Bell Bottom, which is now playing in Canadian theatres, is nothing but propaganda that suits the agenda of the current right-wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government in New Delhi.

The Bollywood film is based on the August, 1984 hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane by Sikh militants.

According to media reports of that time, the plane carrying close to 80 passengers and six crew members was forcibly taken to Lahore, Pakistan, by seven individuals associated with the All India Sikh Students Federation.

They wanted the release of Sikh political prisoners and withdrawal of Indian troops from Punjab, besides creation of a separate Sikh homeland of Khalistan. As Pakistan refused to negotiate with them, they finally took the plane to theUnited Arab Emirates, where the entire drama ended with the surrender of the hijackers and the release of passengers and crew.

The development followed the infamous Operation Bluestar in June 1984.

The ill-conceived army attack on the Golden Temple complex, the holiest shrine of the Sikhs in Amritsar, left many innocent pilgrims dead and important historical buildings destroyed. The then-Indian prime minister, Indira Gandhi, ordered the invasion following escalation of violence in Punjab by militants fighting for autonomy and extra religious and territorial rights.

The government claimed that they had stockpiled arms inside the place of worship and were responsible for political assassinations and the killings of innocent civilians. The military attack was avoidable and outraged the Sikh community worldwide. Many in the Sikh community believe that this was done to polarize the Hindu majority in the name of national security to win an upcoming general election.

The incident left the Sikh community aggrieved and alienated, prompting many to want independence. Whereas Gandhi was the leader of the self-proclaimed secular party, BJP supporters lso welcomed the operation. The story did not end there as Indian forces remained deployed in Punjab afterward, harassing ordinary Sikhs.

Notwithstanding the facts, the film tries to shift the entire blame on Pakistan and its intelligence agency, the ISI, for the emergence of the Khalistan movement. It remains silent about the high-handedness of the Indian state an the attack on the Golden Temple complex. Notably, the demands raised by the hijackers in the film do not include withdrawal of the army from Punjab.

So much so, it tries to make everyone believe that some of the militants involved in the hijacking were actually Pakistani Muslims in the guise of Sikhs. Although the film does not use the term Khalistan, maybe to avoid any backlash in the diaspora where supporters of the movement continue to be active, those who have been following the real events in Punjab can clearly figure out what it refers to. Sikh militants in the film are extremely brutal to the passengers, which is not the case in most political hijackings aimed to gain sympathy and support while at the same time highlighting a cause.

Bell Bottom is the code name of the leading character played by Akshay Kumar, a known supporter of current Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. The script of the movie glorifies him and other hawkish characters, while presenting those who want the hijacking to be resolved peacefully through cooperation with Pakistan in a poor light—as weak and spineless, who lack courage to fight a hostile neighbour.

It rather projects Pakistan as hand-in-glove with the hijackers and gives credit to the team with the Indian spy agency (known as the Research and Intelligence Wing) for the culmination of the episode.

In a nutshell, the film is clearly aimed at demonizing Pakistan and the Khalistan movement and absolves the Indian establishment of any wrongdoing that laid the ground for a separatist struggle in the first place. The movie makes no honest attempt to make those in power in New Delhi to look hard at themselves.

Let’s face it: the Khalistan movement gained legitimacy due to the missteps of the Indian authorities in dealing with the demands of the Sikh community. Pakistan, being an enemy, only took an advantage of the internal conflict. The Indian government needs to set its own house in order instead of blaming Pakistan all the time.

We all know what the BJP government stands for. It has been trying to create an atmosphere of hatred against Muslims ever since Modi came to power in 2014. In the garb of Pakistan bashing, the BJP intends to make the lives of Muslims living in India even more difficult. For its politicians, every Muslim is a potential Pakistan supporter and a jihadi extremist.

Bell Bottom and many other films that came before it are part of the PR machinery that Bollywood has become.  

The timing of the latest film is significant considering how the growing Hindu Right terror is now increasingly coming under international scrutiny.

Why spend so much of a budget to talk about a movement that has already lost its charm? Why not make a film to expose the contemporary threat from Hindu extremism?

It is just a ploy to make everyone see how dangerous Pakistan, jihadis and Khalistanis are—and whitewash the crimes of Modi and his party.

The release of Bell Bottom coincides with the rhetoric of Modi government to malign Pakistan and Khalistan globally. This cannot be allowed to go unnoticed.