Sooryavanshi, Gadar 2, Holiday, Pathan, Commando 3, Baaghi 3 – spot anything in common?
Well, it might not be immediately obvious, but there is a pattern- they all portrayed Muslims in a bad light, and they all have hit big numbers in the box office collection.
Does this pattern point towards something? Does Bollywood have a problem when it comes to portraying Muslims? That’s the question we sought to find an answer to.
We begin by looking at the history – how Bollywood saw Muslims early on – in post-partition India and then we travel all the way to the modern day world to understand the transition and to identify the problem.
Muslims & Bollywood in Post Partition India:
In the early years of Indian cinema, Bollywood loved celebrating Muslim culture through films like Anarkali, Mughal-e-Azam and Mumtaz Mahal in the 1950s and 60s and gave us some of the most iconic characters as rulers, poets and artists to reminisce.
It wasn’t only the actors’ powerful performances that made these characters so unforgettable and kept audiences talking about them even today. It was also the careful writing, the strong storylines, and the songs that captured people’s hopes, dreams and a sense of harmony.
These films came out right after India won its freedom – a time when filmmakers felt a deep sense of responsibility for what they showed on the big screen. They utilized this opportunity to show stories that brought people together, spoke of shared struggles and promoted unity and harmony among the two communities – Hindus and Muslims.
The enthusiasm behind making such movies was also met with audiences’ love and acceptance. The mix of real history, heartfelt emotion and meaningful music gave audiences a wholesome experience while invoking in them a feeling of mutual harmony.
Take Padosi (1941) for example. It’s a film that emphasizes Hindu-Muslim unity and friendship. The film featured a Muslim actor playing a Hindu character and a Hindu actor playing a muslim character, set against the backdrop of communal tensions at the time of Muslim League formation.
Take Dhool Ka Phool (1959) as another example. Directed by Yash Chopra – it narrates the story of an illegitimate Hindu Child raised by a muslim man. The narrative challenges societal norms and emphasizes the idea that humanity goes beyond religious boundaries. Songs like “Tu Hindu Banega Na Musalman Banega” truly capture the message of secularism and unity.
In another movie, Garm Hava (1973) audiences see a tale set in post-partition India and follows the struggle of a Muslim family amidst communal tensions. It is considered a landmark in Indian cinema for its sensitive portrayal of such sensitive issues.
The list doesn’t end here and includes many such classics including but not limited to – Pakeezah (1972), Umrao Jaan (1981), Mammo (1994), Naseem (1995) Bombay (1995), Zubeidaa (2001), Fiza (2000), My name is Khan (2010) and Mulk (2018) which gave Muslim roles real depth and dignity.
With a legacy like this, one might think that Bollywood would be ready to say goodbye to those old stereotypes, right? Sadly, no. It has mostly been a letdown since then.
The movie starts, and what do we see? The same old ideas again! The bad person has a Muslim-sounding name, the woman is covered from head to toe – who cannot express her views and generalizes the entire community by those characters.
This makes us lose all hope in bringing back those old classics movies which had unique thoughtful ways of showing Muslims – with all their real feelings and stories.
The Transition Saga:
As decades passed, the narrative started to change. One major factor was the rise of political and social tensions in India, especially around issues of national identity and security like Operation Sindoor, demolition of Babri Masjid, the attacks in Mumbai (Taj Hotel) and the Ayodhya incidents among other factors. In addition to the national outburst, we had global events like the 9/11 attacks in the United States which led to a worldwide trend of movies linking Muslims with terrorism.
Bollywood was not immune to this shift. As these events became a hot topic, filmmakers started banking on them to make stories more exciting, even if it meant showing things in an unfair manner.
To illustrate the point further, our team started off by compiling and analyzing more than 50 films released in the last few years to understand the trend. Out of these, 30 films focused on themes like patriotism, national security, or military operations.
