With youthful generation and innovative minds, India is soaring in the field of innovation, however, orienting towards a strange alley in creative visualization. No doubt, a picture is worth a thousand words and if it runs in thousands, it leaves an indelible impression through a dynamic barrage of engrossing expressions. Creative liberalization is supposed to grant artists and creators the freedom to explore diverse narratives and perspectives. In theory, it allows for bold storytelling, innovative interpretations, underscoring hitherto obscured narratives and the amplification of marginalized voices. However, this freedom can sometimes become a pretext to confine creativity within ideological/commercial boundaries or to serve specific agendas. In the context of India, this phenomenon is increasingly evident on audio-visual platforms and other creative visualization fields, where the portrayal of history often distorts facts, manipulates narratives, and prioritizes sensationalism over authenticity, thereby reducing our rich heritage to a mere source of story for some viewer catching episode. This article explores how underutilization and consequent misutilization of creative liberalization stifle genuine creativity and distort India’s rich historical tapestry.

The Promise of Creative Liberalization

Creative liberalization is based on the principle that art should transcend boundaries, challenge norms, experiment with expressions and reflect diverse truths. In India, a country with a rich history and a heritage of composite cultures, information and communication technology revolution with burgeoning OTT platforms have provided creators with unprecedented opportunities to explore historical narratives. From the Indus valley civilization to the post-independence rebuilding, these platforms have brought stories to global audiences, promising fresh perspectives and nuanced storytelling.

The democratization and decentralization of content creation through digital platforms has allowed creators to experiment with form, style, and subject matter. Unlike traditional cinema, which often faced censorship or commercial pressures, OTT platforms are seen as a haven for creative freedom. Creators can delve into complex historical events, such as the rise of nuclear potential of India or the emergence of gender sensitization, without the constraints of mainstream Bollywood tropes. Audiences, too, embrace the diversity of content, from gritty historical dramas to reimagined scientific feats.

However, this promise of creative freedom has not always translated into authentic or responsible storytelling. Instead, creative liberalization has, in some cases, been co-opted to serve agendas that use history or cater to specific ideological leanings, thereby confining the very creativity it claims to the race of championing the rigid tropes.

The Distortion of Indian History

India’s history is a complex tapestry of conquests, renaissance, integration, rebuilding, resilience, cultural exchanges, and socio-political movements. Yet, on many platforms, this history is often reduced to over-simplified narratives that prioritizes drama over accuracy. One prominent example is the portrayal of historical figures and events in a manner that aligns with contemporary sensational narratives rather than historical evidence.

Selective Storytelling, Historical Omissions and Fictional Additions

Many series and films selectively highlight certain aspects of Indian history while ignoring others, creating skewed representations. For instance, the Mughal era is often romanticized in portrayals like Jodha Akbar, where historical figures are depicted through a lens of grandeur and intrigue, often glossing over the complexities of their rule, such as socio-economic disparities and sick administrative structures. While creative liberties are expected in dramatized retellings, these portrayals frequently omit inconvenient truths, such as authoritarianism or the shattered governance, which are well-documented in historical records.

Similarly, the portrayal of India’s colonial period often focuses on the heroism of a few individuals while sidelining the contributions of lesser-known figures or communities. Shows like The Empire or Taj: Divided by Blood tend to exaggerate personal rivalries and court intrigues, reducing historical events to soap opera-like narratives.

Following the same path, the depiction of scientific advancement is often accompanied by the web of conspiracies, departmental or international, missing the chance to inspire the generation through narration of endeavors, tales of perseverance and an unwavering spirit to serve the nation. Series like Rocket Boys could avoid addition of fictional characters namely, Raza Mehdi and Vishwesh Mathur.

This fabricated storytelling not only distorts history but also confines creativity to predictable tropes, limiting the scope for more nuanced explorations and inadvertently reinforcing the prejudices and stereotypes. Truth does not need fiction to drive its story. A plot needs genuine creativity to bring dynamism.

Stereotyping and Cultural Misrepresentation

Another way creative liberalization becomes a pretext to confine creativity is through the perpetuation of stereotypes. Many productions portray Indian history through a Western or urban elite lens, often catering to global audiences at the expense of cultural authenticity. For example, regional histories, such as those of Indian kingdoms like the Cholas or Vijayanagara, are often underrepresented or oversimplified. When depicted, they are frequently filtered through a Bollywood-inspired aesthetic, full of exaggerated costumes and dialogues that bear little resemblance to historical realities.

This stereotyping extends to the portrayal of communities and ends up nourishing fissiparous tendencies. Certain groups, such as the Rajputs, Marathas, or Sikhs are often shown as unidimensional warriors, while others, like the Dalits or tribal communities, are either erased or portrayed as passive victims. Such representations reinforce outdated or biased archetypes that helped colonial powers to rule for centuries.

