A trailer of the film Manikarnika begins with the Queen of Jhansi – played by the actress Kangana Ranaut – slicing apart the British Union Jack with her sword. If an English film were to show a similar act on the tiranga or any of India’s national monuments, in any historical context, would it be released? Wouldn’t the filmmakers be forced to apologise and retract the offensive scene?
Indian cinema is full of such tropes. White caucasian characters, particularly those who play colonial era roles, are more often than not, depicted as immoral, racist, and cruel.
The brunt of the colonial crimes has, it seems, led to painting Caucasian characters in shades of black and white, often missing subtleties. Although sympathetic portrayals do exist – for instance in the case of Captain William Gordon (played by Toby Stephens) who rescues Jwala (played by Ameesha Patel), a soft-spoken widow from a Sati ceremony – instances of negative portrayals outnumber the rest.
In films like Thugs of Hindostan (2018), Mangal Pandey (2005), Lagaan (2001) and The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), the role of the cruel British has been overplayed, conveniently forgetting that colonial rule in India was established with the association of the local merchant firms; for instance, the Jagat Seths of Bengal played a crucial role in the defeat of Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The close relationship between merchant capitalists of India and the political rulers of Britain continued throughout the British rule, only unravelling with the advent of the national movement.
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