Wed Dec 24 15:10:00 UTC 2025: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bollywood’s Populist Wave Meets Quiet Resistance in 2025
NEW DELHI – December 24, 2025 – As Bollywood continues its reign in 2025, a dominant trend of hyper-nationalistic and communal narratives has taken center stage, with films like “Dhurandhar,” “War 2,” “Udaipur Files,” and “The Taj Story” achieving commercial success. A new genre – Hindutva cinema – has tilted cinema as a political tool for political advocacy. Critics argue this populist wave risks turning cinema into a platform for jingoism, sacrificing artistic nuance and social empathy for spectacle.
However, a counter-narrative is quietly emerging. A slate of films championing critical social messaging, artistic creativity, and intellectual storytelling are vying for attention.
Among the noteworthy releases are “Superboys of Malegaon,” a heartwarming tale of creative passion amidst hardship in a small town, and “Sitaare Zameen Par,” a sports drama celebrating neurodiversity and inclusion. “Jolly LLB 3” has also been a hit, highlighting corruption. Others have been more neglected, such as “Homebound,” shortlisted for the Oscars, addressing caste discrimination amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Films like “Phule,” a biographical drama about social reformers, “Dhadak 2,” tackling inter-caste romance, and “Humans in the Loop,” highlighting the Adivasi experience in the digital age, confront social ills and promote dialogue. The thriller “Stolen” unveils corruption within tribal habitats.
“Agra,” exploring the class-based tragedies of a young man, is struggling to find exhibitors. This has exposed the dysfunctional aspect of a patriarchal society.
Assistant Professor Harish S. Wankhede from Jawaharlal Nehru University emphasizes the importance of audience support for these nuanced films. He warns that cinema risks becoming a “soulless instrument for profit and political propaganda” if creative and socially sensitive storytelling is neglected.
While mainstream Bollywood continues its box-office dominance, these “good cinema” films offer a vital alternative, elevating the intellectual credentials of their audience and promoting cinema as a creative enterprise.
First Piper 