WEBDESK: India’s censor board forced filmmakers to include Prime Minister Modi’s quote in a non-political film, without giving an official reason, but part of the growing political influence in cinema, this is the cost of Modi’s India.
India’s censor board has reportedly forced the creators of Sitaare Zameen Par, a non-political film, to insert a quote from Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly after the standard disclaimer.
The film, which has nothing to do with politics, is now being used to push government messaging.
This is part of a wider trend. More than half of recent Bollywood films are said to be filled with ruling BJP propaganda.
Modi’s image and slogans are being inserted into every possible space, vaccine certificates, railway tickets, cinema screens, and public spaces.
Banners and posters celebrating his so-called successes, many of which remain unfulfilled, can be seen on roadsides across the country.
The pressure goes beyond state institutions.
The pervasive shadow of Islamophobia in India: Targeting Muslim identity, success
Many wanted to boycott Sitaare Zameen Par, simply because it was produced by Aamir Khan, a Muslim actor and filmmaker.
The term “mullah” is being used in a derogatory manner to attack him, reflecting rising Islamophobia in India.
Aamir Khan, who has met Muslim community leaders in the past, is being called names like “besharam”, “desh drohi” (traitor), and even accused of promoting “love jihad”, a conspiracy theory often used against Muslims in India.
These attacks highlight how even acclaimed figures from the Muslim community are not safe from hate campaigns.
The growing political and religious bias within India’s cultural space is drawing criticism for stifling freedom and deepening divides in the world’s largest democracy.
Mere exposure effect: Is Modi’s media saturation deliberate Psychology?
The mere exposure effect is a simple and widely studied psycholological phenomenon: The more you are exposed to something, the more you tend to like it.
And the mere exposure effect works and changes your preferences, even if you are not aware of being exposed.
The effect influences your liking of everything from people to songs to colours.
The phenomenon states that the more you are exposed to something the more you are likely to get accustomed to it, in turn liking the very thing more.
Mere exposure effect works and changes a person’s preferences, even if you are unaware of being exposed.
This effect is powerful enough to influence a person’s liking of everything from people to songs to colours.
The repeated exposure is highlighted by a famous Indian Youtuber, Dhruv Rathee in a video.
Cost of Modi’s India: Failed diplomacy, destructive foreign policy
Many Indians also seem dissatisfied with Modi’s fascist regime, saying that Modi has destroyed India and set it back years.
They also notice that India has been socially isolated. Another example of Modi’s failed diplomacy and destructive foreign policy is the recent SCO meeting.
During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting, India failed to establish any credible link between the Pahalgam attack and Pakistan.
In a display of frustration and diplomatic isolation, the Indian delegation refused to sign the joint statement issued at the conclusion of the summit.
During the session, India once again amplified its familiar pattern of toxic diplomacy by levelling unsubstantiated accusations against Pakistan, this time under the banner of a so-called military strike dubbed “Operation Sindoor.”
India attempted to present this failed manoeuvre as a grand success, but once scrutinised at the international level, the operation stood exposed as nothing more than hollow propaganda lacking in substance or strategic gain.
India’s refusal to sign the joint statement of SCO once again has exposed New Delhi as the habitual spoiler in regional cooperation efforts.
Former Indian Minister of External Affairs and Finance expressed in an X post:
The Modi government’s foreign policy is increasingly viewed by many as leading to India’s diplomatic isolation and a diminished global standing.
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