10-05-2005, 06:13 AM
Benegal slams NDA for 'saffronising' Bollywood
Aligarh, Oct 5. (PTI):Bollywood reflected "saffron" agenda during the NDA regime popularising a misconception by tying Pakistan and Muslims on a single string, noted film-maker Shyam Benegal said here on Tuesday.
"Saffronisation of the polity during late 1990s was sharply reflected in popular Hindi cinema made in that period. Some of the Hindi films made during that period displayed an intransigence where Pakistan and Muslims are made synonymous," he said delivering the annual Sir Syed Memorial Lecture at Aligarh Muslim University.
Speaking on 'Secularism and Indian Popular Cinema,' he said, "nationalism and by implication secularism was considerably narrowed down and made an exclusive preserve of the Hindu Community."
"You can see this in J P Dutta's hit film 'Border.' Excessive jingoism is even more crudely depicted in another film Ghadar," Benegal, whose latest film on Subhash Chandra Bose created a controversy, said.
However, he said, the same period also gave rise to successful films like Lagan, Fiza and Bombay which equated an "inclusive secular unity with nationalism".
The film-maker, who was among the pioneers of new wave cinema in the country, said the horrific riots in Gujarat "aided by the non-action of the state" had threatened to dangerously divide the polity and entire edifice of the society.
Urging film makers to confront the challenges faced by Indian society, Benegal said, "imaging of the minorities in popular cinema constitutes an excellent barometer of the attitudes in the cinema. It can easily be considered the coal miners canary of Indian society."
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Aligarh, Oct 5. (PTI):Bollywood reflected "saffron" agenda during the NDA regime popularising a misconception by tying Pakistan and Muslims on a single string, noted film-maker Shyam Benegal said here on Tuesday.
"Saffronisation of the polity during late 1990s was sharply reflected in popular Hindi cinema made in that period. Some of the Hindi films made during that period displayed an intransigence where Pakistan and Muslims are made synonymous," he said delivering the annual Sir Syed Memorial Lecture at Aligarh Muslim University.
Speaking on 'Secularism and Indian Popular Cinema,' he said, "nationalism and by implication secularism was considerably narrowed down and made an exclusive preserve of the Hindu Community."
"You can see this in J P Dutta's hit film 'Border.' Excessive jingoism is even more crudely depicted in another film Ghadar," Benegal, whose latest film on Subhash Chandra Bose created a controversy, said.
However, he said, the same period also gave rise to successful films like Lagan, Fiza and Bombay which equated an "inclusive secular unity with nationalism".
The film-maker, who was among the pioneers of new wave cinema in the country, said the horrific riots in Gujarat "aided by the non-action of the state" had threatened to dangerously divide the polity and entire edifice of the society.
Urging film makers to confront the challenges faced by Indian society, Benegal said, "imaging of the minorities in popular cinema constitutes an excellent barometer of the attitudes in the cinema. It can easily be considered the coal miners canary of Indian society."
u