Portrayal of Rajputs in Bollywood

Cinema has long been used as a powerful tool for mass propaganda by the rich and powerful. As Aldous Huxley wrote, the propagandists’ goal is to make society forget that certain communities are also an integral part of human society. Similarly, Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels exploited the German film industry to instill deep hatred against Jews among Germans of all ages, turning ordinary citizens into supporters of horrific violence.

In India too, film production is driven by those with wealth and power, who use cinema not only for entertainment but as a means to control mass behavior, public perception, and government policies. Bollywood has, over decades, carried out a systematic campaign of cinematic misinformation and propaganda against Kshatriya. Unlike the vocal defenses mounted by intellectuals for Brahmins and Muslims, there has been little intellectual opposition to the distorted portrayal of Kshatriyas in films. This is largely due to the caste-based resentments of a few dominant North Indian communities, who aim to demoralize Kshatriya youth, alienate them socially, sideline them in policymaking, and cultivate prejudice against them in civil society.

Why Target the Kshatriya Community?

In India, Bollywood’s propaganda against Muslims and Kshatriyas has persisted for decades. While right-wing intellectuals defend Brahmins and leftist liberals vocally oppose anti-Muslim portrayals, no significant intellectual voices challenge the negative cinematic stereotypes of Kshatriyas. This lack of opposition is because anti-Muslim and anti-Brahmin propaganda is tied to communal ideologies, whereas Kshatriya vilification stems from caste-based resentment by a few dominant groups in North India.

The objective of this propaganda is to break the morale of Kshatriya youth, isolate them from other communities, exclude them from government policies, and embed prejudice against them in society.

Bollywood’s Portrayal of the Thakur as a Universal Oppressor

• The 1981 Behmai massacre saw 20 innocent people killed, including 17 Thakurs, a Muslim, a Scheduled Caste, and one OBC victim. The 1994 film Bandit Queen portrayed this as justice against 22 brutal Thakurs, heavily influencing public perception and denying justice to the victims.
• The first Hindi film to target Kshatriyas was Rajput (1982) by Dharmendra Diol. Concurrently, the glorification of Jats began with Putt Jattan De (1983) by Dharmendra and Ajit Diol. Both trends—Jat glorification and Kshatriya vilification—were initiated by the same lobby.
• Gulami (1985), starring Jat leader Vijay Punia and Dharmendra Diol, portrayed a Jat hero and Kshatriya villain. This film established the political propaganda of portraying Jats as unconditional farmers while labeling Kshatriyas as feudal oppressors.
• This cinematic campaign coincided with the peak of social justice politics led by Kshatriya leaders like VP Singh and Chandrashekhar. The film was a clear reaction by the ruling establishment.
• Subsequent films from 1990 onwards repeatedly typecast Kshatriyas as spoiled rich criminals, rapists, oppressors, and villains, portrayed by actors like Amrish Puri, Ranjit Bedi, and KK Menon.
• Films like Manorama Six Feet Under (2007) continued the narrative of a Jat hero versus Rajput rapist villain. Director Navdeep Singh and actors Abhay Deol and Gul Panag belong to the same community.
• Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster also reflects stereotyping of Kshatriyas.
• The 2008 film Shaurya depicted both main villains as Rajput army officers and the hero as a Jat. Notably, films about great Rajput generals like Sagat Singh Rathore or Major Shaitan Singh Bhati have never been made.
• The 2009 film Gulaal portrayed Rajasthan’s Rajputs as separatists, despite no Rajput leader ever demanding a separate “Rajputland.” Ironically, Raj Singh Chaudhary, the writer of Gulaal, comes from a community whose leaders have demanded “Jatland.”
• The 2019 film Article 15, supposedly based on the 2014 Badaun gang rape, misrepresented the caste identities of criminals to demonize Thakurs while the actual accused were from the Ahir community.

Rajputs as Villains on OTT Platforms

• In 2020, Aarya on Hotstar portrayed Rajputs as major drug mafia in Rajasthan, despite well-known facts about the drug mafia’s true nature.
• The same year, Paatal Lok subtly propagated myths about Thakur dominance and nepotism in media, although the real media power lies elsewhere.
• In May 2023, Afwaah depicted Rajputs and former royal families as inciting Muslim riots in Rajasthan. In reality, Hindu-Muslim riots in the state have complex causes, with no historical precedent of Rajput-instigated communal violence.
• The 2021 series Aranyak again cast villains with Rajput surnames while heroes bore Malik surnames, reinforcing stereotypes.
• In 2022, director Neeraj Pandey’s Khaki series distorted Bihar’s caste conflicts, fabricating a Rajput versus Kurmi narrative.
• Films on notable Kshatriya figures like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Dhyan Chand Bais, Jaswant Singh Rawat, and Milkha Singh Rathore erase their Kshatriya identity, unlike the biopic Dangal on the Phogat sisters.

Historical Fiction: An Excuse to Denigrate

• Since the political rise of the RSS in 1990, Marathi Brahmins have funded films in a genre called “fictional history,” where narratives distort actual history.
• RSS leader Guru Golwalkar sought to establish Peshwas as invincible warriors and rulers while disparaging the vast Rajput military community as cowardly and unworthy.
• Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar (2008) tried to show Kshatriyas as subservient to Mughals through marriage alliances. If secularism was his aim, he would also have made films about Deccan Sultans and Maratha Brahmin marriages.
• Panipat (2019) glorified the Peshwas and blamed a fictional character for their defeat.
• Veer (2010) glorified plunderers and branded local Rajputs as traitors.
• Tanhaji (2020) attempted a similar narrative.
• Films like Bhansali’s Padmavat and Dwivedi’s Prithviraj did not celebrate Rajput history but used Hindu-Muslim politics to stir controversies.
• While North Indian dominant castes labeled Rajputs as universal oppressors, Marathi Brahmins tried to depict them as cowards, traitors, and incompetent warriors.

Conclusion

While Bollywood openly promotes Brahminism and Jatism, Kshatriya actors often publicly express shame about their community. Despite being perceived as liberal and progressive, the Hindi film industry reveals deep communal hatred and caste envy once its veneer is stripped away.

The solution lies in constitutionally opposing this propaganda, investing in films that favor Kshatriya interests, and providing quality filmmaking training to Kshatriya youth.