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China-India relations
OpinionComment
Faisal Ahmed
Hiu Man Chan
Faisal AhmedandHiu Man Chan

Opinion | Amid China-India tensions, Bollywood and cinema can help bridge divides

  • Cinema can connect the young people of China and India, strengthen links and facilitate diplomatic dialogue, particularly when filmmakers collaborate
  • The pandemic and last year’s border conflict have slowed down progress, but the pragmatic possibilities of film diplomacy are too many to ignore

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Faisal AhmedandHiu Man Chan
When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India in September 2014, India and China signed a film co-production treaty in New Delhi. That same year, China was the focus country for India’s International Film Festival, held in Goa. Their bilateral treaty aimed to pool both countries’ resources, creativity and expertise to produce films together.
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Cinema is an effective soft power instrument. It connects people, encourages cultural appreciation, deepens civilisational links and helps diplomatic dialogue. It is much needed today, when the world view is dominated by “popular geopolitics” – that is, the representations and perceptions created by mass media, including films.

As we look forward to an “Asian century”, a focus on cinema and film cooperation can help to strengthen links and build confidence. When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Wuhan in April 2018 in what would be the first of several informal summits ushering a new era in Sino-Indian ties, a banquet hosted by President Xi played Bollywood tunes, highlighting the appeal and soft power of Indian cinema in China.

Under the aegis of the 2014 co-production treaty, the initial films proposed include The Zookeeper, a travel drama by Indian filmmaker Kabir Khan, and Love in Beijing, a cross-cultural romantic comedy to be directed by Siddharth Anand.

Other Sino-Indian film collaborations have since hit the big screen. Xuan Zang, released in 2016, depicts the journey of a Chinese monk and scholar of the same name who travelled to India in the 7th century. Its big-name cast includes China’s Huang Xiaoming and India’s Sonu Sood.

Sood also starred alongside actress Disha Patani and martial arts star Jackie Chan in the 2017 adventure-comedy film Kung Fu Yoga. In 2019, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and filmmaker Kabir Khan attended the China-India Film Cooperation Dialogue at the 9th Beijing International Film Festival. Khan was mobbed by fans in China.
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