Portrayal of Muslims Characters

in the Indian Movies

Shahzad Ali ∗
Sidra Chaudhry ♣
Rooh-e-Aslam ♥
A.B. Faridi ♠

Abstract
The basic purpose of this research article is to analyze the
hidden message of the Indian movies and the religious
conflict therein. Bollywood movies are admired by millions
in India and Pakistan and also in the West. Although these
films appear to target audience having interest in romantic
stories, but actually these productions are multilayered and
have underlying meanings. Thus, controversial issues such
as the religious conflict between Muslims and Hindus and
the international conflict between India and Pakistan are
also the subject of Bollywood movies. This study explains
the partiality of Indians as they portray Muslims and
Pakistanis in their movies as terrorists and negative minded
people. This paper argues that using such stereotyped
images Indian cinema communicates strong political

∗ Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Bahauddin

Zakariya University, Multan.
♣ Lecturer, International Islamic University, Islamabad.
♥ Lecturer, Government College, Gulberg, Lahore.
♠ Research Scholar, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan.
138 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

messages to its audience and tends to exacerbate the

existing conflicts.
Introduction
Motion pictures are considered the cheapest means of
entertainment, cultural projection and socialization. For
every audience the film performs a different function and
has different meaning. In this age of media conglomerates,
media moguls and media hegemony in the formation of
mental picture is not merely the creation of our personal
experiences, but print and electronic media including
movies also contribute in the creation of these mental
pictures. 1 The images shown by the movies have certain
imprints on the minds of the viewers. Movies are like
dreams or fairy tales which take the viewer to different or
sometimes, incredible worlds. Movies’ contribution in
image making is inevitable. As movies develop the image,
in the same way they can distort the image. It is a very
effective tool of propaganda. This paper aims to study how
Indian cinema attempts to influence its audience through
the images and propaganda used in the movies.
Historically, India 2 is known for its flexible
characteristic of absorbing the traits of other nations,
whether these nations came as invaders or immigrants.
The rich history of India, which is spread over thousands of
years, is a witness of this mingling of cultures and
traditions of various nations. Numerous monuments and

1 Muhammad Imtiaz Shahid, Mass Communication (Lahore: The Caravan

Press 2003), 348.
2 Republic of India is the seventh largest country by the geographical
division, the second most populous country and the largest democracy in
the world. India has a coastline of over seven thousand kilometers. It
borders Pakistan to the West; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the North-
East; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the East. Since its independence,
India has had sectarian violence and insurgencies in various parts of the
country, but has maintained its unity and democracy. It has unresolved
territorial disputes with China, which escalated into the brief Sino-India
War in 1962; and with Pakistan, which resulted in wars in 1947, 1965,
1971 and in 1999 war in Kargil. In spite of the territorial clashes and
dispute of Kashmir, there are cultural and religious clashes as well
between India and Pakistan.
Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 139

prodigious edifices in India have a proof of this combined

culture and heritage which these nations share together.
This cultural heritage is abundantly reflected in Indian
movies. Cinema has also inherited a strong literary
tradition. Conventionally, literary traditions in India were
oral which were later transcribed. Most of the literary
traditions were the reflection from the Holy Scriptures of
Hindus like Vedas, Mahabharata and Ramayana. Since
religion is the part of daily routine life of Indians, these
traditions have certain significance. Participation in
different rituals and religious ceremonies is mandatory
part of their life. Thus, along with other cultural
inheritance, literary traditions and depiction of religiosity
have also found their way into the media.
Indian film industry stands among the largest
industries of the world and it produces huge number of
films every year. Mumbai is the key place regarding the
production of films and the industry is known as
Bollywood—an Indian adaptation from Hollywood. Besides
Bollywood, there are some other strong and noticeable
cinema industries like Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam
and these industries are actually language based
industries which reflect their regional culture and
tradition. 3
India is the world’s largest country in terms of ticket
sales; this shows the interest of Indians that they are fond
of entertainment and movies. The popularity of Indian films
is increasing throughout the world especially in those
countries where the large numbers of Indians are
dwelling. 4 In terms of viewership and cultural impact,
Bollywood competes with Hollywood as the most
influential cinema on the globe. Indian production

3 Lakshmi Srinivas, “The Active Audience: Spectatorship, Social Relations

and the Experience of Cinema in India,” Media Culture Society, Vol. 24,
No. 2 (2002), 155-73.
4 Mark Lorenzen, “Go West: The Growth of Bollywood”, Creative
Encounters, Working Paper No. 26 (2009), 16.
140 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

