Mithun Chakraborty’s Hate Speech and Bollywood’s Role in Fueling Anti-Muslim Sentiment

Bollywood, long considered the mirror of India’s social, cultural, and political psyche, has often played a dual role. It has more acted as a vehicle for ideological narratives than a medium of art. Over the decades, particularly in the portrayal of Kashmir, Kashmiris and Indian Muslims, it has oscillated between romanticized escapism and insidious propaganda. Recent statements by Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty, in which he declared “We will cut you down and throw your corpses at your lands, not in the river” directed at Indian Muslims and delivered in the presence of BJP leaders like Amit Shah, highlights how cinema and its stars are now active agents in India’s growing climate of hate.

Critical work from different research scholars highlights how Indian Muslims are frequently framed in Bollywood narratives as the “other.” Whether as exoticized symbols of communal harmony (Kabir Khan’s My Name is Khan) or as sinister threats (Kesari, Bell Bottom), these portrayals perpetuate a binary: Muslims as either “good” and subservient or “bad” and rebellious. This simplistic representation dehumanizes an entire community and makes them more susceptible to real-world violence and discrimination.

In this context, Mithun Chakraborty’s hate-filled speech is not merely an isolated incident of communal rhetoric. It is in fact the culmination of a culture of hate that Bollywood has subtly fostered over decades. That an actor, who once danced his way into the hearts of millions as the “Disco Dancer” in India now stands before BJP leaders openly advocating violence against Indian Muslims, reflects the extent to which cinema and politics have intertwined to poison public discourse.

Mithun’s words gain further weight when delivered under the watchful eyes of Amit Shah and other BJP leaders. The fact is that hate speech is not only tolerated but also rewarded in the current political climate of India, which has now slid neck-deep into fascism. This emboldens more public figures, especially those with significant influence like film stars, to echo and amplify divisive ideologies. Bollywood is no longer just a storyteller. It is a battlefield or one can say it was one from the outset. Films like The Kashmir Files etc. cater to the BJP’s agenda and rewrite history to fit a narrative of victimhood and vengeance while deepening communal divides. Mithun Chakraborty’s association with such narratives is not surprising. His speech mirrors the rhetoric seen in these films, where violence against Muslims is justified, even glorified, as a patriotic act.

For India’s 200 million Muslims, this confluence of cinema, politics, and hate speech is life-threatening. Mithun’s words are not just rhetoric—they are calls to action that embolden mobs and justify atrocities. The violence against Indian Muslims – from lynching’s and bulldozing houses to vilifying their women – has much to do with how they have been portrayed on the big screen since decades. We Kashmiris very well understand how the gross misrepresentation on big screen has real life consequences. Kashmir and its inhabitants have been so grossly misrepresented in Hindi Cinema that almost all Indians, excluding a miniscule population, have a filmy understanding of Kashmir.