The politics of biopics: Analyzing propaganda films in Bangladesh's political context

Abstract

This thesis investigates the use of state-funded cinema as a vehicle for political propaganda in contemporary Bangladesh by analyzing two government-funded films: Hasina: A Daughter's Tale (2018) and Mujib: The Making of a Nation (2023). The former is a docudrama centered on the personal and political life of Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, narrated by Hasina herself, while the latter is a fictional biopic of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation's founding leader and Hasina's father. Notably, both films were released in close proximity to the national elections of 2018 and 2024, respectively. Employing a modified ideological criticism as a methodological framework, this study examines narratives and character portrayals to assess how dominant ideologies are constructed and circulated through these cinematic texts. The analysis aims to uncover the films' functions as propaganda in reinforcing political narratives to legitimize the Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) regime's hold on state power, thereby contributing to broader discussions on the intersections of media, ideology, and political propaganda in South Asia.