For instance, ‘Gadar’ – where the hero Tara Singh races to rescue his Sikh wife Sakina from Pakistan after Partition. Sakina is kind and loyal, but the film treats all Pakistani Muslims as brutal captors. The few Muslim characters shown positively are exceptions – indicatingthat Muslim loyalty must be earned, not assumed.
Take ‘Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty’, as another example. The story follows an Indian army officer who uncovers a terrorist sleeper cell in Mumbai. The main villains are Muslim, and the film even includes a subplot where a regular Muslim family unknowingly shelters a terrorist. This setup makes it seem like Muslims, even those living peacefully, could be linked to hidden dangers and suspicion.
Commando 3, which won awards and did fairly well at the box office, has a scene where a Muslim leader has to publicly say that he supports India. Some might think that this suggests that Muslims are under greater scrutiny to prove their loyalty to India.
While there can exist some sort of reasonability when it comes to movies involving security and national sentiments, in other cases, where movies are not based on patriotism, national security, or military operations, but are purely fictional, the narration is different and is more problematic.
Mission Majnu, which follows an Indian spy agent, Amrinder Singh who goes undercover as Tariq in Pakistan for a mission . Even though the film is inspired by real events, it takes undue artistic liberties, infusing the drama with added intensity. It portrays Indian agents as resourceful and daring, while Pakistani Muslims are depicted through stereotypes, appearing naive or easily deceived. By taking such creative liberties in presenting historical facts, the film unfairly depicts Muslims in a negative light.
Take another film War, where Muslims are depicted in two strongly contrasting manners. The Muslim terrorist villain, Rizwan Illyasi, who is shown as the greatest threat to India’s security and sovereignty, reinforces the stereotype that Muslims are dangerous. However Khalid is a committed Muslim soldier, but due to his father’s betrayal, he is always forced to prove his loyalty. Kabir also says, “Your father was a betrayer… he’s determined to erase the blemish on his family’s reputation.” This links Islam with violence and suspicion unfairly.
In Baaghi 3 as well, the villain – Abu Jalal Gaza, a name that has Islamic connotations to associate Muslims with terrorism. Set in Syria, the film depicts the region as a breeding ground of terrorist activities. This breeds a harmful image that connects Islam with danger and terror, thereby sustaining archaic stereotypes.
Sooryavanshi, revolves around the protagonist named Surya, a proud Indian police officer, while the main villain, Bilal Ahmed, is shown as a Muslim extremist. The character of Bilal is seen indulging in a few of the Muslim cultures, like wearing a cap, kaftan, kajal, and other Islamic rituals. By linking these religious and cultural practices to terrorism, the film reinforces harmful stereotypes that associate, muslim identity with violence.
Another benchmark movie portraying Muslims unfavourably is Secret Superstar, where Insia’s dad, Farookh Malik, is shown as controlling and abusive. He crushes Insia’s ambition of becoming a singer, even destroying her guitar. He also schemes to marry her to a Saudi Arabian man, exhibiting a lack of respect for her autonomy. Such behavior portrays a violent, oppressive Muslim father who is backward,obsolete and prefers his son to his daughter.
Characters linked to terrorism in Baby (2015) negatively portray Muslims too. The primary antagonist, Maulana Mohammad Rahman, is portrayed as an extremist cleric who provokes violence, reinforcing the cliche of the “radical Muslim.” Another villain, Bilal Khan, is portrayed as belonging to a terrorist outfit planning attacks against India.
In Raees (2017), Muslims are portrayed negatively in more than one way. The movie depicts Muslim characters, particularly the lead character Raees, as individuals engaged in criminal enterprises such as illegal alcohol trade, bootlegging, offences like murder and bribery, hence perpetuating the Muslim-criminal stereotype and overlooking the other dealers belonging to different castes.
In most of these stories, Muslim characters appear as suspects, extremists, or foreign enemies. They are often linked to Pakistan, terrorist outfits, or sleeper cells. Even when they are Indian citizens, they have to prove their loyalty by risking their lives for the state. Portrayal becomes important considering the influence these narratives have on audiences who consume such content.
