MUMBAI: Critics argue Bollywood is increasingly producing polarizing films aligned with the ideology of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist government, using cinema's unrivalled mass reach to shape public sentiment.
"These days film themes also depend upon who is ruling at the center -- Hindu wave, propaganda ... all these are big factors that filmmakers cash in on," said movie business analyst Atul Mohan, editor of film trade magazine Complete Cinema.
Films that center on geopolitical conflict, internal enemies, and heroic masculinity now dominate mainstream Hindi cinema, reflecting both the political mood and the economics of theatrical survival.
Last year's action thriller "Dhurandhar," meaning "formidable," leaned heavily on hyper-nationalist tropes of Indian agents, and became one of 2025's highest-grossing films.
Its sequel, "Dhurandhar 2," starring Ranveer Singh again, is set for release in March.
'Gratuitous violence'
Veteran Delhi-based film critic Arnab Banerjee said political messaging now outweighs craftsmanship.
"It is not the quality of the film that matters today; it is propaganda films that are working," said Banerjee.
"The mood of the nation is such that people are lapping up these subjects. Pakistan-bashing and references to enemy countries are being accepted without questioning."
"The mood of the nation is such that people are lapping up these subjects. Pakistan-bashing and references to enemy countries are being accepted without questioning."
Banerjee also criticised what he called an excess of "gratuitous violence," arguing that "it is social media hype that is deciding the film's fate."
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