301. The Rise of H-Pop

BIC TALKS

Can a song trigger a murder? Can a poem spark a riot? Can a book divide a people? From catchy songs with acerbic lyrics to poetry recited in kavi sammelans to social media influencers shaping opinions with their brand of ‘breaking news’ to books rescripting historical events, ‘Hindutva Pop’ or H-Pop is steadily creating societal acceptability for Hindutva’s core beliefs.

What makes H-Pop so popular? Who are its stars and its audience? Who is pouring in the money, the effort and the resources to produce and broadcast it? What is the political economy of H-Pop? These are some of the questions that award-winning independent journalist Kunal Purohit explores in his riveting investigative book, H-Pop: The Secretive World Of Hindutva Pop Stars, as he travels through India profiling some of H-Pop’s most prolific and popular creators—its stars and celebrities. In the process, he interrogates whether the creators are driven by ideology or commerce, and what motivates the audience to consume their daily dose of bigotry.

In this episode of BIC Talks, an extract from an in-person event that took place in December 2023, Kunal along with stand up comedian Namit Jain and cultural practitioner Arundhati Ghosh discusses the key issues raised in the book and explore the effects of the the Political Influencer Economy.

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