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A non-partisan, academic web channel, bringing you analysis on economy, history, culture, entertainment, sports and beyond, from a #SouthAsian lens.

Jan 10, 2023, 11 tweets

SAT Analytics

When Yogi met Bollywood! A 🧵

To promote Indian state of #UttarPradesh as film production hub, controversially islamophobic CM @myogiadityanath met directors, producers, actors & musicians on Thursday. He asked for their input to develop upcoming Film City...
1/11

... in Greater #Noida & offered them security, good connectivity & locations with scenic beauty & historical significance.

Renowned filmmakers @BoneyKapoor, @rahulmittra13, @SubhashGhai1, Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, Rajkumar Santoshi, @imbhandarkar, & @Anilsharma_dir; ...
2/11

...actors @bindasbhidu, Suniel Shetty, @ravikishann, @rajpalofficial, @ArjanTalkin, @actormanojjoshi, and @RahulDevRising; singers @SonuNigamSingh & @Kailashkher; and lyricist @manojmuntashir participated in the event.
3/11

Yogi announced that current film policy would soon be altered to offer 50% subsidy for web series, in line with subsidy offered to films. Also, the policy will offer OTT platforms a 25% subsidy & a further 25% state government subsidy for establishment of studios & labs.
4/11

Notably, actor Suniel Shetty expressed concern about campaigns like #BanBollywood. However, Yogi responded by saying that such accusations are commonplace and should be disregarded. They should proceed with optimism...
5/11

...He went on to say that the integrity of the nation and social cohesion have benefited from movies, and it is admirable that Hindi films are used to promote the language.

The influence of politics is increasingly obvious in today's Bollywood,...
6/11

...with movies producing content primarily for ruling party #BJP & its allies to advance their agendas & extreme right-wing ideologies. Politics & film have a long history of influencing the general public to either confirm or strengthen their preexisting political opinions.
7/11

Owing to a phenomenon known as "Groupthink", politically motivated films compel the general public to confront their own political ideologies, which can either encourage conformity or push them to deviate from the herd.

Although most politically motivated films...
8/11

...based on real events have the relevant information in the public domain, there is a drawback to this collective indoctrination of the masses through cinema in India: the depiction of the concerned incidents is frequently distorted and repainted to portray the dominant...
9/11

...or ruling party as more powerful than their opposition. This portrayal frequently puts both the parties and their respective supporters, who are on opposite ends of the ideological framework, in a difficult situation.
10/11

This furthers the communal imbalance between the Hindu majority & other religious minorities (most prominently the Muslims). Since these movies are made by established Bollywood production companies, the stakes for delivering the propagandistic message are much higher.11/11 (End)

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