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Article 370 gears up for release; Madras Cafe to The Kashmir Files – 7 Bollywood films that dealt with sensitive political topics

As Article 370 is up for release this week, we look back at 7 films in the Hindi space that were made with a political conflict in the center and lapped up.

Shubham Kulkarni

Feb 21, 2024

Bollywood Films Based On Political Subjects

Cinema and the politics of the land go hand in hand. There is no way the two can be kept in separate boxes and expected to exist without each other. Politics enters the narrative as soon as one decides on the second name for a character at the script level, let alone proceeding to production. Films in the past few years have had several undertones of political chaos, and they have also managed to create multiple conversations. Now, whether they were all productive or just another baseless argument is very subjective. But many of them did set the ball rolling. Whether they were propaganda-driven, agenda-led, or trying to turn your focus towards a vital issue is for a viewer to judge.

Article 370, another feature film about the Kashmir conflict is ready to hit the theaters. Starring Yami Gautam and directed by Aditya Dhar, who also directed Uri: The Surgical Strike, the movie is set in Kashmir and talks about the conflict surrounding Article 370, which has been a highly sensitive issue in the politics of the region. So as the movie releases this week, we thought of compiling a list of movies that discuss some very sensitive political issues and did so in a way that sparked discussions.

Below are seven movies that had a very sensitive political topic at the center of it. We are not taking any sides with the compilation, and we are neither saying one of the ideologies is correct; we are only talking about movies that did create a very loud buzz.

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Madras Cafe (2013)

Cast: John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri, Raashi Khanna, and ensemble.
Director: Shoojit Sircar.
Streaming On: Netflix.

Shoojit Sircar took off to Sri Lanka to tell a story that was both haunting and a reminder of a very brutal civil war that existed around us. Madras Cafe sold as a fictional tale, reportedly depicted the events of Madras Cafe where the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka led to the assassination of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. The movie is told from the lens of an Indian intelligence agent and takes you to the land where the chaos unfolds. The movie did have some flaws but was a good example of how to handle such subjects.

The Kashmir Files (2022)

Cast: Darshan Kumar, Mithoon Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, and ensemble.
Director: Vivek Agnihotri.
Streaming On: Zee5.

You could be with or against this movie, but none of us can deny the impact that this Vivek Agnihotri directorial created with its release. The movie is about the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, which occurred in a very brutal manner according to the movie. While the movie was labeled propaganda by many, it still managed to make a massive collection not just at the domestic but also the global box office.

Kissaa Kursee Kaa (1977)

Cast: Shabana Azmi, Raj Babbar, Utpal Dutt, and ensemble.
Director: Amrit Nahata.
Streaming On: YouTube.

Amrit Nahata gave India one of the best political satires of all time. The movie looks at the politicians with greed in their eyes and sees the eccentricity they function with. With a stellar actor like Shabana Azmi at the center, Kissaa Kursee Kaa spoke to a very wide audience and is still one of the best in the genre.

The Kerala Story (2023)

Cast: Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and ensemble.
Director: Sudipto Sen.
Streaming On: Zee5.

Just like The Kashmir Files The Kerala Story capitalized on the momentum created by the former. The movie, directed by Sudipto Sen, who also made a documentary about the same subject, spoke about the alleged mass conversion of girls in Kerala and how they were taken away by ISIS. While the film was accused of distorting data and presenting incorrect numbers, it still managed to achieve significant commercial success.

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Aarakshan (2011)

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan, and ensemble.
Director: Prakash Jha.
Streaming On: Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.

Prakash Jha is a voice in Indian cinema that is very consistent in telling stories rooted in Indian politics. He chose to tell a story that addressed reservation, the caste system, and the politics that surround it. Starring massive stars, the movie went on to garner good reviews and also has a very good shelf life on the digital space.

Garm Hava (1973)

Cast: Balraj Sahni, AK Hangal, Farooq Shaikh, Shaukat Azmi, and ensemble.
Director: MS Sathyu.
Streaming On: YouTube.

After the partition, the population, which once lived together in harmony, suddenly found themselves on two sides of a border. Garm Hava was a heart-wrenching tale of a Muslim businessman and his family who find themselves on the Indian side of the border post-partition. A movie that should be seen by everyone to understand its relevance even today.

Shanghai (2012)

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Kalki Koechlin, Abhay Deol, and ensemble.
Director: Dibakar Banerjee.
Streaming On: Amazon Prime Video, Zee5 & YouTube

It takes a Dibakar Banerjee to tell the story of our times by setting it in a fictional setup where progress comes with a very high cost. Shanghai was about a fictional place, Bharatnagar, being turned into a shiny city that will bloom everything for the landscape. But the foundation had dead bodies, corruption, and a whole lot of dark things. Dibakar won the game with a story that spoke to the people in real time with his brave storytelling.

The trend continues as post the release of Article 370, another politically charged movie from the makers of The Kerala Story is up for release. Bastar: The Naxal Story is set to hit the shores on March 15, 2024. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more such content and everything else from the world of streaming and films.

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