companies are acquiring a global outlook by becoming

more streamlined, efficient and competitive.
A huge number of Indians are fascinated by Bollywood
movies as well as western population is also captivated by
them. The viewers also include majority of Pakistanis who
are attracted due to the fascinating stories and glamorous
characters. In fact, people of Pakistan admire Indian
movies and Bollywood stars much more than their own
movies produced by Lollywood (local Pakistani cinema)
stars. In spite of the religious, cultural and regional
conflicts the Indian movies are popular in Pakistan.
Bollywood movies apparently open to us as typical
love stories with melodious music and attractive dancing
but they are not only restricted to it. The movies also
highlight the controversial issues like religious conflict of
Hindus and Muslims and also presented in the form of
bilateral politics played out between the hostile states of
Pakistan and India.
The conflict between India and Pakistan has a long
history, embedded in the religious identities of Muslims
and Hindus. Muslims who entered South Asia in 7th and 8th
centuries managed to preserve their distinct religious
identity over the centuries. Although Muslims and Hindus
lived in peaceful coexistence for the most part of their
common history, under the British imperial rule, the
religious differences became the basis for emergence of
separate communal identities that finally culminated in the
division of subcontinent into the states of India and
Pakistan. The communal tension was inherited by the
newly created states. After more than 60 years of
separation, the conflict has not subsided. There have been
four Indo-Pak wars during this period and both states are
still at loggerheads. This enmity has an additional
dimension within India i.e., allowing religious prejudice
against Muslims. Since the Hindus are in an overwhelming
majority, Muslims are somewhat marginalized and
discriminated. Indian Cinema reflects both these biases
i.e. against Pakistan and against Muslims in its movies.
Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 141

During the initial years after independence, the Indian film

industry had many Muslim producers, directors, writers
and actors. At that time the discrimination did exist, but
was not very visible. However, over the decades, the
prejudicial trends have become more pronounced. This
trend has also grown because of specific government
agenda aimed at achieving political ends from
entertainment industry.
Although Indian movies were banned during 1980s
and 90s in Pakistan, but now the Pakistani viewers can
enjoy them in cinemas as the ban has been lifted to
promote friendly relations among the two countries.
Therefore, Indian movies have a direct influence upon
Pakistani viewers. This influence seems to be a
continuation of the Indian foreign policy in 1950-70s to
capture Pakistanis with the help of its cultural
commodities like films, radio and T.V. Moreover, popularity
of Bollywood in other parts of the world has also provided
impetus to expand this propaganda abroad.
This study debunks the partiality of Indians as they
portray Muslims and Pakistanis in their movies as
terrorists and negative minded people all over the world.
Apart as not only to profit from the conflict between
religious communities, but also to gain viewership at
domestic level seems to be the aim of Bollywood.
Muslims Characters in Bollywood Movies
As discussed, Bollywood is the reflection of India’s day to
day life and thought. The depiction of Muslim characters in
Bollywood film from Nawabs [Urdu: nobility], Badshah
[Urdu: king] and aristocrats to rascals, thugs, terrorists,
streetmen and hooligans is very gradual and systematic.
The alternation of Muslims from philanthropists to
terrorists is the reflection of changing perception about
Muslims in the Indian society. Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahel,
Anarkali, Mughal-e-Azam, Mere Mehboob, Bahu Begum
and Chaudwien ka Chand were the type of movies, which
portrayed Muslims as rulers and showed their resplendent
142 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

past. The theme of such movies was affirmative in the

perspective of Muslims.
It was in the 70s, when the scenario of movies began
to change regarding the presentation of Muslims, and they
depicted the Muslims as indolent and futile Nabobs, 5 who
squandered their money on prostitutes. The names of
some of the movies, which presented Muslims as lethargic
and inactive are Mere Hazoor, Pakeezah, Umrao Jaan etc.
The movies Nikah and Bazaar were rich and fertile in
content but negative in intent.
The development of Muslims as the characters of
underworld was the hallmark of the 70s and 80s movies.
Though the Muslim characters remained anonymous, yet
the viewer could recognize the appearance as Arab,
wearing specific costume, carrying briefcase and puffing
cigar. This types of presentation of the Muslims became
direct and clear in the late 80s and 90s and Ghulam-i-
Mustafa and Angaar are its examples.
Beside, there are a few movies, which depict and
present the issue of Hindu-Muslim communal riots. But
these movies are made with semi-willingness. The
presentation of the Muslim characters as terrorists and
extremists reached its pinnacle after 2001. Due to terrorist
attacks of 9/11, the political scenario of entire world was
changed and Muslims and Muslim countries became the
direct victims of the wrath of the West and the rest.
Subsequently, they were accused and suspected by
everyone and everywhere. The incident of 11/26 6 added
fuel to the fire of years’ long enmity between two
countries.

