Advani led the campaign that resulted in the destruction of the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya in 1992, which produced the worst communalist violence since the 1947 partition of India. A judicial commission of inquiry found that Joshi's Shiv Sena used the Masjid issue to foment and organise riots in Bombay in January 1993, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Muslims. These warnings should be taken seriously. The campaign by the Hindu extremists to stop Mehta's film is not an isolated incident, but part of efforts to impose a right-wing nationalist state ideology in India based on aspects of the Hindu religion. Under conditions where the living standards of the vast majority are deteriorating and the social chasm between rich and poor is deepening, the BJP has been in the forefront of whipping up communalist sentiments to divide the Indian masses along caste and religious lines.
Cinema plays a powerful role in India.
Hence the BJP and its Hindu extremist allies have increasingly targeted filmmakers who have in any way critically examined aspects of Indian society. Already under existing Indian law, foreign-funded filmmakers seeking to make films in India must submit their scripts to the central government for approval. If the film is approved, the government appoints a special liaison officer with wide powers to monitor all aspects of the production. The liaison officer can shut down the film if the director is deemed to be departing from the approved script. Restrictions on artistic expression are not just limited to foreign filmmakers.