Meher Manda

If cricket in India is no less important than religion, then films like ‘83’ and ‘M.S. Dhoni’ have deified the sport and its players beyond reproach.

The genre that once crackled with all the dramatic possibilities of mainstream Hindi cinema and united a country has devolved into divisive, repugnant storylines.

Shoojit Sircar’s “Sardar Udham” is the latest in a long line of Bollywood portrayals of the Indian freedom fighter, but the first to delve into his humanity and nuanced politics.

From “Mughal-e-Azam” to “Jodhaa Akbar,” Bollywood has long been fascinated with the stories and extravagance of the Mughal empire. But in recent years, films have reduced the Muslim rulers to caricatured villains.

In the daring historical drama, the actor and filmmaker poses the question, “What if a man could be dissuaded from assassinating Gandhi?”

Though critically acclaimed, the director’s “Roja,” “Bombay,” and “Dil Se...” pushed jingoistic narratives that persist in Bollywood today.

Hindi cinema has long viewed Kashmir through a glossy lens, erasing its people, their agency, and their political histories.

The 1996 film was the first in India to portray two women in love. Some called it revolutionary. Others called it a war against Indian culture.

Bollywood’s ethical journalists are increasingly disappearing from the screen.

The 2004 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer doesn’t show a glamorous diaspora, but rather, the political responsibility of returning home.