Bollywood’s influence extends from influencing the minds of ordinary Indians to dictators like the Veer Zara loving Parvez Musharraf. Recently, Bollywood has added one more feather to its cap — it has begun to popularise the “turban” as a symbol of pride. While Gadar, Border and Jo Bole So Nihal did the opposite of popularising it, recent movies like Singh is Kinng and Heroes have been quite successful in turning the turban into a hip fashion symbol.

Indian cinema has traditionally accorded the turbaned Sikh the role of being the provider of a few laughs. But, ever since movies like Singh is Kinng — where the relevance of turban and hair was explained — things are changing. It would be incorrect to say that the depiction of Sikhs is perfect, but a far greater effort is being made to understand the sensitivities of the community. It was precisely for this reason that Akshay Kumar sought the approval of Sikh religious organisations before his movie was released. Similarly Salman Khan has donned a turban for Heroes. Interestingly, Salman did not smoke during the shooting of the film, and after playing a Sikh in Heroes, he is planning to quit smoking.

These trends clearly highlight a few points. First, Bollywood plays as great a role in national integration as forums like the NIC. Second, despite the shortcomings in the depiction of Sikhs, these films do strengthen Sikh identity. Finally, it is ironical that Bollywood has been condemned many a time, by both the SGPC and the health minister. The former has condemned Bollywood for denigrating the turban and ridiculing the Sikh identity. But, in the recent years, Bollywood has only helped in building a positive image of Sikhs. Similarly, the health ministry has been repeatedly saying that Bollywood should avoid showing film stars with cigarettes. It is while acting in Heroes, that Salman Khan has been convinced about the ills of smoking! Time to admit that Bollywood is not just about masala and action: it does contribute towards building a better and more cohesive society.