Bollywood And Religion

Many Bollywood movies are deeply based on religious theme and they show the effect of religion on people. Movies like OH MY GOD and GOD TUSSI GREAT HO are the examples of religious movies.

If people aren’t afraid of anyone then they will become ‘out of control.’ Hence, the concept of GOD was evolved. For all the wrong deeds we do, we are scared of the punishment by the almighty.

India is a religious county with a variety of religion spread across the states. We have Hindu’s, Muslim’s, Sikh’s, Buddhist’s and Christian’s in the country. Many filmmakers point out weak spots of the audience and they use that for the profit of their film. The weakest spot of the people in India is their religion and topics related to cultural and religious ideologies.

The media has always played a role of an entertainer, teaching about life and religion as well. Especially, Bollywood films are a great source of entertainment. Movies on different issues are made to create public awareness each year, but the most consistent issue of Indian cinema is ‘religion.’ The movies does not focus on a particular religion, they speak for several religions.

Being majority Hindu’s, does not mean the movies portray just Hinduism. Films are made on Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism and Christianity. There have been a number of films made on the topic of religion from 1900’s till now. For example- Mughl-e-Azam, Veer Zara, Jodhaa Akbar, My Name Is Khan, PK etc. All of these movies speak about the opinion, practice and presence of different religions around the world.

These movies show the struggle of a religion in a particular area. Movies are used to show the situation and reality of the people of a particular religion, as they get cornered by other people. Bollywood is used as a medium for putting the reality upfront. Some of the section of the society are not treated well because of their religion.

People from one religion are not allowed to get married to someone of the other religion. If they do so, then their parents and the community disown them. The movie Gadar (2001) depicts a love story of a gentle hearted, but hot headed Sikh man and a Muslim Pakistani girl. Even the recent movie Kedarnath (2019) is based on a love story of a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy who face trouble because of their religion. India, which takes pride in calling itself a ‘secular’ ‘diverse’ and democratic nation, yet fails because of the ideologies of the residents.

People are very sensitive on the topic of religion. Any controversial film leads to outrageous responses. Bollywood is a powerful and peaceful medium of change. It influences the minds and thus can vastly contribute to a strong, happy and more integrated India by correctly portraying the problems faced by the minorities or of the people who need help.