The Dark Side of Oscar-Winning “RRR” | Explains

  • last year
Oscar-winning RRR is rooted deeply in nationalism and the Hindu idea of revolution. In fact, films like this coming out of India are the only ones making the big screen. As the country becomes more autocratic and surveillant, cinema is where people are pushing back.

RRR, which has been watched 45 million times on Netflix and recently won an Oscar, is only one of the many films that have reflected the social issues and societal values in India. In fact, since Modi came into power in 2014, supported by a militant Hindu supremacist group, Indian cinema and Bollywood has changed.

University students, film festivals and cultural centers are digging deep into truly revolutionary cinema coming out of India and finding one common thread: they’re all being banned. As the rest of the world consumes Indian films, it’s key to pay attention to how nationalism and Islamophobia are not only normalized but glorified.

Host
Zeba Warsi

Producer
Stephanie Tangkilisan
Joy Jihyun Jeong

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Keshia Hannam

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Arthur Nazaryan
Qinling Li

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Manal Ahmed

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Rajvi Desai

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Manal Ahmed

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Alan Pun

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David Alba

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Samuel Kang
Fitra Pratama
Annie Zhao

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