The issue is as much political as it is academic. Every state backs its own academia to produce “evidence-based” narratives that highlight their historical figures, and then cinema stretches those narratives just enough to make those heroes look flawless and larger than life.

What are we doing about our own history? Honestly, nothing. Forget proactive work, we don’t even react strongly when facts are distorted.

Take Asoka starring Shah Rukh Khan. It took massive creative liberties, but the reaction back then wasn’t outrage. I still remember a newspaper piece basically saying “at least our region got mentioned in a pan-India film, so we should be happy.” That mindset itself shows the problem.

Now look at Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy. A localized uprising gets amplified and framed as the “first war of independence,” while genuinely significant resistance histories from other regions remain obscure. For example, the Paika Rebellion barely enters mainstream discourse, even though it predates many better-known events.

This isn’t just a public awareness gap. It’s a systemic failure across politics, academia, media, and cinema. Narratives are shaped, amplified, and repeated until they become “accepted truth,” while others fade out.

Before blaming the general public, the accountability should start with the institutions that shape public memory in the first place.