Hyderabad: “In the film PK, Anushka Sharma’s boyfriend is a Pakistani Muslim, who is initially shown as someone who calls off the marriage on the day of wedding. Towards the end, the misunderstanding is cleared, and he is shown in a good light. However, this showing of the good side is mere tokenism because fears and prejudices of Anushka’s family about conservativeness of Muslims weren’t portrayed,” said actor and screenwriter Anjum Rajabali, criticising how Bollywood has had an uneasy relationship with Muslims and their characterisation.

A discussion on “Muslims in Indian cinema” was held on the second day of the international conference on “Muslims, Democracy and the Media: Challenges and Prospects” at Maulana Azad National Urdu University.

The discussion was aimed at understanding why complexities of the Muslim society aren't depicted in movies, and as to why difficult issues don’t find narratives. A Muslim in Indian movies is either a friend with a bundle of noble qualities or a terrorist, said Mr Anjum Rajabali about the stereotyping adding that the “individuality or ordinariness, and what happens within the community has never been a subject”.

“It is very rare to find Muslim characters in a Kannada film; but most often it is a mechanic, corrupt politician, an underworld don, a gangster, a rapist and so on. Muslim women are portrayed as wearing burqas who disappear within 10-15 seconds of entering the frame,” said Murali Mohan K., a lecturer at a journalism college in Karnataka.

“The movie Roja didn’t depict problems of the people in Kashmir. It is shown as if interference of Pakistan is the problem,” said Mr Rajabali.

Entertainment should be a way of engaging the audience into discussion. However, it has translated into escaping from the reality and just makes people feel good, he added.

On presence of independent movies and parallel cinema, which delve into the intricacies, Mr Rajabali said, “Hardly a handful of such movies are released in a year.”

“The dominant forces speak the language of market, not ideology,” he said, summing up.

Another panel discussion was held on how Urdu and Hindi media play to political influences. The panel chaired by Mr Jawed Naqvi, Pakistani daily Dawn’s New Delhi correspondent, focused on how a voice of reasoning is missing in the media since the triggering of a kind of religious revivalism.