5 British rendition of Nawab. The term refers to a certain type of rulers in

British period that were dependent on the Paramount power and had
little authority left to rule their states.
6 The terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the largest port city of India, on 26
November 2008. The suspects were considered to be intruders from
Pakistan.
Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 143

A review of the selected Bollywood movies shows that

a majority of the movies portray Muslims negatively. This
challenges Bollywood’s position as only an entertainment
media. If Bollywood has no political agenda as such then it
has to change its perception about Muslims. It needs to
adopt an unbiased approach towards their portrayal. It
should deem Muslims as normal human beings with
complexities and issues and not as stereotyped characters.
Recognizing fanatics within Hinduism can be a counter-
balance strategy which may enable viewers to understand
that extremists can exist in any given community.
Labelling Islam as a terrorist or peace abhorring religion is
certainly a misplaced assumption. Bollywood needs to
ameliorate their views and ideas about Muslims and Islam,
more so because Muslims are the largest minority in India.
A number of research works are available on how the
image of Muslims is distorted in Bollywood. Faiza Hirji in
her article entitled “Change of Pace? Islam and Tradition
in Popular Indian Cinema” analyzed the role of Islam in
Bollywood movies. According to her, Islam being a
mandatory organ of Bollywood is always portrayed in
heinous and obnoxious way. Hirji has discussed how the
norms of terrorism, violence and intercultural
7
misunderstanding are associated with Islam.
Victor A. Vicente in his work “Construct of Asia in
Indian Film and Film Songs” has highlighted that the
costumes, dances, soul-touching music being the
embellishment of the movies arrested the huge number of
audience from across South Asia and around the globe.
The research divulged that depiction of West Asian
especially Islamic West Asian culture has become a
peculiar quality of Bollywood movies. Movies like Mission
Istanbul, Bombay to Bangkok, Chandni Chowk to China are

7 Faiza Hirji, “Change of Pace? Islam and Tradition in Popular Indian

Cinema”, South Asian Popular Culture, Vol. 6, No.9 (2008), 57-69.
144 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

sufficient for the instance of the movies which are

presentation of Asia vs. India or West vs. India. 8
Filming the Gods by Rachel Dwyer is one of the
towering works in the field. It is evident from the title that
religion and Indian cinema is central topic of the book.
Dwyer has highlighted the role of Muslims as the integral
segment of the Indian Cinema from inception to pinnacle.
The Bollywood movies could not be oblivious of the role of
Muslims which they played in form of musician, singers,
film makers, producers, directors and actor etc. in real life. 9
In her other works, “Representing the Muslim: the
Courtesan Film in Indian Popular cinema,” Dwyer has
concluded that in these films, Islamic culture is located in
a woman who lives outside a respectable society. That
woman in movies was portrayed as a lady of easy virtue,
i.e., prostitute who was exotic and desirable. The role
represents a socially unacceptable sexual but non-
reproductive femininity like beloved of the ghazal 10 . On the
contrary, the Hindu woman was presented within the
bounds of marriage and the family. 11 Indian cinema has
also been discussed in an edited work by Dwyer, Pleasure
and the Nation: the History, Politics and Consumption of
Public Culture in India. 12 Kesavan, 13 Nirajana 14 and Islam15

8 Victor A. Vicente, “Constructs of Asia in Indian Film and Film Song,” The
Journal of Comparative Asian Development, Vol. 9, No.2 (2010), 293-319.
9 Rachel Dwyer, Filming the Gods: Religion and Indian Cinema (NY:
Rutledge, Taylor & Francis, 2006).
10 A genre of Urdu poetry.
11 Rachel Dwyer, “Representing the Muslim: the Courtesan Film in Indian
Popular Cinema,” in Tudor Perfit and Yulia Egorova ed., Jews, Muslim and
Mass Media (NY: Rutledge Cruzan Taylor and Francis Group, 2004), 78-92.
12 Rachel Dwyer & Christopher Pinney, Pleasure and the Nation: The History,
Politics and Consumption of Public Culture in India (New Delhi: Oxford
University Press, 2004).
13 Mukul Kesavan, “Urdu, Awadh and the Tawaif: The Islamicate Roots of
Hindi Cinema,” in Zoya Hasan, (ed.) Forging Identities: Gender,
Communities and the State (Delhi: Kali for Women, 1994).
14 Tejaswini Nirajana, “Integrating Whose Nation? Tourists and Terrorists in
'Roja',” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 29, No. 3 (1994), 79-82.
Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 145

have also expounded praiseworthy work on the image of

Muslims in Bollywood cinema. However, these research
works have not discussed in detail as to how the image of
Pakistanis is being presented in the Indian movies. Thus to
fill this gap, present research seeks to study the image of
Muslims as well as Pakistanis used in Bollywood and how
this image is constantly related with negative and
stereotypical characters.
Data Collection and Analysis
This study is based upon the qualitative analysis of the
famous Indian movies released during the last decade or
so. The research is very much significant as it intends to
reveal the underlying meanings of the stories presented by
Indian cinema in the name of culture. Beneath the sugar-
coated message, there is an enormous amount of
negativity for Muslims and as well as for Pakistan. The
identity of Muslims is regularly and repeatedly challenged.
After conducting pilot study of Indian movies, the
following hypothesis has been developed and tested:
The proportion of negative portrayal of Muslim
characters would be greater as compared to the ratio of
positive image of Muslims in Indian movies.
Purposive sampling was used to verify this hypothesis.
The focus was on the movies that take up the issues
related to Muslims and Pakistan. The sample includes only
Hindi movies and thus this analysis, by and large, reflects
the perception about Muslims in northern India as
embodied by the Hindi cinema.
In order to confirm reliability, selected scenes were
visualized twice. To elaborate the portrayal of Muslims in
an understandable manner, the overall impression of
selected films from the sample has been given as précis.

