Hide-and-Seek Religion: Bollywood Edition (Part 1)

**DISCLAIMER WARNING: This post is by no means intended to promote one religion or faith as superior, nor is it intended to ridicule atheism/agnosticism. Rather, this post intends to express a perspective about religion’s depiction – or lack, thereof – in Bollywood cinema. WorldFusionEntertainment is accepting of all world faiths and does not discriminate. Enjoy the reading!

Imagine visiting India and walking around your family’s hometown. Whether it is a village or a big city, several things are prominent throughout Bharat’s lively streets – street food vendors rapidly flipping rotis or dosas, busy citizens speeding and honking on their two-wheelers or cars, fresh vegetable shops selling by the road-side, and most prevalent of all, places of religious worship: temples, mosques, gurudwaras, churches, and many more. These religious worship sites can be as simple as small Murti’s idols) in the middle of the road or as grand as the churches found in my hometown, Chennai. Regardless of their shapes and sizes, religious sites have become a trademark of India, serving as a testament to its vast and diverse religious landscape that gave rise to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism and continues to give a home to the world’s other belief systems.

Despite religion’s big role in shaping India’s identity and everyday lifestyle, religion has become an underrepresented and misconstrued concept in Bollywood cinema. To be clear, I do NOT mean to say that Indian movies lack diversity in representing religions in their films. Both low budget movies and blockbuster films attempt to subtly use India’s diverse religious landscape in their films. Oftentimes, religious background differences are brought to light like in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, or religious practices are snuck in like the pooja scenes in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. However, only a couple – and I literally mean 2 films (PK and OMG - Oh My God!) – have taken an attempt to use religion as a main theme and philosophically deconstruct this concept. These two films did a stellar job of bringing to attention the ever-present ritualistic, blind faith tendencies in my homeland’s religious landscape, and I greatly respect Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar for taking on these controversial roles. However, besides these two films, I cannot recall any other well-known Bollywood films that dared to debunk a religion’s misconceptions or faith-related questions in the main spotlight.

Why does this lack of religious focus in movies really matter? After all, isn’t our ideal India secular and accepting of everyone’s beliefs? And wouldn’t a film’s focus on religious matters be subconsciously promoting one religion (or the belief of theism) as superior or inferior? I’m sure these are some of the many questions buzzing through your heads as you read my controversial take. But please just hear me out with an open-mind.

If someone were to publish a book about their interpretations and perspectives about their faith, would you consider that as systematic indoctrination? If someone were to give discourses or speeches about their religion to audiences who wanted to listen, would you consider that as forcing ideas upon masses? I personally don’t view religious books (written testimony) or speeches (auditory testimony) as problematic in this regard. They are merely mediums of expressing ideologies, so long as they are not made mandatory in society. Similarly, films present another medium of self-expression (mixture of visual and artistic testimony). Directors have utilized cinema to express their hot takes on sensitive themes, such as patriotism, caste issues, and historical events. If this doesn’t ring a bell, just look to Akshay Kumar and you will find a solid collection of films about many of these sensitive themes.

When Bollywood directors are willing to take a gamble at historical issues as controversial as that depicted in Batla House, what is preventing directors from filming about religion as a main theme? Love it or hate it, religion is a prevalent part of South Asian society and culture, just like other societal aspects such as crime, social issues, casteism, etc. Films present a medium to express this ever-present aspect of society as a form of self-expression, NOT as a form of proselytism or systematic indoctrination. Filming a few more movies about how different religions around India attempt to tackle common life problems would be a win-win scenario from both the directors’ and the audiences’ perspectives. Directors would have the opportunity to be touted as innovative and original in their stories, and audiences would enjoy a breath of fresh air with a new genre of films, as there’s a high chance that people will walk out learning a few new things about religions from India as they relate to everyday life or practices. In an era where religion has caused severe riots and divisions within India, movies about religion may even be a first step towards an ideal India, one that garners inter-religious conversation and promotes cultural awareness/reverence.

In this opinion post, I have done my best to keep my personal biases and experiences aside so that I can initiate discussion about religion in Bollywood cinema from a more societal, broad perspective. However, I feel that my personal journey may be relatable to some and help further explain my perspective on why films depicting religion are a good idea. For a second, more personal part to this topic, stay tuned!