New Delhi: Months after the Election Commission (EC) got a free hand from the Supreme Court to deal with the menace of paid news, the poll panel may be staring at a new although similar problem: political propaganda films.
That 2019 would be fraught with political drama was expected. But the political drama seems to have seeped into cinema as well.
Since January this year, films like Uri: The Surgical Strikes (on 2016’s surgical strikes), Thackeray (biopic on former Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray) and The Accidental Prime Minister (about former prime minister Manmohan Singh) have already hit the screens, months before the general elections in April and May.
At least two more political films are set to be released over the next month even as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has kicked in — leading to questions over the inefficacy of the MCC to grapple with the issue of allowing such films which have the obvious potential to influence voters during elections, to be released during the election campaign.
Also read: Why Model Code of Conduct for elections cannot act against offending politicians
Films on Modi and Rahul
A Vivek Oberoi-starrer biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated for release on 12 April — a day after the first day of polling in the Lok Sabha elections, which begins on 11 April.
“PM Narendra Modi the film will traverse the journey of Narendra Damodardas Modi from his humble beginnings to his years as Gujarat Chief Minister onto his landmark win at the 2014 election and finally being nominated as the Prime Minister of India,” director Omung Kumar reportedly said.
Later in April, a film on Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s life, My Name is RaGa, is expected to be released.
“It’s the story of a coming back of a human being who had been ridiculously attacked. Anyone who has fearlessly confronted defeat and failure can relate to this story. In that sense, I don’t want to call this a biopic, it’s a story of any man who becomes unstoppable after he wins over a catastrophic life,” the film’s director Rupesh Paul reportedly said at a recent press conference.
What can the EC do?
While some have questioned the EC’s inaction on the matter, a top source in the commission told ThePrint that the matter is being examined on a priority basis. It is exploring whether the release of such films constitutes a violation of MCC and if it can take any action.
“Unlike paid news, certification for films does not come to the Election Commission,” said S.K. Mendiratta, the former legal advisor to the Commission.
“There is a separate authority to certify films — CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) — so EC can do little in this matter,” he said. “What it can do is advise the CBFC to not certify any content which will impact elections,” he added.
Image consultant Dilip Cherian agreed. “The EC rules don’t say anything about films…So there is an obvious lacuna there,” he said.
“In that sense, there is space for a new regulation.”
However, according to Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) director Sanjay Kumar, given that the films feature political figures who have a stake in the election, the Commission would be well within its rights to ask for a preview of the film.
“They should certainly ask for a preview of the films, and if they find the film to be like paid news or a paid film, they should ask for the film to be held for a few months,” he said.
“Since the timing of the release of these films is so fishy, it is reasonable to ask questions, and investigate,” he added.
Also read: From Rahul Gandhi to PV Sindhu, PM Modi calls on public figures to urge citizens to vote
How do these films impact the voter?
However, effectively, Kumar said the films are unlikely to influence voters any more than other tools of campaign available with political parties.
“The campaign is already on at the time of elections…Rallies, road shows, etc. So the film is just another campaign tool,” he said.
“But this is just one-way communication as opposed to live rallies and road shows where the leader can establish a direct contact with the voter,” he added. “So the effect of these films wouldn’t be too significant.”
There is another issue of “image creation and management”, argued Cherian. “People like to vote for heroes, so to that extent such films could help politicians.”
However, “when the heroics become too unbelievable, it can also drive audiences away”, he added.
“The question really is how much you (filmmakers) are willing to stray from the truth in pursuit of popularity.”
Moreover, given the appetite for realism in cinema nowadays, and the ubiquity of social media, the ability of a film to influence voters is far less than what it would have been in the 1980s, he said.
“Now, films come way after a WhatsApp message or a viral tweet or a YouTube video in terms of its impact,” he said. “One can only expect the very old or those with no access to social media to be swayed away by an unrealistic film.”