Foreign Correspondent: Aug 10

Foreign Correspondent‘s South Asia Correspondent Avani Dias is in India for a look at the Modi government, accused of using Bollywood for propaganda purposes.

In India the Modi government is being accused of waging a war on Bollywood, the country’s most powerful cultural force, effectively turning it into a propaganda tool.  Filmmakers who dare to criticise the government or resist pressure to produce pro-Hindu content face a backlash. 

This week on Foreign Correspondent, the ABC’s South Asia Correspondent Avani Dias goes behind the scenes in Bollywood to meet industry insiders who’ve risked their careers to speak candidly on camera. In the words of one well-known actor: “If you want to thrive in Bollywood you have to suck up or shut up”. 

 Its left some asking whether free speech is at risk in the largest democracy in the world under Modi’s reign.

8pm Thursday on ABC.