The Indian film industry, often called Bollywood, seems to have become a propaganda wing promoting the Hindutva agenda of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Twisted tales reflecting Narendra Modi’s politics of communal hatred, especially targeting the Muslims, are precisely what Bollywood has been churning out for the last many years.
A recent movie portrayed Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor, as barbaric, heartless, Hindu-hater and temple-destroyer who forcibly converted Hindus.
All of these adjectives about Aurangzeb are wrong and misplaced. He should be seen as per the traditions and values of his time to evaluate his place in history.
I would advise all those people having misconceptions about the Mughal ruler to read the book Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth by Audrey Truschke.
The success of such movies is a clear indicator of how the Indians think. I have been feeling sorry for the Muslims of India since I started reading about the Partition and Indian history books.
REHAN SAJJAD
KARACHI
