Khaki Stories: The Study of the Populist Image of Law Enforcement in Indian Cinema

The image of the police officer holds a magnanimous position in Indian Hindi commercial cinema, popularly referred to as Bollywood. Chulbul Pandey from Dabangg franchise, Bajirao Singham from Singham Franchise, Sangram “Simmba” Bhalerao from Simba, Azad from Jawan, and Veer Sooryavanshi from Sooryavanshi are louder-than-life characters who embody the Indian police officer and go beyond their job description in order to provide justice to the common man. These films representing vigilante-like justice have been some of the top-grossing films of their respective year’s release. Within these films, the populist ideology is crucial in establishing these police characters as cinematic roles of “everyday heroes” created for the masses. These characters are played by some of the most commercially popular actors who produce hypermasculine characters that resonate with the populist approach of law enforcement appealing to the masses. Using the ideals of populism, the entry discusses the image of the heroic police officer in Indian commercial cinema. Further, the entry discusses the shift in the depiction of these hero figures. It engages with the new populist thought, showcasing the community of people—law enforcement and the common man—coming together to uphold justice. The emotions of local and national pride that find space within these narratives. The study of such a figure enables an understanding of how there is a shift in the depiction of the populist ideology to a new populist one that shapes the perceptions regarding police officers within the Indian filmography.