‘The Sabarmati Report’ and the future of sarkari cinema

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Not every film viewing experience is escapist or uplifting. Moviegoers occasionally enter theatres with the explicit desire to be edified – tutored even. In India post 2014, many who want to be better informed about the country's past would rather watch a fictional dramatisation of events than read a history book.

This has resulted in a rash of propaganda films that skilfully exploit this instructional aspect of cinema. Such movies claim to educate viewers about hidden truths, to reveal the “real story” behind past events. They are designed like thrillers, with their protagonists bringing into the light knowledge that has been deliberately kept in the shadows. In Modi’s India, they have self-evident titles: The Kashmir Files, Bastar: The Naxal Story, The Kerala Story and the recently released The Sabarmati Report.

It is no coincidence that these cinematic exposes are always about decisions made by Congress governments or developments that transpired under that party’s watch. These films serve the BJP’s need to discredit the party that was in power for 54 of the 77...

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