15 Maidul Islam, “Imaging Indian Muslims: Looking through the Lens of

Bollywood Cinema,” Indian Journal of Human Development, Vol.1, No.2
(2007), 61-84.
146 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

Categories
All the samples were categorized in three types: Positive,
Negative and Mixed films. Positive films are those which
contain truthful portrayal of Muslims. Social conditions of
Muslims in India and conflict with Pakistan are realistically
highlighted. Instead of using negative stereotypes, these
movies present Muslims as real characters with positive
frame. They can have positive qualities such as love for
peace and respect for universal ethics. They have got an
urge to stand for humanity and betterment of mankind.
In negative films, which Muslim characters are painted
black and their image is distorted. They are usually
presented as criminals, slum dogs, terrorists, doing mean
jobs and using slang language. The portrayal of Muslim
females as prostitutes also comes under the same cover.
The movies which expound nearly equal proportion of
negative and positive Muslim characters fall in the
category of mix movies. For example, a movie charge as
well as a positive such character would be known as the
mix movie. In other cases, the negativity of a character is
rationalized by explaining the circumstances and the
character is not portrayed as inherently evil.
Analysis
The research is quantitative as well as qualitative in its
nature. The data clearly shows that the portrayal of
Muslims in Indian films is mostly negative. Table 1
describes the survey that the number of negative films
(75.60%) is far greater than the number of positive films
(12.20%). Through this analysis, we can easily discern the
paucity of positive attitude and reverence for Muslims in
Indian cinema. The survey highly agrees with hypothesis
that the proportion of negative portrayal of Muslim
characters would be greater as compared to the ratio of
positive image of Muslims in Indian movies.
Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 147

Table 1: CATAGORIES OF INDIAN MOVIES AS PER PORTRAYAL

OF MUSLIM CHARACTERS

Total numbers of Positive Films Negative Films Mixed Films

Films
41 5(12.20%) 31(75.60%) 5(12.20%)
The list of all the movies included in sample is given in
Annexure-1.
DETAILED QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED MOVIES
A. Positive
1. “Main Hon Na” by Farah Khan
Mainly, the movie depicts that the common people of India
and Pakistan want to become friends. When the Indian
politicians and government tend to promote friendship and
try to resolve clashes, there are some extremists in Army
who react against it. Those who want good relations with
Pakistan are considered ghadaar [Hindi: traitors] and fifth
columnists. They are also killed for this. The movie shows
a character “General Bakshi” who tells in an interview that
“50 Pakistani prisoners would be released”. After this
controversial statement some conservative Indians try to
kill him but he is saved. Later on, reactionary Hindus
threaten to kill him if he supports the Pakistan-India
friendship. Also the movie shows the unbearable and
severe conditions of Pakistani prisoners who are arrested
due to taking the name of Pakistan. Overall, the movie
presents a wish for peace on both sides of the borders and
highlights that few miscreants within India want to
sabotage the peace process. The movie has an inward
looking critical approach and gives out a positive message.
2. “Chak De India” by Yash Chopra
In the super hit picture of 2008, a Muslim hero, Kabir Khan,
is shown as a devoted, dutiful and honest man. In the
beginning, he was dubbed as a traitor and disloyal person
who deceived his team as the coach resultantly team won
the cup and Indian team lost the men’s hockey World Cup
148 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

tournament because of him. However, he proves himself as

the coach of women’s hockey team and was eventually
accepted as a patriot.
B. Negative
1. “Veer Zaara” by Yash Chopra
This is a love story which revolves around a Muslim girl
‘Zara Hayat’ who falls in the love with a Hindu boy named
“Veer Partab Singh”. She leaves all her traditional, social
and religious values to adopt Hindustani culture. In this
movie, Muslims are ridiculed in a very tactful and
disguised way. Hindu’s attitude towards Muslims is
shown congenial while the Muslims are portrayed as
greedy, hostile and having weak will power and weak
determination. In fact, it is an evident propaganda against
the Two Nation Theory.
2. “Fanaa” by Yash Chopra
It is a typical love story in which the hero, Rehan, has dual
identity and the heroine Zonnie is shown as a patriot
Muslim character. The grandfather of Rehan is the leader
of a Mafia. Muslims are verily depicted in this film
repugnant and repulsive who were responsible for all the
sabotage.
3. “Sarfarosh” by Johan Methew Mathon
In ‘Sarfarosh’ Muslims are pictured as terrorists and
smugglers of ammunition and narcotics through the
Pakistani border Rajhistan’s town Bahid with the help of
trained camels. Muslim character named “Sultan” is a
terrorist, having links with authorities/groups in Pakistan
and disrupts the law and order in India. It is also evident
by the story of Sarfarosh that Pakistan provides refuge to
the terrorists. The officers of Pakistani Agency ISI (Inter
Services Intelligence) support the terrorists. These
terrorists say prayers in the mosques and commit genocide
which is termed Jihad by the Muslims.
Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 149

