Politicization and Misrepresentation of History in Cinema

Image Credits: Film Companion

Introduction

Stories are a momentous part of our lives. Throughout the history of mankind, people spend their days listening to stories from traveling bards or through blockbuster movies today. People don’t just consume stories, but craft them every day whether by giving an excuse for missing the deadline for an assignment, or to avoid meeting a friend on a lousy day. They are as much a part of our lives as food and clothing, so it’s worth taking a closer look at one of the most prominent forms of storytelling, i.e. cinema.

Creative expression has kindled the imagination of human civilization in many ways. It’s also the one thing humans can still do better than machines and robots. The idea of using cinema to do something more than just entertainment, be like a social message or inspiration, is amusing as it opens a plethora of opportunities. Cinema, a relatively young art form, has the power to impact the way we see and make sense of the world. The symbol of relatability and palatability of realism attached is something of prime importance and relevance. The documentation and historiography narrative exchange make cinema a visceral factor to strengthen soft power and bring emotional shifts. But, when it is used as a medium to portray a historical or real event, the film crew should strike a balance between cinematic liberty and factual accuracy.

Reel History vs Real History: The Problem

As the saying goes “A picture is worth a thousand words', if that is the case, then a movie conveys more than that. A well-directed movie can portray something with brevity and stick in our minds forever. Dramatization of historical events makes us relive the experience. It humanizes history and its characters, frequently eliciting empathy, in a detached way.

What makes humans different from other species? In all probability, we are the only species that can feed the little ones by telling them about how eating veggies can make them strong like a hero. That is the kind of influence that cinema has on this society. History can be looked at from many perspectives, but the problem arises when the events are portrayed inaccurately or exaggerated for the sake of entertainment. For example, “White Man’s Burden” directed by Desmond Nakano flips the script on race. It portrays black people as an affluent elite, while white people live in poverty with barely any rights. But we all know how blacks were discriminated politically, socially and economically in America. In an age where the consumption of information is largely through video, any flawed portrayal of something through that impacts people’s perception. Indian cinema is no exception.

In today’s age and time, where actors are worshipped as gods and ultimate role models, the movies and roles they play greatly influence society. To put the magnitude of their impact into perspective, so far there have been six chief ministers in South India from the field of cinema. And even once Russians carried a car with Raj Kapoor inside it.

Cinema: The New Battlefield for Ideologies

History isn't set in stone. It changes over time, being rewritten or distorted. Sometimes this distortion is accidental, and sometimes it is the result of failure to reckon with the past. But the thing is, the past shapes how we live and think today. Jai Bhim, Kashmir Files, Karnan and Asuran, among many others, are more than just movies. When these movies hit the screens, social media exploded with all sorts of criticisms. They are the voice of millions of deprived people and inspire them to speak up. With the unimaginable reach and stardom of actors, they have the power to rewrite history and make people believe. So, the director must present a real event-based movie with utmost sensitivity and sensibility.

There has never been a better time to exercise creative freedom than now. Documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of India provide legal protection to people and thanks to social media which spreads our ideas and opinions like wildfire. But oftentimes we take this freedom for granted as this wasn't always the norm. A movie that tries to showcase a different side of history, destabilizes the stability of the accepted history and attracts all sorts of criticism.

As art is for people, it is natural that it reflects people's sentiments. There is nothing wrong with politicizing movies, as nothing in this world is free from politics. It’s not a coincidence that some political parties support certain movies that align with their discourse. Truth can be manipulated for the darkest of purposes, by unscrupulous organizations or nationalist politicians spreading division. But truth can also be used to inspire. Both political parties and movies in one way have the same mandate: to mobilize people. Both use each other for their own lost causes.

Breakdown of Some Films

When we want to create something in a word processor, we have two choices: a blank page or a template. By selecting the latter, we will be presented with a ready-made layout for the email, poster, or whatever we want to create. The broad framework has already been created; we simply need to fill in the outlines with our content. Likewise, these days directors too have a set of templates and elements with them which apparently they consider to click with the audience and add to all films regardless of the plot.

The portrayal of real event-based films largely involves the jingoistic narration of the protagonist that often distorts facts. To make the story "story-worthy", the director adds heroism and romance among many others. But this makes us question "at what cost?". Here are some analyses of the recent movies Ponniyan Selvan and Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan on how the directors took the cinematic liberty to show a different reality:

Ponniyan Selvan (2022): Kalki's Fantasy vs True History

The novel itself claims to be based on real facts with some fictional characters. For example, the famous character Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan (played by actor Karthi) portrayed as Vaanar Kulam in actuality belongs to Perumbanappadi. Also, unlike the two Pazhuvettaraiyars in the novel, there was only one Pazhuvettaraiyar in reality. Many characters like Nandini, Poonguzhali, Azhwarkadiyan Nambi, and Mandakini Devi are entirely fictional characters created by Kalki. With a great twist in the end, it is portrayed as Arulmozhi Varman succeeded Sundara Chola in the novel but it was Uttama Chola who succeeded in reality.

Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan (2022): What Went Wrong?

Samrat Prithviraj directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi tries to retell the story of Prithviraj Chauhan in a grandeur way. The flaw starts right from the language itself. Farsi language did not reach the sub-continent until the 13th century, but the movie's characters are seen speaking the Farsi language in a 12th-century setting. In order to portray the movie commercially in a grandeur way, the archery challenge was unnecessarily exaggerated by including elements that distorted the facts ultimately. Also, the depiction of the first Battle of Tarain taking place to protect women's honour is completely false. The architecture of the palace shown in the movies follows the 16th-17th century Sultanate-Mughal type while Prithviraj Chauhan had his own architectural style. Moreover, the movie has also tried to impose the modern-day binary of Hindu-Muslim. Ideally, back then they would be known by their ethnicity ie. Chauhan and Tajik.

These kinds of loose adaptations are not always the case, there have been movies which have accurately depicted history. The movie "The Legend of Bhagat Singh" (2002) is known as a fitting tribute to the freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and it is also known for nailing down an accurate depiction of the historical setting.

Conclusion

Maintaining factual accuracy takes effort. It can be challenging when you have to entertain something that's as diverse in its beliefs and perspectives as that of India, but it is by no means impossible. Director should approach a real event-based subject with responsibility and commitment to facts through all means possible. The audience should be better equipped to discern the facts from fiction. Learning to do that is all about cultivating an open-minded approach that embraces forward-thinking, democracy and free speech. We can't escape propaganda, in a time of breakneck technological advancement, we have ample resources to look up the details of the movie. Dissecting a historical film is a two-way path, it requires effort from both the director and audience, as all of us have a nebulous understanding of the past.

By Sreyas Sivaanand S

The writer is a student of Sociology Honours at Hindu College, Delhi University. Interests include International Relations, Sociology, Economics and History.

Contact: +91 9025023490

Email: sreyassivaanand03@gmail.com