In fact, in another study of 50 hindi films released between 2002 and 2008, it was found that only 4.4 % of Muslim portrayals were positive, while 65.2% were negative and 30% were neutral – this means that more recently most on-screen Muslim characters were shown in a bad light.
This repeated framing of Muslims as threats or outsiders creates a harmful pattern not just in film, but in the minds of viewers. When most popular films like Commando 3, Gadar, Holiday – show Muslims as dangerous or untrustworthy, it becomes easier for people to believe those ideas in real life too.
We are not trying to simplify a movie’s success by attributing it solely to its stereotypical framing of Muslims or its ability to attract views. We understand that multiple factors contribute to a film’s success. However, our focus is not on those factors, but on something more niche – the emotions, stigma, and character portrayals that stay with the audience after they leave the theatre.
The problem arises when such portrayals, targeting a particular community, are made to feel acceptable by being tied to emotions like joy, sorrow, or patriotism – blurring the impact and making the bias less visible but no less harmful.
Even if the plot is based on something that could have happened, showing Muslim characters again and again only as enemies can lead people to believe that ALL Muslims are like that. It may not always be done on purpose but over time these portrayals influence how audiences view an entire community.
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The OG Influencer – Bollywood:
Sooryavanshi, a movie about a Hindu Cop fighting against a Muslim terrorist, despite having only a 5.9 Rating on IMDB, won 8 Awards, 13 Nominations, earned 120 Crores in 1 week and it grossed at 236 Crore, India-wide. Worldwide, it gained 298 Crores.
Another movie, Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty, about an army officer hunting down a sleeper-cell terrorist network in Mumbai, despite having only a 6.3/10 rating on IMDB won 5 awards and 10 nominations earned ₹68.31 crores in its first week and it grossed ₹153.43 crores India-wide. Worldwide, it gained ₹180 crores.
Next in line, Commando 3, a movie about a Commando who goes undercover with an MI6 officer to foil a terrorist attack in London despite having only a 5.9/10 rating on IMDb had 3 nominations and earned ₹18.33 crores in its first week – earning ₹38.65 crores India-wide and worldwide – ₹40.15 crores.
Dunki, a film exploring the challenges of illegal immigration, got a rating of only 6.5/10 on IMDb but still collected ₹177.73 crores worldwide in box office revenue. The film made it to awards like the Filmfare and Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards (DPFFA), showing the significant stardom of the king of Bollywood.
Another addition to this King’s hat was the success of Raees, a film that portrayed a Muslim man as a criminal and associated Islam with violence, earning $26.38 million worldwide and winning five awards and 17 nominations. The film portrayed a Muslim man as a criminal and associated Islam with violence.
Furthermore Baaghi 3 with such a low IMDb rating of 2.2, managed to earn ₹137.05 crores worldwide from a budget of ₹55 crores and was recognized at the Academy Awards as well.
War received an IMDb rating of 6.5, but pulled in ₹442.41 crores globally, making it a commercial and critical hit, receiving several awards like Filmfare, DPFFA, Zee Cine, and Screen Awards.
Secret Superstar is the story of a Muslim girl, but it depicts Muslim fathers as oppressive and domineering. It collected over $130 million globally and won 18 awards, marking its financial success, proving that negative representation can still be profitable.
The resounding triumph of films portraying a specific community in a prejudiced light sends an unmistakable message: these narratives are reaching vast audiences. This is not a simple observation; it is a stark revelation.
In a contemporary landscape where cinema transcends mere reflection, actively forging public perception and shaping societal values, this trend becomes deeply alarming. We are witnessing more than a passive mirroring of reality; we are confronting an aggressive manipulation of it.
It is not too far-fetched to say that these films are fundamentally restructuring the very fabric of thought, behavior, and aspirations within society. The images & biased narratives are not simply viewed and forgotten; they are absorbed, internalized, and ultimately manifested in real-world interactions and attitudes. The consequence is not a gentle nudge towards prejudice, but rather a forceful shove. These films do not merely depict; they indoctrinate, instilling biases that fester and grow within the collective consciousness.
