People get easily trapped in these baits because lately, the characters in such propagan­da movies are played by their fa­vourite actors. Seeing their favourite artists stand alongside the country’s premier, receiving Na­tional Awards for their work, deeply influences the audience. They trust these artists implicitly, believing they would nev­er manipulate information. While they may question Modi’s inten­tions, they never doubt the integ­rity of the country’s superstars, who have earned a place in their hearts through their remarkable work. This is where the evil genius of Modi lies: he doesn’t spread mis­information himself but relies on trusted individuals to do the job.

It’s unfortunate to note that even an icon like Shahrukh Khan needed a movie like “Pathan” to make his grand comeback. For Khan, the old, cliche, and typical story of ISI and RAW won him his stardom back, but on the other hand, it further fostered the agenda of the BJP. For Modi and his political party BJP, Bollywood is a scapegoat. It has been for a decade now, and the in­fluence has deepened to the extent that it wouldn’t be wrong to say that movies helped a lot in the elec­tion campaigns of Modi. One can analyze this from the fact of how many times he faced the media. I think the last press conference of his was a decade ago. The rea­son is that cinema is now his new press room to answer questions and queries, and even to pin down the opposition in the most mani­acal way. For instance, the movie “Accidental Prime Minister” was yet another........

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