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Cinematic representation of an anti-corruption movement as revolution: Case study of ‘Satyagraha’

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  • Arunoday Majumder

    (Rishihood University)

Abstract

It has been more than a decade since the India Against Corruption (IAC) Movement ended. The politics of it, put forth by elites, discredited a coalition government in India and paved the way for the concentration of power. This essay explores political negotiations between the global-urban and the semi-urban in a cinematic representation of the IAC Movement. The film ‘Satyagraha: The Revolution Has Begun!’ (2013) shows that elites and commons apparently unite in fictional Ambikapur to fight corruption. The film calls for revolution. However, this essay reveals an orthodox narrative and analyses the cinematic techniques used for such construction. It unpacks the diegetic desire of privileged groups for the further consolidation of powerful incumbents. In the pro-filmic Ambikapur, the submission of grassroots challengers to the leadership of the elites satisfies such ambition. Privileged groups, including filmmakers and their imagined audience in the Mumbai-based Bollywood, have however found it difficult to retain their hold over the large electorates of lower classes and “lower” jatis since the last quarter of the 20th century. This essay unveils ‘Satyagraha’ as a hegemonic effort to proffer the elites as given leader of democratic action.

Suggested Citation

  • Arunoday Majumder, 2025. "Cinematic representation of an anti-corruption movement as revolution: Case study of ‘Satyagraha’," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-04836-6
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-04836-6
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