A dacoit drama after decades. Ranbir Kapoor after four years in a film produced by the prestigious banner Yash Raj Films….It couldn’t get any posher than Shamshera in the movie theatres. The collections, however, have shocked the film industry, already reeling under a heap of flops.

The opening day’s figures were a meagre Rs 10 crores, the lowest ever for a Ranbir Kapoor starrer. And it did not get any better on Day 2. By Sunday theatres in many parts of the country had to cancel shows.

To what factors do we owe this abysmal box office performance of one of the most costly productions of the year?

Says trade analyst Amod Mehra, “The verdict is out. Bunty Aur Babli 2, Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Samrat Prithviraj and now Shamshera. Fourth disaster in a row from for Yash Raj Films. To resurrect his banner, Aditya Chopra must throw out his chamchas, grant himself a sabbatical leave, reinvent himself, direct a film he sincerely believes in. Dacoit films were accepted in the 1980s mainly because the revenue from single screens and B & C centres were BIG.. today B&C class centres have vanished and most single screens are shut. That automatically makes a film like Shamshera outdated.. plus instead of promoting the film YRF was concentrating on promoting Ranbir Kapoor with his dogs etc. That sent wrong signals.”

Suman Sinha, a respected film exhibitor in Bihar says, “Old wine, old bottle, old formula, Ranbir wasted. Where is the audience to watch such an oft-repeated storyline? Lord Krishna with his own hands submerged Dwarka because it was beyond redemption. Bollywood too is beyond redemption because the men in control have no clue of the present scenario. Subhash Ghai, O P Ralhan, J Om Prakash knew and they withdrew gracefully. It’s time for Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra to abdicate the throne.”

Says film critic Raja Sen, “I haven't watched Shamshera, but I think the writing on the wall is clear: to spend hard-earned money and time, audiences demand more than the mere presence of A-list stars. The film itself has to intrigue and appeal, and I daresay the days of films getting big opening numbers simply because of some hero might be behind us. Or so I hope — as a viewer frequently disillusioned by stars making bad choices, and by movies relying too heavily on stardom.”

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri who has given the box office The Kashmir Files, a certifiable blockbuster this year says, “Two things are evident: firstly, the star system has crumbled and there is no star today who has the charisma to carry a film on his shoulder, secondly, project- making has bombed,content-making has won.”

No one is unaware of the subtly propagated anti-Hindu sentiment and Hinduphobia in Bollywood movies through the one-sided, flawed, and unreal stories conveyed in the movies. The same tactic has been used once again in the film Shamshera, in which the antagonist has been portrayed by the filmmakers as a brutal barbarian who is also a pious Hindu.

Despite frequent big-budget flops and boycotts, Bollywood’s focus on anti-Hindu stories has not changed. Bollywood has once again brought a villain who is portrayed as a devout Hindu and a ruthless barbarian. Sanjay Dutt appears as a villain in Ranbir Kapoor’s historical drama ‘Shamshera.’ He is presented as a traitor to India who also happens to be a police officer. He is shown in the film as a devout Hindu with a Shikha and a Tripund Teeka. His character is named Shudh Singh, a brutal authoritarian general who has imprisoned and enslaved a warrior tribe.

The disguised Hinduphobia

However, though the film has been obviously rejected by a wide audience, we need to understand the Hinduphobia that is being promoted through such movies where the villain is selectively shown as a devoted Hindu who is so pious and barbaric at the same time. There are countless movies where villains are the ones who have a stretched Red of Saffron Teeka on their forehead or discuss a crime while performing a sacred Hindu ritual like Aarti.

It is unnecessary to dwell on Bollywood’s fixation with Hinduphobia and depiction of Hindus as evil creatures. It is not a new phenomenon either, as one can remember films even from the 70s, like Suhaag, which depicts a Hindu priest as a murderer and a Hindu temple as the scene of the crime, creating negative preconceptions about Hindus.