4. “Garv” by Punit Isar

In this movie “Zafar Sapari” is a Muslim character who is
the agent of ISI and is involved in train bombings and
smuggling of weapons in India. He has links with the
underworld and is responsible for all the chaos in India.
5. “L.O.C. (Line of Control)” by J.P. Dutta
Another example of anti-Pakistani film which highlights
the situation of Pak-India border i.e., L.O.C. at Kargil, is
“L.O.C.”. The characters that are playing the roles of
Indian Army use abusive and bigotry language to
demoralize Pakistani soldiers. It also blames Mujahidin
that they being the Atank Wadis [Hindi: terrorists] want to
separate Ladakh from Kashmir. Indian army men are
shown brave and determined whereas Mujahidin and
Pakistan army men are presented cowardly.
6. “Ab Tumharay Hawalay Watan Sathio” by Anil
Sharma
Pakistan’s intervention in India is portrayed by
highlighting Jihad as terrorism. Especially, Muslims are
considered responsible for creating disturbance on the
special events e.g. Holi and Dewali (religious events of
Hindus) by killing innocent people of India. In contrast,
Indians are shown as peace loving nation. Indian forces
capture Tiari Chowki, former East Pakistan in 1971 War
and wave their own flag at that place.
7. “Border” by J.P. Dutta
It is a big budget anti-Pakistan movie with a total
spending of INR 9.5 crore. It has a simplistic plot of good
and evil. It depicts India as a “brave” country. Some
Indians support the evil plans of Muslims who wanted to
weaken the roots of India. At several instances, through
actions and dialogues the Indian army is presented as a
dedicated force to save India from its enemy Pakistan.
Dialogues of film “Border” against Pakistan and
Muslims
Ajj say tumhari har goli per doshman ka nam hona chahye.
150 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

[From today onward, your every bullet should carry the name of
enemy]
Pakistanio tum ghateya say ghateya batain kartay ho, humari zameen
per qadam rakhnay ki koshish na karna.
[O Pakistanis! You speak rubbish; never attempt to place your foot on
our land]
Pakistanion ko pagal kutay nay kata hay jo border cross kar kay yahan
ain gay.
[Are the Pakistanis rabid that they would cross the border to approach
here?]
Mery doshman mery bhai mery hamsaye.
[My foes, my brothers, my neighbours!]
8. “Dev” by Govind Nihalani
It is picturized in the context of Hind-Muslim riots which
frequently erupt in various parts of India. Muslim politician
named Lateef intentionally triggers Hindu-Muslim riots to
create difficulties for his political opponent. Dev, an honest
police officer, is shown as a neutral character who
considers criminals as criminals, neither Hindu nor
Muslim. He, along with the patriotic commissioner Tej,
tries to bring things back to order. The hero of the film is
Farhan Ali. He becomes a pawn in the hands of Latif and is
used for attacking a Hindu temple. The incident triggers
riots in the city. The division of Hindus as positive and
Muslims as negative characters is very clear in this movie.
Moreover, the notion that Muslim miscreants have links in
Pakistan is also highlighted. Apparently, honest and
dutiful police show prejudice by humiliating Farhan Ali
during investigation in a train Journey. For example, have
a look at the following exchange of dialogues:
Policeman: Koe saman hae?
[Is there any luggage?]
Farhan: Haan hae.
[Yes, there is.]
Policeman: Chek krao….. yh kia hae?
[Get it checked …… What is it?]
Farhan: Khatt hae.
Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 151

[“A letter”]
Policeman: Urdu men hae? Pakistan se aya ho ga? Koe
rishtay daar to ho ga, Pakistan main?
[Written in Urdu? Is it from Pakistan?.... There might
be some relative in Pakistan?]
Farhan: Maray walid ka khatt hae, Bombay se. Waisay
agar koe hota Pakistan main tou?
[My father’s from Mumbai what if I had someone in
Pakistan, then?]
Policeman: Tou Farhan sahib kuch din ham ap ko apna
mehman rakhtay aor achay traeky se khatir
madarat kartay.
[If you had, we would have taken you as a dungeon-
guest and serve you sufficient food.]
9. “Zameer” by Rohit Shetty
The basic theme of the movie is that in the age of terror,
evil is inflicted upon innocents in unprecedented events
like the Mumbai blasts, 9/11 and the parliament attacks to
name a few. The movie starts with Vande Matram 16 to
reinforce the concept of India, The Great. The movie
proceeds further by the report of anti-terrorist unit which
describes the terrorist group at the forefront of such
activities is called the Al-Tahir and the leader of the group
is Baba Zahir. Thus, terrorists are labelled as Muslims. On
the other hand, the Indians are portrayed in positive
manner by giving them typical strong Hindu names like
Col. Ranjiv Singh Ranawat. The negative character of Baba
Zahir shown as terrorist is a bearded man who greets his
brother by saying. “Thanks to Allah, our mission has been
successful”. This shows Muslims responsible for all the
terrorism. Pakistani Army is also shown operating against
the Indian interests and providing refuge to the terrorist
organization Al-Tahir in a camp at the mountains. The
camp is attacked by Indian Army. While capturing Zahir
Khan, Col. Ranjiv exclaims, “I can hardly help it Zahir

