Bollywood films reclaim Manipur screens after decades-long ban, defying militant opposition

The resurgence took place on Tuesday, coinciding with the 77th Independence Day celebrations. The Hmar Students’ Association (HSA), a Kuki-Zo tribal students’ organization, orchestrated the screening of the Bollywood film "Uri: The Surgical Strike" in the hill district of Churachandpur's Rengkai, reports Sentinel Assam.

The event, a watershed moment, saw a projector set up for a handpicked audience, commencing at 7:30 pm. An impressive turnout of over 100 attendees marked this historic occasion.

The 1990s classic "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" was also slated for screening. Intriguingly, "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" was the last Hindi film shown in a Manipur theater in the late 1990s.

The screening of these Bollywood films by the HSA is a bold declaration of their opposition to the erstwhile ban on Hindi films. "As Indians, we must have access to arts and movies produced from all parts of India in public theaters," stated Lalremsang, an executive member of the HSA.

He elucidated that the militants' primary rationale for the ban was their perception of Hindi films as foreign entities that adversely influenced Meitei/Manipuri culture. "The state government still upholds this ban, but we do not align with it," Lalremsang emphasized.

Churachandpur once boasted a few theaters, all of which were shuttered following the prohibition on Hindi film screenings. The ban's repercussions extended to several other theaters in the Meitei-majority Imphal valley.

"The people here in Churachandpur have a strong affinity for Bollywood films," affirmed the student leader. In the year 2000, the insurgent group Revolutionary Peoples Front issued a categorical decree, forbidding the exhibition of Hindi, particularly Bollywood movies.

The rationale cited was that Bollywood's influence ran counter to Manipuri culture, language, and the local film industry. The group believed that Bollywood contradicted Manipuri values.

Over time, the militants seized thousands of video cassettes containing Hindi films and music, subsequently burning them in protest against what they deemed the "Indianization" of Manipur.

This prohibition proved detrimental to the state's movie theater business. Notably, this ban also prevented the screening of the biopic on Manipur's boxing champion, MC Mary Kom, in her home state. Priyanka Chopra, the Bollywood actress, portrayed the lead role of the boxer in the film.

Recent times have witnessed a surge in ethnic clashes between the predominant Meitei community and the tribal Kuki communities in Manipur. The violence, which erupted on May 3, has led to the loss of over 160 lives and the displacement of thousands.