In the movie Suhaagan, Shakti Kapoor was named Krishna and given a flute with the role of groping women on the streets. The name of Lord Krishna was used in such a demeaning movie with such a demeaning character. The dialogues of the movie were written by Kader Khan, who is well known for writing dialogues demeaning to the Hindu faith.

These are just a couple of examples, if one goes through all such instances where Hinduism and Hindus have been demeaned and mocked, even a Ph.D. thesis won’t suffice to cover them all.

'Lately, a lot of Hinduphobic movies in Bollywood have been exposed for spreading Anti-Hindu propaganda in the disguise of freedom of expression. Using the 'Right To Freedom Of Speech & Expression' given in Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution, we will try to bisect Bollywood's role in spreading Anti-Hindu propaganda & making Hinduphobic movies. Here is a list of some Hinduphobic movies in Bollywood & web series with an explanation regarding their Hinduphobic content. 

Shaurya Movie (2008)

The movie is in the context of the Kashmir conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, the film revolves around the court-martial of an Indian Army officer for shooting dead his superior officer. During the court-martial, the circumstances leading up to the murder are gradually revealed & soft anti-Hindu propaganda is inserted into this storyline. 

In the movie, it is shown that Major Virendra Singh Rathore (Raj Rif) shoots a Kashmiri kid brutally & Captain Javed Khan's moral compass clicks, then he shoots his own commanding officer. Now, up until this point, one would say, it shows that Captain Javed Khan represents the moral compass of the entire Indian Army, whereas Major Rathore represents some of the rotten apples in the basket that are needed to be eradicated.

But here's the catch, it is shown that Major Rathore didn't kill the Kashmiri Kid because he was aiding terrorists, instead the kid was killed by him because Rathore blatantly hated Muslims & he believed in Hindu supremacy. This anti-Hindu propaganda did not just stop there, but it went on further, the commanding officer of both Captain Javed Khan & Major Rathore, Brigadier Pratap Singh was also anti-muslim & he talked about a holocaust of Muslims, it was shown that high-ranking Indian Army Officers are themselves involved in this kind of activities, again creating a  Hindutva narrative to defame Hindus & this time, the target was Indian Army as well. 

Ghoul - Web Series (2018)

Initially promoted as horror-thriller series, this movie took no time in serving Anti-Hinduphobic propaganda & enraging Hindutva fear in the minds of muslims & other religous minorites. It is shown in series that Muslims have been forced to become second class citizens in the country & they are being subjected to torture, forced conversions & holocaust.

Again it was shown that Indian Army plays a huge role in eradicating muslims from the country. Reality is completely different. It was the Indian Army that gave proper Islamic funeral to KIA Pak soldiers in 1999 Kargil War. Infact, Pakistani soldiers even refused to take the bodies of thier own soldiers. This web series played a huge role in spreading anti-hindu propaganda & it also surpassed previous levels set by Hinduphobic movies in Bollywood. 

Leila (2019)

Another poor attempt at promoting Hinduphobia & Anti-Hindu propaganda at the international level. Again, this web series turns India into a Hindu theocratic country. It is shown that India is being controlled by anti-muslim forces that promote racial & communal segregation, whereas in actual, its is impossible for someone to change Indian Constitution & meddle with its secular principles.

On the top of that, this web series was promoted in such a manner so that it could reach international audiences & create a worldwide Hinduphobic narrative. The series recieved negative reviews & ratings and it turned to be a disaster just like Ghoul. 

Tandav (2021)

Another web series that disguised itself as political-thriller content slowly panders to the Anti-Hindu narrative targetting the very fabric of Indian culture. This series not only demonizes Hindus but at the same time, leaves no chance of mocking Hindu gods & religious figures.

Bollywood & Indian showbiz industry is full of such Hinduphobic movies & other content, even there are certain movies that add a little flavor of it to promote hatred against Indian culture. Movies like Main Hoon Na, Haider (2014), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Marjavaan (2021), Toofaan (2021) & many more try to demonise the Sanatan Dharma & Indian culture.