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Given the long history of a symbiotic relationship between tinsel glamour and politics in Andhra Pradesh, movies loaded with political messages hold sway over the masses and are often used as propaganda tools to influence voters ahead of the elections.

 

With simultaneous polls for the assembly and Lok Sabha around the corner, a string of movies with competing narratives are vying for public attention to inject specific political ideologies into their psyches.

 

Foremost among them is “Vyooham” (Strategy), the first of the two-part movie presenting a glorified account of the YSR Congress Party supremo and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s political journey and showing his rivals, particularly the Telugu Desam Party president and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, as villains.

 

Directed by the controversial filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, Vyooham is a hagiographic political thriller with an unvarnished political agenda.

 

After facing legal hurdles, with the Telangana High Court temporarily suspending its release, the movie finally hit screens on February 24. 

 

The propaganda movie focuses on the political situation that prevailed in the combined state of Andhra Pradesh in the aftermath of the sudden death of Chief Minister YS Rajashekar Reddy in a helicopter crash in September 2009.

 

Projecting YSR’s son Jagan as an innocent victim of the devious political ploys, the film portrays how the young MP from Kadapa overcomes the adverse situation and the obstacles created by the political rivals and emerges unscathed as a popular leader, winning the hearts of the masses.

 

The TDP, which moved the court, alleged that the movie was defamatory to the party and its leaders. It also portrayed Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, in a poor light.

 

Its sequel, “Shapatham” (Pledge), is set to be released on March 1. Both movies are being promoted by the ruling party supporters on a massive scale on social media platforms.

 

The two films, shot back to back, will cover key political moments such as Jagan’s arrest by the CBI in 2012, his fight against the Congress, and his padayatra that led to his becoming Chief Minister.

 

Another movie that glorifies the leadership of the ruling party is "Yatra-2,"  featuring Malayalam superstar Mammootty. It explores the political journey of YS Rajasekhar Reddy and his successor, Jagan Mohan Reddy. It was released on February 8.

 

On the other hand, “Rajadhani Files," a film highlighting the failure of the YSRCP government to build the capital city as envisioned by the previous TDP regime, hit theatres on February 16. 

 

The release of this movie was temporarily halted by a High Court order after a Guntur district YSRCP leader, Lella Appi Reddy, challenged it. However, the court eventually gave its nod for the release.

 

The movie showcases the struggle of the farmers of the Vijayawada-Guntur region who voluntarily gave their lands to build the world-class capital city of Amaravati, the brainchild of Chandrababu Naidu.

 

The farmers have been on a warpath against the present dispensation for abandoning the Amaravati project.

 

Another hugely controversial film that is set to hit the screens is "Razakar—Silent Genocide in Hyderabad,"  a historical biopic portraying the atrocities of Nizam's rule and his private army in the erstwhile Hyderabad state.

 

Set for theatrical release on March 1, the film is produced by Gudur Narayana Reddy, a member of the Telangana BJP executive committee. He had unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections in December last year.

 

The film depicts in graphic detail the brutalities committed by the Razakars—the private army of the then Nizam of Hyderabad—on the Hindus. The movie is about the silent genocide of the Hindus during the regime of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of erstwhile Hyderabad state.

 

Although political movies used to be made in the past too, the recent films stand out for their crude, unalloyed political narratives and polemic in nature.

 

Similarly, in the run-up to the 2019 elections, two movies on Telugu matinee idol and former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao, with competing narratives to suit the agendas of the respective parties, hit the screens and created quite a buzz.