Bollypolitics: Popular Hindi Cinema and Hindutva

(Hardback)

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This book provides an in-depth exploration of the evolving landscape of Bollywood cinema in response to recent socio-political changes in India, including a surge in sectarian violence and the ascent of Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Through a comprehensive analysis of prominent filmmakers and actors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Kangana Ranaut, Akshay Kumar, and Anupam Kher, Ajay Gehlawat investigates the extent to which their recent works align with key tenets of the Hindutva movement. He scrutinizes the growing influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on film production, manifesting in collaborations covering diverse themes, from Modi's Clean India initiative to the nation's space exploration endeavors and grand historical epics such as Padmaavat (2018) and Manikarnika (2019) that seek to reshape Indian history in line with Hindutva ideology. Gehlawat goes on to dissect smaller budget films like Article 15 (2019) and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020), which tackle pressing social issues like caste-based violence and homophobia exacerbated by the surge in right-wing extremism in India. In doing so, he elucidates the profound and far-reaching impact of Hindutva ideology on Indian cinematic narratives and aesthetics, while also considering the broader implications for Indian society as a whole.

Reviews

BollyPolitics is a compelling and contemporary critical reading of key Bollywood films and protagonists in the context of Indias political landscape and leadership. As insightful and revealing the book is about the workings of popular cinema, it is equally telling of the production of culture, representation and identities under particular political maneuvers. -- Rajinder Dudrah, Birmingham City University, UK
This powerful ethnographic study of the Bollywood milieu is the first major work to capture the intimate ties between the Hindi film industry and the right-wing Hindu regime that now rules India. Through close readings of some crucial promoters and victims of this alignment, Gehlawat's story makes a chilling argument about the capture of an entertainment medium by a larger political regime of icons, images and narratives. -- Arjun Appadurai, NYU, USA

Author Bio

Ajay Gehlawat is Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Theatre and Film at Sonoma State University, USA. He is author of Twenty-First Century Bollywood (2015) and Reframing Bollywood (2010). He is the editor of The Slumdog Phenomenon (2013) and co-editor of The Evolution of Song and Dance in Hindi Cinema (2019).