In times of terror attacks and stalled NSA-level talks, a mainstream Bollywood movie with the message of Indo-Pak peace and friendship has become a super hit. Jingoists on both sides of the LoC dominate the discourse but a rollicking picturesque caper that lurches from Himalayas to moonlit desert to Hindi heartland has boldly essayed a heart-tugging cross-border tale that mocks the industry of hatred and bureaucratic officialese that bedevil ties between South Asia’s main adversaries.
This is Bollywood as a subcontinental confidence building measure, Bollywood as ambassador of public diplomacy. Bajrangi Bhaijaan, made in times of the Gurdaspur and Udhampur attacks and high tension on the border, has demonstrated the power of civil societies. What’s important is not that Bajrangi Bhaijaan Read More