16 Official Indian national song; distinct from Indian national anthem.

152 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

Khan, killing dogs is forbidden in our country” referring to

Pakistanis as dogs.
The movie aims to show the Muslims as the real
culprits of an attack at the Indian parliament. They
escaped after the attack, hijacked the Indian plane and
captured innocent people. In the end, the Indian army and
police killed them and became victorious. This film
portrays Muslims as negative and bad characters. Even
the sweeper of the airline is Muslim who helps the
fugitives by providing them with weapons in the plane.
Muslims are also portrayed as cruel, terrifying the innocent
travellers of the plane.
The dialogues of Indian characters are against the
Muslims and Pakistan, e.g. Col Ranjiv says, it is not right
to “bark so much about a country given to Muslims as
charity and weapons given as alms.” After barging into
mosques and temples like coward and killing innocent
women and children, Muslims are still alive because
Indian government has stopped the army from killing
them. This is the climax of the whole movie where the real
hatred for Pakistan surfaces and the concept that
“Pakistan a charity” is shown clearly. The Indians are
shown with very strong integrity and respect for authority
and for their government.
10. “Gang” by Mazhar Khan
This film is about Akram, Ranjit, Philip and Karun who are
Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Hindu, respectively. They live
together. Except Akram all are gentlemen belonging to
middle class. Akram is a bad guy who instigates them to
make a gang for wrong deeds. It is shown that Akram
makes plans to earn money by hook or crook and is happily
involved in illicit activities while Karun, Ranjit and Philip
are dissatisfied because of their conscience. Another
character, Aslam Khan, a big terrorist is also a Muslim.
Muslims are portrayed as greedy, murderers, and
cheater. In the end Ranjt, Philip and Karun with bravery
and wisdom handover Akram and Aslam Khan to the
Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 153

police when they learn about Aslam Khan’s plan for a

suicide bombing.
11. “Wednesday” by Ronnie Screwwala
Muslim characters namely Ibrahim Khan, Ikhlaq Ahmad,
M. Zaheer and Khurshid Lala are presented in disgusting
and detestable way. There is no ambiguity in perceiving
theme of the movie which is terrorism and Muslim
characters are embroiled in these activities. The film
expounds that Muslims are dissolute and must be
exterminated by Indians.
12. “Kachey Dhaagay” by Milan Luthria
The movie starts off as a love story of a Muslim woman and
a Hindu man, which later on turn into an illicit relation
ended up in giving birth to a baby boy. The Hindu man
marries a Hind woman and deserted her. The Muslim
woman, who is the daughter of a Maulvi, brings up her
child by telling him that his father is dead. The child joins
a terrorist group that is run by Muslims. Hindu man has
another son from his Hindu wife. In the end, the Muslim
son (Aftab) wants to marry but the parents of the woman
discourage him because he does not know about his
father. At the end, the mother and the son meet the father
and lead a good life. In this movie the image of Muslims is
stigmatized by showing a Muslim girl involved in illicit
relations and inclination of a Muslim child towards
terrorism.
13. “Ye Dil Ashiqana” by Aruna Irani
The story is about a Muslim terrorist group “Lashkar-i-
Zeest” whose head Mirza Ashraf-ul-Haq, a Pakistani, is
arrested by Indian force. He is shown involved in bomb
blasts in India and as murderer of innocent Hindustanis.
The hero of the movie is Karan who loves Pooja. Another
Muslim character is Itimash Jalal who planned to free
Ashraf-ul-Haq from prison. Itimash Jalal hijacks an Indian
plane by paying off the crew. 118 passengers are in the
plane including the heroine Pooja. The hijackers land the
154 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

