Column argues film Uri carries BJP messaging ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls

A column argued that the Hindi film Uri, released in the weeks before the 2019 Lok Sabha election, served as a political tool for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. It was released on the same day as The Accidental Prime Minister, a film that satirises Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

The column’s argument

The writer recalled that in 2014 journalist Sheela Bhatt had described how Modi was reshaping the BJP’s campaign strategy for that year’s election, using money, manpower, mobile technology, the internet and careful tactical planning. The column noted that Modi was the first prime minister in 30 years to win a single-party majority in the Lok Sabha.

It contended that Uri, whatever its makers might say, had been made with the election in mind, and that releasing such films before the vote amounted to using cinema as a campaign strategy. It pointed out that BJP MP Paresh Rawal plays the National Security Advisor in the film.

About the film

Uri opens with an attack on an Indian Army convoy in Manipur in which soldiers are killed. The army’s counter-attack in Myanmar is led by Major Vihaan Singh Shergill, played by Vicky Kaushal, who wants to leave the army for personal reasons after the operation and is posted to army headquarters.

The column praised the performances of Vicky Kaushal and the cast, but said the characters representing Home Minister Rajnath Singh and then defence minister Manohar Parrikar echoed the BJP’s line and spoiled the drama. It argued the film would have been better without political leaders taking centre stage.

What happened next

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election the BJP won 303 of 543 seats and Narendra Modi was sworn in for a second term on 30 May 2019.

See also: Bharatiya Janata Party · Election news

Originally published on 15 January 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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