India’s Culture War Comes to Bollywood
The Bollywood film Padmavati has inspired heated debate, hysterical threats of violence, and a ban in four states governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party – all before even being released. The tolerance and acceptance of difference that once accompanied India’s remarkable diversity, are wearing thin these days.
NEW DELHI – Culture and history have become new battlegrounds in India. Debates over the Taj Mahal’s position as a symbol of multicultural India have yet to be settled, yet the nation is already being torn apart further by another cultural controversy – this time, over a film.