Cinema as a Smokescreen: Unpacking the Propaganda Behind India’s Democratic Crisis

This constant drumbeat of nationalist cinema and anti-Pakistan rhetoric is not an end in itself; it is the cultural soundtrack for a calculated political diversion.

By Rakesh Raman
New Delhi | January 6, 2026

1. Introduction: The Disclaimer That Exposed the Deeper Script

The recent controversy surrounding a single film disclaimer in Bollywood’s Ikkis transcends a mere debate over cinematic ethics, revealing itself as a key symptom of a much larger and more dangerous political strategy at play in contemporary India. The abrupt addition of a hostile, state-aligned message to a major film serves as a potent example of how popular culture is being bent to political will.

This commentary argues that India’s ruling regime, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is allegedly weaponizing nationalist narratives and manufactured hatred to create a “smokescreen,” deliberately diverting public attention from the systemic erosion of democracy. The most critical issue being concealed is the alleged manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which strikes at the very heart of the nation’s electoral integrity. This piece will deconstruct how cinematic propaganda, manufactured hatred, and state-enforced narratives are working in tandem to conceal this fundamental democratic crisis.

2. The Catalyst: Deconstructing the Ikkis Controversy

To understand the mechanics of this strategy, the controversy surrounding the film Ikkis provides a crucial piece of evidence, revealing the heavy hand of political influence on creative expression. The film, released on January 1, 2026, originally featured a nuanced portrayal of a compassionate Pakistani Brigadier. However, about a week after its release, a jarring disclaimer was quietly added, fundamentally altering the film’s message.

The added note asserts that Pakistan’s armed forces have “repeatedly and openly violated the Geneva Convention,” engaged in “cruel and inhuman” conduct, and sponsored terrorism—claims for which the film provides no independent evidence. It further urges Indian citizens to remain perpetually alert against the neighbouring country.

The suspicious timing and nature of this addition are telling. Its abrupt insertion after public screenings had already begun strongly suggests it was a product of “political coercion” from the Modi regime rather than an independent “creative choice.” The impact of this coerced narrative is profound; it serves to neutralize any depiction of humanity on the Pakistani side, forcefully replacing it with a state-sanctioned narrative of absolute hostility. In doing so, it transforms a piece of popular art into a tool of “state-enforced propaganda.” This incident is not an anomaly but a clear indicator of a broader and deeply troubling trend within the film industry.

3. A Pattern of Propaganda: The Bollywood-State Nexus

The Ikkis incident must be contextualized within a wider, more systemic pattern of the state co-opting the film industry for its political agenda. Bollywood, once a diverse creative space, is increasingly reliant on what critics call “cheap formula films.” These productions are overwhelmingly centered on “exaggerated military conflicts and animosity with Muslim-majority Pakistan,” creating a steady drumbeat of nationalist fervor that aligns perfectly with the government’s rhetoric.

The evidence of this trend is visible in the industry’s upcoming slate of films, which follows a clear and repetitive pattern of militaristic, anti-Pakistan themes:

• Ikkis
• Border 2
• Dhurandhar (2025)
• Dhurandhar 2 (scheduled for March 2026)
• Battle of Galwan (scheduled for April 2026)
• Love & War (expected late 2026)

This cinematic pattern serves a dual purpose. On one hand, these films reinforce the ruling regime’s aggressive, anti-Pakistan narrative. On the other, they serve to “indirectly stigmatise Muslims living in India,” thereby appealing to the majority Hindu audience and solidifying a key voter base. This alignment is not accidental; it is a calculated strategy where the nation’s largest cultural industry becomes an echo chamber for state ideology, all in service of the ultimate political objective: distraction.

4. The Grand Deception: Manufacturing Crises to Hide Electoral Fraud

This constant drumbeat of nationalist cinema and anti-Pakistan rhetoric is not an end in itself; it is the cultural soundtrack for a calculated political diversion. It is the smokescreen designed to hide what critics identify as the “core engine of India’s democratic collapse: election manipulation through EVMs.” The Modi government allegedly manufactures crises to divert public attention and suppress dissent, with the April 2025 Pahalgam attack serving as a prime example of this strategy in action.

Following the attack, which killed 26 people, the government immediately blamed Pakistan without presenting any proof. This narrative, however, was contradicted by the international community, as major bodies including the World Bank, IMF, FATF, and the United States “dismissed these allegations” and continued their financial engagement with Pakistan. Domestically, opposition leaders like former Home Minister P. Chidambaram went further, alleging the attackers were “homegrown” and even accusing the regime of involvement, noting that the perpetrators were never apprehended.

This strategy is inextricably linked to the electoral cycle. The Pahalgam attack and the subsequent, highly publicized “Operation Sindoor,” launched in May 2025, were timed to emotionally mobilize voters ahead of the crucial Bihar Assembly election of November 2025. By stoking nationalist sentiment, the regime sought to suppress scrutiny of electoral integrity and sideline fundamental questions about the fairness of the vote.

Prime Minister Modi’s “repeated vulgar monologues against Pakistan and Muslims” are a key component of this approach, functioning not as a tool of statecraft but as a mechanism for sustaining power by distraction. While citizens are encouraged to debate films and applaud military operations, the foundational question of whether their votes are being counted fairly is deliberately pushed out of the public square.

5. A History of Impunity: Silencing Dissent and Evading Accountability

The current strategy of propaganda and distraction is not an isolated phenomenon. It is deeply rooted in a long-standing pattern of behavior by the Modi regime, which has consistently evaded independent scrutiny and silenced dissent. This history provides critical context for understanding the gravity of the present moment.

1. The 2002 Gujarat Pogrom: Prime Minister Modi’s alleged role in the pogrom led to his U.S. visa being revoked for years. The 2023 BBC documentary India: The Modi Question, which examined these events, was subsequently banned within India, demonstrating a continued effort to suppress uncomfortable historical facts.
2. Systematic Rejection of Investigations: The regime has “systematically ignored” growing demands for independent, United Nations–supervised investigations into a series of major and controversial incidents. These include the 2002 Godhra train burning, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama attack, the 2020 Delhi violence against Muslims, the death of Judge Loya, and the 2025 Pahalgam attack.

In this environment, any form of opposition is swiftly branded as “anti-national,” and alternative narratives are suppressed. While the Congress party’s “Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod” (Vote Thief, Leave Office) campaign directly accuses the regime of election theft, critics argue that such efforts remain largely rhetorical. They lack the sustained, street-level focus required to force a fundamental change, such as the complete abolition of EVMs in favor of paper ballots. This history of impunity has not only emboldened the regime but has also provided the political laboratory in which its current methods of control and distraction have been perfected.

6. Conclusion: Democracy as a Staged Illusion

The disclaimer inserted into the film Ikkis is far more than a footnote in Bollywood’s history. It is a crucial data point in a larger, deliberate strategy to dismantle Indian democracy from within, replacing authentic public discourse with state-curated spectacle. The evidence points to a trifecta of cinematic propaganda, manufactured hatred, and military rhetoric being skillfully deployed to mask the fundamental crisis facing the nation: the alleged manipulation of elections through EVMs.

As long as the national conversation is hijacked by fear, jingoism, and cinematic propaganda, the essential work of holding power to account is rendered impossible. While the pageantry of voting may continue, the substance of a healthy democracy—transparency, accountability, and the people’s trust in the process—is being systematically eroded. In such a climate, elections may continue, but democracy itself risks becoming little more than a carefully staged illusion.