Nepal, April 19 -- As the largest electorate in history goes to the polls in India from April 19 to June 1, 2024, political parties are seeking to influence voters' decisions-through cinema.

The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, seeking a third term in office under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has deployed the medium of cinema, more than others, to spread the party's goals and ideas.

The BJP claims India as a Hindu nation. The Modi government openly supports films that promote the BJP ideology by providing tax breaks and removing regulatory restrictions, especially when such films are strategically timed to be released in theatres ahead of the elections. "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar," a biopic on an ardent advoca...