One cannot ignore the sense of uneasiness & the question that it leads: how much societal division is being actively manufactured by Bollywood? The magnitude of influence wielded by cinema in India is unparalleled, and when that power is channeled into these kinds of narratives, the ramifications are profound and devastating.
The impact has been serious. Many Muslim leaders and groups have strongly spoken out against these films. Some, like the Welfare Party of India, have even asked for them to be banned. They believe such movies can harm India’s image around the world. There have been legal cases, protests, and even short-term bans like in Karnataka for Hamare Baarah. All of this shows how real and impactful these portrayals are – enough to ignite protests, bans and eventually cause religious distrust.
The ramifications are societal, leading to tangible real-world consequences in the form of discrimination, prejudice, and an erosion of social cohesion. The question is no longer just about cinematic representation, but about the very soul of a society being reshaped, for better or worse, by the stories Bollywood chooses to tell.
While many films have shown Muslims in a bad light, some directors have pushed back against this trend, not through statements, but through the stories they choose to tell.
Voices of Resistance:
Directors like Kabir Khan, Zoya Akhtar, and Hansal Mehta may not talk about Muslim representation openly, but through their films, they have tried to change how Muslims are shown on screen.
Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) focuses on kindness and connection, moving away from negative stereotypes. Zoya Akhtar, in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), includes Muslim characters like Imran in a natural and respectful way, without over-emphasizing or hiding their identity. Hansal Mehta’s Faraaz (2023) directly takes on the issue of extremism and includes a powerful line – “Mujhe tum jaison se apna Islam wapis chahiye”, which shows the desire to reclaim the true meaning of Islam.
In fact, similar concerns have been raised in Hollywood. British actor Sajid Varda, in an interview, remarked, “The narrative was more around Muslims, Islam and negativity…(and) faith was almost used as a weapon to create misrepresentation, with negative associations.”
Jab Tak Hai Khans:
While all this is true, the biggest counterargument that exists in response to the above argument is that the Khans – Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan are some of the most celebrated, loved and powerful figures in Bollywood. Their immense stardom shows that individual Muslim actors can reach the very top.
However, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan are not just stars- they are industry forces. Shah Rukh earned about $38 million in 2017, placing him among the world’s top‑paid actors. Salman brought in roughly $37 million the same year. Aamir, after the hit Dangal, made about $12.5 million from its profits alone.
Being a superstar gives the Khans power and popularity that most characters do not have. Their wealth and status let them shape which stories get told and how. Filmmakers write special, heroic roles just for them. That does not change the fact that, in most other films, Muslim characters still get little screen time and are often cast as villains or side figures.
In short, a line needs to be drawn to separate the careers of a few big stars from the everyday portrayal of an entire community.
Conclusion:
Bollywood stars are also treated like role models. What they wear, how they talk, and even what causes they support can influence fans. For example, after movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge or Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, people started copying the clothes, the way of speaking, and even the wedding styles shown in these films.
When a Bollywood actor speaks about a social issue or supports a charity, it often gets a lot of attention and can inspire others to take action too. Movies like Pink, Thappad and Article 15 challenge the orthodox construct of society and push people to speak and act against injustice.
The influence Bollywood has on its viewers cannot be undermined. In fact, for many outside India, Bollywood is their first introduction to Indian traditions and values. While some might argue that these mediums and films are just for entertainment, their impact goes deeper. They don’t just leave audiences with an empty mind after the credits roll.
It would be an overstatement to say all portrayals of Muslims are negative. Shows like Patal Lok and movies like Bajrangi Bhaijaan offer positive, humane representations, but they remain rare exceptions.
Bollywood needs to tell stories showing Muslims as regular people, not just villains or heroes. It clearly has the power to influence, and not using it responsibly will only ignite further tension. Creating positive portrayals might be demanding, but discouraging negative ones is only fair. Bollywood must take this responsibility seriously.
