ISLAMABAD: Congress’ National spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed renewed scrutiny of alleged RSS backing for propaganda-style films in an X post, on Thursday.

Dr. Shama said producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah had “openly admitted” that the RSS supported “Kerala Story 2” and arguing that this showed the organisation had backed a film meant to defame Kerala.

Her post brought fresh attention to a wider debate over how the BJP and the RSS ecosystem support politically aligned cinema through ideological links, endorsements, tax breaks and promotion.

At least ten films have been produced or directed by individuals linked to the BJP, the RSS, or affiliated Hindutva organisations, an Indian news outlet, The Quint, reported on Friday.

The films named in the report include The Kerala Story, The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond, Bastar: The Naxal Story, Razakar, Swatantra Veer Savarkar, PM Narendra Modi, Accident or Conspiracy: Godhra, Bengal 1947, The Accidental Prime Minister, and Jahangir National University.

One of the most striking claims in that report concerns producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah. The Quint said Shah acknowledged at the 2023 World Hindu Congress that The Kerala Story could not have been made without RSS “guidance and support.” The report said he described the RSS as the film’s “guardian angels.”

Political endorsement has also come from the top. Reuters reported that Indian PM Narendra Modi publicly praised The Kashmir Files in 2022. BJP-ruled states then moved to make the film tax-free, helping widen its reach.

A similar pattern was seen with The Kerala Story and Article 370. NDTV reported that BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh made The Kerala Story tax-free. NDTV also reported that the BJP government in Chhattisgarh made Article 370 tax-free.

Taken together, the reporting suggests these films are not just cultural products. They are increasingly part of a political ecosystem where cinema, ideology, and state patronage intersect.

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Scrutiny grows over BJP-RSS backing of propaganda films