plane on an old airport and ask the Indian government to

free Ashraf-ul-Haq from the prison otherwise they would
kill a passenger after every half an hour. The Indian
government accepts their demand but Karan (The hero)
gets access to the plane and kills all the hijackers. The
Indian government gives him a prize. In an interview
Karan humiliates the Muslims by saying;
“Wo hamaray mulk k dushman hain. Main in se ye
kehna chahta hon, kh hmari sarhadoon par kharay
sepaheon se laroo, par in k liay tou aik Hindustani ashik he
kafy hae. 1971 se 2001 tak yh baywakoof abhe tak yh nhe
samjh pae. Keh tidian tadaad me kitny bhe keon nah hon,
ghaseet kr nhe lay ja sakteen.”
[They are the enemies of our land. I ask them to have a fight with our
soldiers at our borders. But, only an Indian patriot would be sufficient
for them. From 1971 to 2001, these fools could not understand the fact
that locusts even in a large count can’t drag anything away.]
14. “Hindustan Ki Qasam” by Kumar Mangat
The movie starts with azaan 17 to put Mujahidin in focus. A
Pakistani Army Chief is shown as a traitor who provides
the list of Mujahidin to the RAW. 18 A procession is held
between both the countries to promote brotherhood.
Mujahidin together with Pakistan Army try to sabotage
and destruct it but fail. The commander of Mujahidin
named Shah Jee has links with the ISI. The plan is to
worsen the relations between the two countries by killing
Pakistani premier in the visit of India, but Indian Army
sabotaged this plan. Pakistani Army and ISI are criticized
in following dialogues:
“Kis maqsad ki bat kr rhay ho tum, do mulkoon ko
larany ko tum apna mqsad kehtay ho. Kia hasel ho ga
tumahy zameen ki chhati ko laho lahan kr k. Ye kaisi bhuk
hai jo roti ki bajie serhadon ko nigalna chahti hai.”
[Of which aim are you taking about? Is it your aim to set the two
countries on combat? What will you get for a bloodbath over the land?

17 The Muslim call to prayer.

18 The Research and Analysis Wing- India's External Intelligence Agency.
Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 155

What sort of hunger is it that desires to devour the land in place of

bread?]
15. “Wanted”by Boney Kapoor
“Wanted” is one of the hit films of 2009. Muslims are
shown as relentless and ruthless criminals who are
responsible for every scuffle which happened in the city.
Muslim character “Ghani Bhai” is shown as the don of the
underworld who is the scourge of the city. Over all,
Muslims are presented quite badly.
C. Mixed Films
Mixed films included in the sample for this research are:
My name is Khan, New York, Kurbaan, Sawarya and Delhi-
6. First three movies beautifully exhibit the tragic incident
of 9/11. Two out of three, namely “My Name is Khan” and
“New York” very sympathetically expound the scenario
related to the Muslims post 9/11. These movies expose the
disposition of Muslims in America. They depict the
Muslims partially negative. The stereotype of Muslims as
terrorists is not challenged. However, the Muslim
characters are innocent and give out the message that all
Muslims are not terrorists; but some are. The suffering and
troubles of Muslims in day to day life after the onset of 9/11
is the burning issue of these movies. “Kurban” is about the
terrorist activities of Muslims in the context of 9/11.
Because of its neutral positive character Ryaz, the movie is
placed in mixed category. The film ‘Delhi-6’ was released
in 2009. It is basically a mixed film in terms of Muslims. In
this film, the hero, Roshan, is portrayed as a philanthropist
and pacific person. He came from New York and after
enduring several catastrophes, he eventually adjusted in
the community where multi-religious people were living.
Besides this, there are Muslim characters that partake
negatively in the film and arouse the feelings of
repulsiveness for Muslims.
Discussion
The Bollywood wave has penetrated throughout Pakistan.
Indian films which are primarily about love, consumption
156 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

and affluence, apparently devote small concerns to the

actual political and socially critical issues. However, these
movies have underlying political motives which can be
discerned by critical viewing. Indian cinema successfully
utilizes the cover of entertainment to conceal its political
motives.
According to Vinzenz Hediger, an expert in cinematic
studies:
Entertainment films are particularly suited to tackling the issue of
social conflicts. Popular cinema in particular, with its dramatic
turns of events and concise formulae, is ideal for highlighting
social conflicts in an effective manner that will reach a broad span
of people. In addition, popular films always have to be relevant. In
other words, cinema-goers must be able to relate what is
happening on the screen to what is going on in their lives.”
Popular films “… have to be successful, because they are so
costly to produce." 19
However, from the analysis of Indian cinema, one can
conclude that popular films are not being used for
highlighting but enhancing social conflict within and
outside Indian society.
Despite being a big multi-cultural and multi-lingual
society and acclaimed democratic state, there are certain
instances in India that show the hatred of Hindus against
the Muslims. Bollywood movies are showing this religious
conflict by presenting Muslims as negative minded people.
Muslims are also given the small and low standard
characters like sweepers and peons in the Indian films.
As discussed earlier, the images that Indian cinema
has come to use for Muslims are that of ruffian swindlers,
mafia dons, assassins and sex-workers etc. A recent
addition is the image of terrorist. Traditional Muslim attire
is used to depict these characters. Shalwar-qameez
(Pakistani dress), dupatta [Urdu: Head-cover used by

19 Vinzenz Hediger, The Hindu-Muslim Conflict in Bollywood Films: The

Religious Conflict as a Blockbuster http://en.qantara.de/The-Religious-
Conflict-as-a-Blockbuster/8746c8815i1p510/ accessed 8 December, 2011.
Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 157

