Despite lack of political fodder, can the propaganda film take off

The Vaccine War focuses too much on unscrupulous scribes, while failing to address bigger issues like oxygen deficit and mass burials, writes Anand Singh.

Vivek Agnigotri’s latest film 'The Vaccine War' is evocative of his famous one-liner from an interview to an online news portal in which he affirmed, “Facts are not facts”.

His previous film ‘The Kashmir Files’ was a crowd-puller and received strong support from the central government, including tax-free screenings in at least eight BJP-ruled states. Critics and commoners expected his latest flick to cause political tremors, too. But this time, both the political heavyweights and commoners were not intrigued. Critics have slammed the latest propaganda piece disguised as a “science film”.

To boost audience turnout, the filmmaker, on October 1, announced a “buy one, get one” deal on tickets until the film is in the theatres. As the film bombed at the box office, Agnihotri reportedly said, “This is a small film and we always knew that this would grow through word of mouth and now it is, which is a positive sign (sic)”.

Given these developments, it is safe to say the film is poorly put together. Though it is based on the Covid-19 pandemic, it blatantly ignores issues such as the nationwide oxygen deficit, the complications arising out of the lockdowns, healthcare workers’ courage in the face of inadequate resources and infrastructure, and distressing images of mass burials and cremations. Surprisingly, for a film about indigenous vaccines, it also skips topics such as the testing process, India’s massive vaccination programme, and most importantly, the controversy around Covaxin’s regulatory approval and emergency use authorisation.

Instead, the film builds its narrative around a group of individuals who were an obstacle to the government’s efforts to create an indigenous vaccine. The film is plagued by the repetitive otherisation of a particular group — journalists who spread “fake news”. They are pitted against the patriotic scientists responsible for developing the vaccine.

Agnihotri, who famously coined the term “Urban Naxals” to define the Modi government’s critics has pilloried scribes wholeheartedly this time. ‘The Vaccine War’ depicts “liberal” media as the fundamental threat to India’s self-sufficiency (being atma-nirbhar).

Considering that Bharat Biotech was the vaccine’s primary manufacturer, it’s odd that the film barely gives any screen time to the firm. Contrary to what the film showcases, reports suggest that the indigenous jab was mainly developed by in-house scientists at Bharat Biotech, and the company has claimed so, too. The government nodal agencies — the Indian Council for Medical Research, and the National Institute of Virology (ICMR - NIV) — were reportedly involved in isolating and providing the strain of the virus to the private company.

After the film’s dismal first week, Agnihotri claimed his latest film “lacks politics” in contrast to ‘The Kashmir Files’, which touched everyone’s collective consciousness from top to bottom. Though conveniently timed less than a year before the general elections, his “science film” doesn’t offer much to further the government’s agenda, which is already on a rampage to limit press freedom.

The director’s remarks on politics being absent from ‘The Vaccine War’ can be interpreted as a lack of Islamophobic fodder. Flagrant propaganda films such as ‘The Kerala Story’ and ‘The Kashmir Files’ have been big hits. Popular films that could be mistaken for period dramas like ‘Padmaavat’, ‘Bajirao Mastani’, and ‘Samrat Prithviraj’, etc., too, represent saffron as good and green as evil. The success of these films attests to the fact that demonising Islam resonates with the broad consciousness of many filmgoers. ‘The Vaccine War’ lacks this ‘success ingredient’.

In an earlier interview, DH had asked the director if there should be a balance between art and politics in a film so that it doesn’t become outright propaganda. To this, Agnihotri had said, “Who are we to decide that? We are not the guardians of the art. I believe in absolute freedom of expression.” He appears to be devoted to his words by working on propaganda films and addressing delicate issues such as the exodus of Pandits from Kashmir Valley and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots (in his upcoming film ‘The Delhi Files’).

However, there are covert ways in which the so-called “art” spreads misinformation. It preys on the vulnerable and the uneducated who are easily duped by these films.

While the film’s box office collection has been poor, standing at nearly Rs 8 crore in the first week, there is a buzz about the film online. The production costs have also been recouped thanks to digital and satellite distribution.

Despite his denial of any government backing in his last interview with DH, it is common knowledge that the centre places high value on his work. The most recent example of this is Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauding his work at a rally in poll-bound Rajasthan on October 5 (Thursday). The PM said, “I have heard that a film ‘The Vaccine War’ has come. The scientists of our country worked hard day and night to fight Covid-19 in India... All these things have been shown in that film... I congratulate the makers of this film for giving importance to scientists and science by making this film…”

‘The Kashmir Files’ day-seven collections had shot up significantly, by over 18 crore, after a relatively slow start. It remains to be seen whether Agnihotri’s political support bodes well for his latest film’s prospects in the coming weeks.

(With inputs from Vijeth Balila)