalists and television channels that are facilitating this debate know that film industry professionals have consistently propounded political views. But they pretend that this is a new development because then, it becomes newsworthy and it is easier to manufacture a studio discussion.
Besides, the whole do-Bollywood-people-know-anything-about-politics campaign is patronizing and offensive. Why should we assume that people in the film industry are stupid? Why should we act so surprised when they express political opinions? And why should we condescend to give them a little bit of ‘glamour coverage’ when they stand for election? Film industry professionals are as intelligent as professionals in any other field. And they have a perfect right to take political stands.
In case you’ve been fooled by all the propaganda about Bollywood’s aversion to politics through the ages, here are a few facts. Throughout the 1950s, three of India’s top stars – Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand – consistently campaigned for the Congress party and had the ear of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. In the post-Nehru era, many of them broke with the Congress but maintained their political links. In 1967, when the Congress denied V.K. Krishna Menon the nomination for his north Bombay seat, Menon stood as an Independent against the official Congress candidate. Half of Bollywood, led by Dilip Kumar, turned out to campaign for him.
These connections continued through the 70s but by then the film industry was less keen on the Congress. Dev Anand and his brothers gravitated towards the Jan Sangh. Newer stars moved with the spirit of the times. When the Emergency was declared, Amol Palekar and Shatrughan Sinha were notable dissenters. When Kishore Kumar refused to sing and dance to the tune of V.C. Shukla, the dictatorial I&B minister, he was punished by having his songs banned from All India Radio. When elections were declared, Shatrughan Sinha campaigned openly against the Congress. Some old Congress loyalists stuck to the Gandhis but found that the mood had changed. In 1977, Dilip Kumar campaigned in UP for Indira Gandhi. “Desh ki neta kaise ho?” he demanded of the crowd. “Saira Banu jaisi ho,” they shouted back.
| "Why don’t movie industry figures remind journalists that film stars were an integral part of Indian politics long before most of today’s journalists were born?" |
By 1979, with the Janata government in disarray and the prospect of Indira Gandhi’s return looming large, Dev Anand launched a political party called the National Party consisting largely of Bollywood notables. “It is time for us young people to get together and do something,” declared Anand, who was then nearly 60 himself. The party went nowhere. But what was significant was that the film industry believed that it could use its influence within the political sphere.
In 1984, stars were all over the place. Amitabh Bachchan stood from Allahabad and wiped out H.N. Bahuguna. Sunil Dutt joined politics and took on local favourite Ram Jethmalani in Bombay. Even Vyjanthimala emerged from retirement and won an election in Tamil Nadu.
Since then, Bollywood has never shied away from expressing political opinions. Rajesh Khanna stood for Parliament and won. Raj Babbar became a significant political figure in UP. Nana Patekar was regarded as a pillar of the Shiv Sena. Both Shatrughan Sinha and Vinod Khanna became ministers in the BJP government and the party nominated its loyalist, Dara Singh, to the Rajya Sabha. At the same time, other stars campaigned on behalf of the Left-liberal wing of Indian politics. By the early 90s, Shabana Azmi was already speaking out in Parliament.
I could go on and on. There are just so many instances of the intersection between the film industry and the world of politics that it would be easy to write a book on the subject. And yet, when a Kirron Kher stands for election or a few Bollywood figures sign a petition in favour of the secular alternative, the national media adopt an expression of amazement and wonder. Pointless debates are organized and patronizing questions are thrown at movie people.
Why does Bollywood stand for it? Why don’t movie industry figures remind journalists that film stars were an integral part of Indian politics long before most of today’s journalists were born?
I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because Bollywood has better manners than the media.
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