As election fever grips Andhra Pradesh, the entertainment quotient of politics is on the rise too. No, we are not talking of the myriad debates on news channels—though, in the eyes of many, they are more entertaining than educative. Complementing politics is cinema. The ruling YSRC and opposition TDP are not only exchanging the choicest of epithets and mobilising supporters, but are also seeking to influence the electorate through the powerful medium of films.
We have at least four films that directly deal with the political players of the day. If Yatra 2, and director Ram Gopal Varma’s Vyooham and Sapatham show Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in a favourable light, the Amaravathi Files, ostensibly hopes to highlight the plight of farmers after the YSRC came to power in 2019. TDP supporters believe the latter will indirectly help their party.
The relationship between movies and politics is not new. It is as old as cinema itself. Lenin, Hitler, Hollywood, Bollywood and many of our regional film industries have all used the medium to manipulate public opinion. In the Telugu states, during matinee idol N T Rama Rao’s era, a few movies were made to discredit him. Do these political movies have the desired impact? They generate interest for sure but the outcome is not assured.
Nonetheless, both the ruling YSRC and TDP appear to take them seriously. Both sides have gone to the court to stay the films’s release. The courts have cleared the films for release, which we think is right. These are not the times when people would be so naïve as to believe everything in a movie. Still, political parties are worried the films could influence neutral voters.
Ours is a democracy and if filmmakers operate within the law, none should have any problem. Besides, there is a mechanism in place to scrutinise the content. Ultimately, cinema is a narrative and the better one will win—the people will decide whether to appreciate or reject the films.
Amid this war of the movies, Tollywood superstar and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan is missing in action on screen. The TDP ally has at least three movies up his sleeve, but none to hit the screens before the elections. It is an irony, considering that his ally and opponent are using the medium that he is good at.