For decades, India’s famed Hindi film industry has been one of the country’s biggest global tools of soft diplomacy. But in recent years, it has also become a soft target — at home. The latest campaign to seek a boycott of Shah Rukh Khan’s film, Pathaan, is part of a relentless drive by right-wing elements affiliated — on some occasions directly, and in other instances ideologically — to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Mr Khan has had a target on his back since he spoke about intolerance in the country. He is now facing criticism ostensibly because of the clothes the actress, Deepika Padukone, is seen wearing in a song from his new film. But a Madhya Pradesh minister from the BJP has effectively said the quiet part out loud: romance and sensuality between a Muslim man and a Hindu woman are, according to India’s self-appointed guardians of morality, problematic — in real life and on the silver screen.

To be clear, Mr Khan is hardly the only film personality to face targeted attacks over their comments, actions or work. Ms Padukone herself faced boycott calls from right-wing Hindu groups after she visited New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University to stand in solidarity with students beaten up by ABVP goons in January 2020. The intent is always the same: to scare Bollywood, with its massive cultural influence, into serving as little more than a propaganda vehicle for those in power. Past governments relied on censor boards to try and limit what the public could see. That job has now been handed over to the mob. And, indeed, many of the biggest names in Bollywood have publicly aligned themselves with the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Yet, others have kept their distance or even continued in their open or veiled criticism of the direction in which India is headed. The actresses, Richa Chadha and Swara Bhasker, are routinely hounded on social media for questioning the government. At this week’s International Film Festival in Calcutta, the superstar, Amitabh Bachchan, spoke of the questions being raised over freedom of expression in the country. For any art to flourish, creativity without political censorship is vital. For any nation to succeed, its art must address its challenges. As India pitches itself as a world leader, Bollywood remains one of its best calling cards. It must be protected, not ripped apart.