CHANDIGARH: The last session of the second day of Military Literature Festival 2020 highlighted the role of Bollywood in raising the patriotic zeal in Indians. ‘Bollywood and Shaping the Nation’ session was moderated by renowned journalist Nirupama Subramanian and the expert panelists were Shubhra Gupta, film critic, Major Bikramjeet Kanwarpal renowned artist and Professor Makarnand R. Paranjape, director IIAS, Shimla.
While highlighting some movies like Haqiqat, Mother India, Shaurya and Border, the panelists claimed that the cinema is the most powerful medium to convey feelings to the people where they are heading. Professor Makarnand R. Paranjape said the title of the panel was a very significant issue and cinema bears very close relationship to what is happening in the society as it works as a mirror of the society. He added that the Bollywood always respected the Army people as they also stayed away from politics.
Meanwhile, Major Bikramjeet Kanwarpal said that despite several factors including stereotypes cinema is beyond control and it has been continuously influencing people. He added that cinema follows events as many films have been released on the subjects which were happening at that period of time.
Shubhra Gupta said that the filmmakers are people like us and they got their ideas from the daily happenings. She also shared her experiences that many filmmakers had told her that they got the idea of making the film from the headlines of the newspapers and the incidents happening around became the subject of the film.