Soft power

Films are a kind of soft power, which have a huge influence on societies. Film creators often release certain movies a little before general elections to get people vote for a certain party. India’s general elections will be held within the next four months – expectedly by May 2019. The stage is all set and the mainstream parties are busy in campaigning. Amid all of this, the release of the film ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ – a movie based on the tenure of former Indian PM Dr Manmohan Singh – and the possible release of the film ‘Thackeray’ based on the life of Shiv Sena’s founder Bal Thackeray, have drawn scepticism of people who are convinced that the movies carry some political agenda.

Another string which Indian political parties pull to increase their vote bank is to show the people that the country is ready to fight against its arch rival, Pakistan. The movie ‘URI-The Surgical Strike’ – based on the alleged surgical strikes that India carried out in 2016 – highlights the fact that movies can be used as a propaganda tool. The correlation between the movies’ content and releasing dates cannot be a mere coincidence. Undoubtedly, countries use such power tactics before the elections to create a narrative which can help the rise, or the fall, of a political party.

Aamir Khan Wagan

Larkana