"In my 32 years, nobody's ever talked to me about any ideology": Rahul Bose on claims of political bias narratives in Bollywood

India Gazette

24-06-2025

New Delhi [India], June 24 (ANI): Cinema is believed to have the power to influence the masses, and Bollywood, the cornerstone of the Hindi film industry, has frequently faced criticism for allegedly leaning towards certain political ideologies. Addressing such claims, actor Rahul Bose strongly rejected the notion of a left-wing bias in Bollywood.
Reflecting on his three-decades-long career, he said that not once has a filmmaker or producer ever questioned or discussed his personal ideology during casting or discussions.
Actor Rahul Bose has been in the film industry for over three decades. His diverse filmography ranges from Kamal Haasan's 'Vishwaroopam' to Bollywood's patriotic drama--'Shaurya'. He is also known for his works in Bengali cinema, which include critically acclaimed films like 'Anuranan', 'Antaheen' and others.
In an interview with ANI, the actor reflected on the criticism of Bollywood for incorporating left-wing ideologies in its film narratives. He called such reports false, saying that the film industry has always been 'art-centric'.
'In my 32 years, nobody's ever talked to me about left-wing ideology, never or for that matter, any ideology. I can tell you this. Everybody is there. You can just sort things out. It's not even an issue. I've never been asked what my ideology is. Never. For casting, for discussions,' Rahul Bose told ANI.
The 'Dil Dhadkne Do' actor said that artists are always presented with two choices in Bollywood: to do the film or not. Bose appeared to be surprised by the ongoing narrative of political ideologies' involvement in the filmmaking decisions, as he claims to have never faced such situations in his entire film career, during which he shared screens with veteran stars like Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and others.
'Either you like it, you want to do my film, or you don't do my film. It is always art-centric. In 32 years, I don't know what people are thinking. In 32 years, I've worked with everybody. I've worked with the seniors like Paresh, Naseer, Shabana and all of them. I've worked with, you know, 22-year-old kids. Never has it appeared,' said Bose.
The actor said that the filmmakers focus more on finding the 'truth' in the scenes than on highlighting the political ideologies in the movie scripts.
Rahul Bose, 'It's always about how do we find the truth in the scene. It's always about how can we make the scene better. Always. Even with the director. Never have I discussed political ideology in 32 years.'
However, the actor confessed that performing some movie roles creates a dilemma in his life. This includes his iconic character in the star-studded film 'Dil Dhadakne Do'.
He played the role of Priyanka Chopra's orthodox husband in the film.
'He was bad enough. He was obnoxious. I kept telling Zoya, I said, who are you making me play? I've spent 22 years on gender equality. In real life. I said, I spent 22 years doing this, and now you're making me say this NGO Rahul has fainted,' said Bose.
Rahul Bose is currently the President of the Indian Rugby Football Union. Under Bose Rugby India, the inaugural edition of the Rugby Premier League (RPL) in India started on June 15.
RPL is the first franchise-based league in the world, and in its opening edition, it has six founding franchises: Bengaluru Bravehearts, Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kalinga Black Tigers, and Mumbai Dreamers. (ANI)