Bollywood is the name for the lively core of the Indian film industry, which produces glamorous and emotionally charged films.

However, beneath the image of common cheerful singing and dancing, there is a network of interconnections that could result sometimes in evil stimuli, such as connections to terrorism. Now, it is high time to discuss this rather sensitive issue and try to understand all the contacts between Bollywood and terrorism.

First, let it be said that Indians live in Bollywood, and that is a fact now. The film industry's interest is mainly entertainment, education, as well as cultural portrayal. The terrorist issue is closely related to the movie industry because films portray incidents that involve specific individuals in real life, and most of the terrorism controversies are always connected to Bollywood stars.

.

In terms of content, one of the largest connections between Bollywood and terrorism is far and through narrative. The films like "Phantom," "Raazi,” and “Taj Mahal” directly deal with the theme of terrorism, which checks the lives of the people who are suffering from political and terrorism-related turmoil. These films set out to educate and make people reflect, but in the process, they can convey glamourized or even aestheticized violence or glorify the oversimplification of issues. Entertainment and reality become intertwined, and real-world opinions might be influenced by whitewashed drama presented in films and by actors and filmmakers.

For instance, some connections between the Bombay underworld and Bollywood can be traced to the 1993 Bombay bombings headed by underworld dons. This team worked hard, and some actors were alleged to have links with these criminals—something that sparked up controversy. As many of these claims were exaggerated, they reveal a possible impact on the film industry by outside actors, which might be opaque at best and malicious at worst.

The other factor of debate is the existence of Bollywood as a propaganda medium. Sometimes certain films have been employed in achieving certain political goals that relate to what could be generally regarded as public interests, such as terrorism and its eradication. For instance, movies that portray the courage of Indian soldiers defending against terrorism may stir up nationalism and supply support for military operations. On the one hand, this serves as a positive portrayal of patriotism; on the other hand, the following question arises: What is the mission of filmmakers to get society ready for such changes?

Also, social media has given a platform to such persons who condemn Bollywood for portraying terrorism and terrorism-related incidents. Some people have criticised that the industry is very inclined to prejudice, and specifically to the prejudice of some groups of people. It may culminate in a dark framing of certain people basically labelling certain communities as terrorists because of the few bad apples. In particular, it is important for directors to use such themes responsibly and not deepen social splits with their motion pictures.

In that capacity, consumers of media must interrogate the content that they consume. They have to distinguish between the movie and the actual life by making sure they realise that although films depict social problems, they are only movies. Bollywood movies do have the capability of changing the perception. They should know how to portray sensitive subjects like terrorism.

The consumers of Bollywood films get influenced very quickly, so releasing a movie that is subjected to violence and crime might affect our future generation's mindset as well as the fact that people in India are such blind sighted by the actors of Bollywood that if these actors get involved with any sort of terrorism groups, there are millions of Indians ready to justify their actions and get influenced by them too, which is not correct for the future of India.

Hence, it is clear that Bollywood has a direct link with terrorism. As audiences, we must be watchful and wake up to these facts to understand the rate at which narrative influences our way of perceiving reality. The questions about Bollywood and terrorism are still being discussed, and they are discussions we need to be having. This relationship is very complex, and I hope we will keep on debating, engaging with each other, and researching to construct a more responsible media environment.