Bollywood movies started showing Hindu kings as heroes and valiant leaders after 2014. Before that, films like Jodhaa Akbar would be the norm. Leftists see the trend reversal since 2014 as a climbdown. If Hindus see Hrithik Roshan's Jodhaa Akbar as propaganda, Leftists see films like Kesari and the latest one, Chhaava, as propaganda pieces.
Chhaava may be a box office blockbuster, but is not stopping critics from accusing it of untruth. As per some Leftist accounts, Sambhaji Maharaj was never tortured by Aurangazeb. What has been shown in Chhaava is allegedly based on a novel.
Prapthi wrote, "Bollywood's obsession with giving us steroid-pumped, beautified and chest-thumpingly rabid nationalist versions of kings, freedom fighters, scientists, businessmen and soldiers is just sad at this point. Storytelling is dead and nuance is non-existent." Critics say that Bollywood films fail to show all versions with nuance. "Bollywood doesn't tell stories; it manufactures propaganda. Bollywood prefers hysteria over history, spectacle over substance. Real storytelling demands nuance, contradiction, and humanity," wrote Nayan M Hazra.
