Bollywood’s Role in Political Distraction: Allegations of Propaganda Amid India’s Electoral Concerns

Bollywood’s Role in Political Distraction: Allegations of Propaganda Amid India’s Electoral Concerns

As debates over media freedom and electoral reform intensify, this critique underscores growing concerns about the intersection of culture, politics, and democracy in India.

By RMN News Service
New Delhi | January 7, 2026

A recent analysis published by RMN News has sparked debate by claiming that Indian cinema, particularly Bollywood, is being utilized as a tool of political propaganda to divert attention from deeper issues undermining the country’s democracy, including alleged manipulations of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

The piece, authored by journalist and activist Rakesh Raman, points to the controversy surrounding the film Ikkis as a prime example. Released on January 1, 2026, the movie initially depicted a compassionate Pakistani Brigadier. However, a disclaimer was added roughly a week later, condemning Pakistan’s armed forces for violating the Geneva Convention, engaging in cruel conduct, and sponsoring terrorism. The disclaimer also called on Indians to stay vigilant against the neighboring country.

Raman argues that this addition was not a creative decision but the result of a possible political pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. He suggests it exemplifies how films are being co-opted to promote nationalist narratives and hostility toward Pakistan, thereby stigmatizing Muslims in India and aligning with the ruling regime’s agenda.

This incident, according to the analysis, fits into a broader pattern in Bollywood. Upcoming films such as Border 2, Dhurandhar (2025), Dhurandhar 2 (March 2026), Battle of Galwan (April 2026), and Love & War (late 2026) are cited as continuing this trend of militaristic, anti-Pakistan themes. These productions, Raman claims, serve to rally public support for the government while distracting from critical issues like electoral integrity.

[ 🔊 बॉलीवुड फिल्म ‘इक्कीस’ में अचानक जोड़े गए एक विवादास्पद डिस्क्लेमर पर ऑडियो विश्लेषण ]

Central to the critique is the assertion that such cultural propaganda acts as a “smokescreen” for election manipulation via EVMs. Raman links this to events like the April 2025 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people and was quickly blamed on Pakistan by the Indian government, despite international bodies like the World Bank, IMF, FATF, and the United States dismissing the allegations and maintaining ties with Pakistan. Opposition figures, including former Home Minister P. Chidambaram, have suggested the attackers were domestic and accused the regime of involvement, noting a lack of arrests.

The timing of the attack and the subsequent “Operation Sindoor” in May 2025 is highlighted as strategic, aimed at influencing the November 2025 Bihar Assembly elections by stoking nationalism and sidelining questions about vote fairness. Modi’s public rhetoric against Pakistan and Muslims is described as a key element in this distraction tactic.

The analysis also draws on historical context, referencing Modi’s alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat pogrom, which led to a U.S. visa revocation, and the banning of a 2023 BBC documentary examining those events. It criticizes the government’s rejection of calls for UN-supervised investigations into incidents like the 2002 Godhra train burning, 2008 Mumbai attacks, 2019 Pulwama attack, 2020 Delhi violence, the death of Judge Loya, and the 2025 Pahalgam attack.

Raman concludes that this combination of cinematic propaganda, manufactured crises, and suppressed dissent is eroding democratic transparency. He warns that while elections may proceed, public trust in the process is being undermined, turning democracy into an “illusion.”

The Congress party’s “Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod” campaign echoes these concerns by accusing the regime of vote theft, though critics note it lacks the grassroots push needed to abolish EVMs in favor of paper ballots.

As debates over media freedom and electoral reform intensify, this critique underscores growing concerns about the intersection of culture, politics, and democracy in India.