Tigmanshu Dhulia, a filmmaker, discussed the importance of political ideologies in cinema while addressing the rise of politically motivated films in India, which he dismissed as artistically bankrupt. In an interview, Tigmanshu stated that agenda-driven Indian cinema is aesthetically terrible, citing films by Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese as examples. He also mentioned the Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will, claiming that it at least pushed the limits of cinema as an art form.

Tigmanshu Dhulia dismisses 'bekaar' films

Appearing on the Red Mike YouTube channel, Tigmanshu Dhulia opened up about films like The Kashmir Files, and said that he finds these movies too lowly to even talk about. Tigmanshu said, "Uss tarha ki filmein? Woh toh bekaar picture hoti hain, kaun dekhta hai unhe, chalti bhi nahi hain (Those films are terrible. Who even watches them)? Sirf wahi chali thi, kya naam tha uska, Kashmir Files. Main inki baat hi nahi karta, bekaar picturein hain sab (I don’t even talk about these films, they’re all terrible)."

Tigmanshu Dhulia used Steven Spielberg as an example, describing him as someone who follows Hollywood rules but lacks a distinct identity as a director. On the other hand, it only takes two shots to identify a Martin Scorsese film, which Tigmanshu attributes to the director's strong ideologies. “Signature ussi ke paas hoga jiske paas ideology hogi (Only filmmakers with strong ideologies will have a strong voice),” he said, admitting that many directors who make politically motivated films in India might actually believe in what their films say, but lack the artistic skills necessary to make good movies.

Directors use their political ideologies as propaganda in films: Tigmanshu

During the same interview, Tigmanshu Dhulia continued, "We see directors using their political ideologies as propaganda in their cinema. This is a wide-ranging topic. In India, the sort of films that are being made to promote the kind of politics that we see around us, are aesthetically terrible. Bekaar hain, dekhne mein pata chalta hai. They’re badly made films, first of all. Ideologies aside."

Tigmanshu mentioned the Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will, claiming that, despite being a propaganda film, it pushed the boundaries of the art form and remains influential to this day.

"But Indian propaganda films aren’t as well made, because they’re made with the wrong intentions. Paisa kamana hai yaar (They all want to make money)," he concluded. The Kashmir Files, directed by Vivek Agnihotri drew criticism for its historical inaccuracies and incendiary tone.