9/11 inspires latest genre of Bollywood films

New Delhi: An Indian Muslim in the United States downloads the travel itinerary of President George W. Bush, packs his backpack and arrives at an airport quietly chanting "Allah". As nervous passengers remove their shoes, belts and jackets at a security point, the man is singled out for a search and interrogation.

The scene is from My Name Is Khan, one of several recent Hindi movies set against the backdrop of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. More than eight years later, films about those cataclysmic events are making a surprising appearance in the song-and-dance world of Bollywood.

"These Indian films set in America show two mirrors: how the two great democracies of India and America play out what it means to be a Muslim, and democracies are presumed to have all the answers," said Shiv Visvanathan, an anthropologist at the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology.

The movies focus on feelings of Muslim alienation, human rights abuses, bigotry and the threat of terrorism — issues that India is grappling with on its own soil.

Some filmmakers say it is safer to situate plotlines in a land far from India, a multi-religious cauldron that is predominantly Hindu and is home to the world's second-largest Muslim population of 130 million.

"India is a democracy, but creative people often do not feel protected enough to say some sensitive things here," said Karan Johar, director of My Name is Khan.

The first of the September 11 movies was the summer hit New York. Kurbaan, which dealt with global terrorism, was released late last year.

Home battle

Some battles are still being fought here at home.

Shah Rukh Khan, the lead actor in My Name Is Khan, recently spoke out after no Pakistani cricket players were selected for an Indian tournament. Ties between India and Pakistan have soured since the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, blamed on a Pakistan-based Islamist group.

A Hindu nationalist party, Shiv Sena, questioned the actor's patriotism. His movie posters were burned, and cinemas showing the film were vandalised.

Fighting back tears, Khan said on television: "I am a good Indian, and I never thought I'd have to say this on a TV channel. That makes me sadder."