Bollywood legacy of utopian equality under siege

Published : Sep 22, 2022 10:40 IST Since the early decades of the 20th century, the mass circulation of cinema around the world has made it one of the most powerful and contested forms of popular entertainment. These include the government’s decision to appoint Gajendra Chauhan as director of the Film and Television Institute of India, one of the country’s premier film institutes, despite widespread opposition. In the Indian context, the media events around cinema can sometimes threaten the box-office performances of particular stars, directors and production houses, sending a signal to the powerful film industry that either they toe the line or be prepared to face losses. Bollywood’s power In October of 2021, when Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested on false drug-related charges levied by the Enforcement Directorate, the film industry started trending again. It is this intersection of the complex role and utopian possibilities of popular culture, a changed media infrastructure, and the rise of right-wing populism that has made micro-media events linked to the film industry an almost routine affair.