Movies take on nationalistic flavour as polls near

Multiple movies with political, religious and nationalistic overtones are set to light up the silver screen in the run-up to the general election expected to be held in April May, as filmmakers seek to cash in on the religious fervour that peaked with the opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Movies centred around the abrogation of Article 370, the Sabarmati Express fire incident in Gujarat and the Bastar conflict, although announced with little fanfare, could help boost the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) election prospects, experts pointed out.

Yami Gautam plays an intelligence agent fighting terrorism in Kashmir in Article 370, a constitutional provision whose abrogation in 2019 ended Jammu & Kashmir's autonomy. The movie is co-produced by Jio Studios and Aditya Dhar, who had previously directed war drama Uri: The Surgical Strike. Ektaa Kapoor will back The Sabarmati Report based on the real-life incident of the 2002 Sabarmati Express fire in which Vikrant Massey plays the lead role.