For decades, Indian cinema has entertained audiences at home and abroad while helping construct national identity and project India’s culture. Historically, its appeal has rested on a breadth of genres, stories and creative voices capable of reaching audiences across cultural boundaries. Yet the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has coincided with an expanding genre of nationalist films and over-the-top (OTT) productions. National security, cross-border terrorism and military honour have become recurring themes. When identity politics dominates entertainment, artistic expression and social commentary risk becoming secondary to narratives that amplify nationalism and reinterpret conflicts.

Cinema reflects political and social realities, but contemporary Indian productions increasingly adopt nationalist discourse. Films such as Bard of Blood (2019), Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), The Kashmir Files (2022), Fighter (2024), Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond (2024) and Dhurandhar (2025) share a pattern in which Pakistan, and particularly Muslims, are frequently represented as sources of instability or hostility. Right-wing media further reinforces these portrayals through television discussions. This process can turn entertainment into a vehicle for political messaging without necessarily appearing........

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