Great Article :: BOLLYWOOD'S INDIA: HINDI CINEMA AS A GUIDE TO MODERN INDIA - Asian Affairs - Volume 41, Issue 3

Gandhi vs. Bhagat Singh in Indian Cinema.
"Bhagat Singh can be portrayed like other tragic young heroes of Hindi
film. Hanged for his part in the murder of a British official when a
young man, his youth can be mourned and his self-sacrificing martyrdom
idealised. As a young student leader he can be shown singing and
dancing and, although somewhat controversially, even romancing.
However, these versions of his life play down his role as an intellectual,
a writer, an atheist and a Marxist; instead they concentrate on his short,
heroic life casting him as a romantic hero who appeals to the young.
Bhagat Singh’s fearless and valiant nature and his use of violence is
easier to understand than Gandhi’s passive resistance and the more pro-
blematic elements of his life and thought."

Taylor & Francis Online :: BOLLYWOOD'S INDIA: HINDI CINEMA AS A GUIDE TO MODERN INDIA - Asian Affairs - Volume 41, Issue 3