Muslim women], tasbih [Urdu: rosary] and beard are used

to stereotype Muslims as negative characters.
At times the prejudice against Muslims seems to be
paradoxical. Besides the negative portrayal, Muslims and
Hindus work together in the Indian film industry. In fact
the religious pluralism does not end there; the members of
other religious groups are also active in the film sector.
Moreover, there are different examples which show
unprecedented behaviour of Indians. For instance, a very
popular actor, Hrithik Roshan’s fans are aware about his
marriage with a Muslim woman, but still they admire him.
On the other hand supporters of the right wing Hindu
party BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) called for a boycott of
Amir Khan’s movies “Fanaa” just because he advocated
for giving adequate compensation to Muslims who were
affected by the construction of a dam in Gujarat. Later,
Hindus advised him to simply apologize because actors
are there to sing, dance and entertain public and not to
express their own opinions. But except Gujarat the movie
became a huge box office success in the country’s
remaining states. Thus the attitude towards Muslims is
varied in India at different times. However, the cinema
seems to be more adept at tapping the negativity
generated by strained communal relations and the positive
aspect is usually ignored.
As the image of Muslims all over the world has
changed after 9/11, likewise the Bollywood (Indian)
filmmakers got license to portray Muslims as terrorists and
present “Jihad” as natak [Hindi: drama] to achieve
political goals. After analyzing the content of many Indian
movies, this notion of hatred and rivalry against Muslims
in Indian cinema is fully supported. Indian film makers
highlight cross border terrorism in their script and blame
Pakistan for terrorist activities in India, e.g. Mumbai blasts,
Hindu-Muslim clashes in Gujrat, attacks on Akshardhm
(Hindu temple complex in Delhi) and on the Indian
parliament etc. by using Muslim names of villains and
terrorists and by stigmatizing their rituals and beliefs.
158 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1 (2012)

Some Hindu directors tried their utmost to distort the

image of Islam and Muslims and to fix it in the viewers’
minds that the Muslims are the ‘bad guys’ and instigators
of violence. Hindus present themselves as nationalists and
Pakistanis as greedy perpetrators of terrorism whose only
aim is to acquire money.
Conclusion
Indian media has mastered the art of promoting their way
of life. India has managed to educate its huge population
through its media. Using its wide outreach, Bollywood also
functions against its neighbouring country, Pakistan, and
misses no opportunity to malign it. No doubt Indian film
industry dominates everyday life in Pakistan. However,
some of the Bollywood productions seem to incite hatred
on both sides of the border. They use the propaganda for
psychological warfare. Pakistanis are very clearly shown
as enemies of India and portrayed as barbarians: brutal,
arrogant, ruthless as well as physically and
psychologically deformed. Because of their biased content,
few years back the Pakistani government banned the
showcasing of such type of propaganda movies to avoid
stir of emotions. 20
All in all, it can be deduced from the analysis that
among the productions that touch upon the issues related
with Muslims and Pakistan, the number of the movies
which depict and render the Muslims as brutal and rogue
is greater than the number of the movies which present
and portray Muslims in positive frame of mind. Their
presentation of Muslim character as negative and
reprobate increased during 1990-2005. The images used to
represent the Muslims are a reflection of the prejudices
prevalent in India against Muslims and Pakistan alike.

20 Urdu Daily Jang, Lahore, 20 February, 2002.

Portrayal of Muslims Characters in the Indian Movies 159

Annexure-1
S.No. Name of the Movie Producer/ Director
Negative
1. Veer-Zaara Yash Chopra
2. Sarfarosh John Mathew
3. Insan K. Subhash
4. Ab Tumharay Hawalay Watan Sathio Anil Sharma
5. Zameer Rohit Shetty
6. Border Hindustan Ka Yogesh Baradwaj
7. Maa Tujhay Salam Mahendra Dharinal
8. Agnipankh Dhillin Mehta
9. Gang Mazhar Khan
10. Pinjaar Chandra Prakash
11. Dewaar Vinod Doshi
12. The Hero Anil Sharma
13. Ye Dil Ashiqana Aruna Irani
14. L.O.C. (Line of Control) J.P. Dutta
15. Indian Depak Rai Sharma
16. Jaal Vinod Shah
17. Qayamat Harry Baweja
18. Ghaddar Anil Sharma
19. Dev Goind Nihlani
20. Mission Kashmir Vidhovindar Chopra
21. Hidustan Ki Kasm Kumar Mangat
22. Elan Vikram Bhatt
23. Apharan Parkesh Jha
24. Dil Jalay Harry Baweja
25. Kachey Dhaagay Milan Luthria
26. Garv Punit Isar
27. Lakshya Farhan Akhtar
28. Border J. P. Dutta
29. Wanted Boney Kapoor
30. Wednesday Neeraj Pandey
31. Fanaa Yash Chopra
Positive
1. Rang Day Basanti Rakesh Omprakash
2. Meine Dil Tujh Ko Diya Sohail Khan
3. Main Hoon Na Farah Khan
4. Chak de India Yash Chopra
5. 3 Idiots Vinod Chopra
Mixed
1. New York Yash Raj Films
2. Kurban Karan Johar
3. Dehli 6 Rakesh Omprakash
4. Sawariya Sanjay Leela Bhansali
5. My name is Khan Karan Johar