12 films on elections

Showtime curates a list of compelling films with political themes

Aandhi

Accident

Lal Salaam

Leader

Shankanada

As the German filmmaker Wim Wenders says: ‘Every film is political’. As we await results of the recently concluded Karnataka state election, here are a few movies to binge-watch this weekend, which discuss politics, election, and the role of the public.

Kannada

Matadana (2001)

Based on the popular novel by S L Byrappa by the same name, ‘Matadana’ is the story of a popular doctor who is misused by a candidate in an election campaign to create a vote divide. The film also touches on the caste-based political dynamics that become prominent during elections in India. Directed by T N Seetharam, the cast includes Avinash, Tara, Anant Nag, and Prakash Belawadi.

Shankanada (1986)

Directed by Umesh Kulkarni, ‘Shankanada’ delves into how the reservation system is exploited in India.

A man with ideals from a lower caste is chosen as a candidate for the panchayat elections under the reservation category. He wins the election only to come in contact with the reality later. Ramesh Bhat and Shankanada Aravind feature in lead roles here.

Accident (1985)

A politician’s son in an intoxicated state, runs his car over homeless people sleeping on the street. A journalist witnesses this and wants to bring justice as no action is being taken against the culprit. Directed by Shankar Nag, the film has himself, Anant Nag, Arundati Nag and Ramesh Bhat in lead roles.

Tamil

Mandela (2021)

Mandela, a political satire is set in the backdrop of a village panchayat election — where the local barber’s
vote will determine the winner of the election. The film discusses caste-based factions in the small village of Tamil Nadu. Directed by Madonne Ashwin, the film’s lead cast includes Yogi Babu and Sheela Rajkumar.

Iruvar (1997)

Based on the lives of M Karunanidhi, MG Ramachandra and Jayalalithaa, three main political figures of Tamil Nadu, ‘Iruvar’ explores cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu. Directed by Mani Ratnam, the lead cast includes Prakash Raj, Mohanlal and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Malayalam

Unda (2019)

‘Unda’ revolves around the various hurdles and difficulties faced by the police force during elections. The film starts off in Idukki, from where the police officers are sent to Baster, a Maoist-affected red belt town in Chhattisgarh, on election duty for the Lok Sabha elections. The team, unaware of this, arrives at their camp to discover that the ammunition provided to them will be insufficient for the kind of events that occurred in the past. ‘Unda’ is directed by Khalid Rahman, and stars Mammootty in the lead role.

Lal Salaam (1990)

Set during a period when communism was illegal in Kerala, ‘Lal Salaam’ narrates the story of three ‘comrades’ who work endlessly to empower daily wage labourers and the working class in their village. The film depicts the early days of the Communist Party and its growth into becoming one of the prominent political parties in Kerala. ‘Lal Salaam’ is directed by Venu Nagavalli, and has Mohanlal, Murali, Geetha and Urvashi in lead roles.

Telugu

Leader (2010)

Arjun is made the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, after his father who was the head of the state dies. The film revolves around the challenges faced by the protagonist in the political environment. He becomes a sensation and finally becomes the elected leader of the state. Directed by Sekhar Kammula, this was the debut film of Rana Daggubati.

Hindi

Newton (2017)

Nutan Kumar is sent on election duty to a remote Naxal-controlled town to set up a polling booth. The film explores the challenges faced by the officer to conduct fair voting despite the hurdles. The film is directed by Amit S Masrur and has Rajkumar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi in lead roles.

Raajneeti (2010)

Helmed by complex characters, ‘Raajneeti’ is said to be an adaptation of the Mahabharata in a political scenario. The death of his father brings Samar, who lives a happy life in the US, back home. He wants to stay away from politics, but somehow gets sucked into it. Directed by Prakash Jha, it has Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal, Nana Patekar, and Naseeruddin Shah in lead roles.

Gulaal (2009)

‘Gulaal’ is the story of two students, Dilip and Rananjay, from contrasting backgrounds in Rajasthan. The film is about student politics in the university in the background of a fictitious Rajputana separatist movement. The university elections in the film create a narrative in the main elections. ‘Gulaal’ is directed by Anurag Kashyap, with Raj Singh Chaudhary, Kay Kay Menon and Deepak Dobriyal in the cast.

Aandhi (1975)

Set amidst election campaigns, ‘Aandhi’ is about a chance meeting between an estranged couple, who spend time with each other and discover that they are still in love with each other. It also forms a narrative about women aspirants in the political domain, which is largely dominated by men. The film is directed by Gulzar with Suchitra Sen, Sanjeev Kumar and A K Hangal in lead roles. The film received a lot of critical acclaim during the time.