Sensation over Substance

The pressure to attract viewers in a crowded audio-visual market often leads creators to prioritize sensation over substance. Historical events are dramatized to the point of caricature, with factual inaccuracies becoming a byproduct of the quench for high viewership. The depiction of battles or political events in series often sacrifices historical context for cinematic flair. While these productions may be visually stunning, they confine creativity by adhering to formulaic patterns designed to awe or entertain rather than inform.

This trend is particularly evident in the portrayal of sensitive historical events, such as conflicts, riots, mysteries surrounding deaths etc. Instead of fostering a deeper understanding of these complex periods, many shows exploit them for emotional impact, often amplifying divisions or misrepresenting the motivations of historical actors. This not only distorts history but also restricts the creative exploration of these events, as creators opt for safe, audience-pleasing narratives over challenging or thought-provoking ones.

Other Creative Visualization Fields and Their Role in Distortion

Beyond OTT platforms, other creative visualization fields, such as video games, novels, and social media platforms, also contribute to the distortion of Indian history. These mediums, while innovative, often prioritize quantity over quality, accessibility and engagement over accuracy, further confining creativity within commercial or ideological constraints.

Video Games and Interactive Media

Video games set in historical contexts, such as Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India, offer immersive experiences but often take significant liberties with historical settings. The depiction of 19th-century India in such games may include anachronistic elements or oversimplified cultural representations to appeal to a global audience. While these games are not intended to be historical documentaries, their influence on public perceptions of history is significant, particularly among younger audiences who may not have access to primary sources.

The creative potential of video games is immense, yet their reliance on stereotypical imagery—such as exoticized landscapes or protagonist villains—limits their ability to offer authentic representations of Indian history. This confinement of creativity is a direct result of prioritizing marketability over historical fidelity.

Graphic Novels and Visual Art

Graphic novels and illustrated histories have emerged as powerful tools for storytelling, yet they too can distort history when creative liberalization is misused. For example, comics depicting mythological figures like Hanuman or historical leaders like Shivaji often blend fact with fiction, creating larger-than-life personas that overshadow their human complexities. While these works are artistically compelling, they often cater to populist sentiments, confining creativity within the boundaries of mass appeal.

Social Media and Short-Form Content

Social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram have become hubs for historical content, with creators producing short videos or infographics about India’s past. While these formats democratize access to history, they often oversimplify complex events or rely on unverified sources, leading to misinformation. The pressure to create viral content further confines creativity, as creators prioritize clickbait over depth, distorting historical narratives in the process.

The Consequences of Creator-Confined Creativity

The distortion of Indian history on creative visualization fields has far-reaching consequences. First, it shapes public perceptions, particularly among younger generations who rely on these mediums for historical knowledge. Inadvertent misrepresentations can perpetuate myths, reinforce biases, and deepen societal divisions, especially when sensitive topics like religion or caste are mishandled.

Second, the confinement of creativity stifles the potential for groundbreaking storytelling. When creators are bound by commercial pressures, ideological agendas, or the need to appeal to global audiences, they are less likely to take risks or explore unconventional narratives. This results in a homogenization of content, where historical stories are reduced to predictable tropes rather than innovative explorations of India’s diverse past.

Third, the inertia experienced in organic writing by choosing a popular historical event with some modifications lead to creative degradation in long run. When creators repeatedly select a historical context and merge it with a sensational incident of the time, it degenerates their ability to produce something new while reducing their creative potential to intelligent plagiarism.

Finally, the misuse of creative liberalization undermines the credibility of OTT platforms and other creative mediums as sources of historical knowledge. Audiences may become skeptical of all historical content, dismissing even well-researched productions as unreliable. This erosion of trust limits the impact of genuinely creative and accurate works.

Towards Responsible Creative Liberalization

To address these challenges, creators and platforms must adopt a more responsible approach to creative liberalization. This involves balancing artistic freedom with historical accuracy, ensuring that narratives are grounded in research and context. Collaboration with historians, cultural experts, and community representatives can help creators navigate complex historical periods with sensitivity and authenticity.

Moreover, audiences must be encouraged to engage critically with historical content, seeking out primary sources and diverse perspectives to supplement what they see on screen, thereby contributing to constructive feedback mechanism. Educational initiatives, such as companion documentaries or reading lists, can enhance the impact of OTT productions and other creative works, fostering a deeper understanding of history.

Finally, creators should embrace the full potential of creative liberalization by exploring underrepresented stories and challenging conventional narratives, even the commercially set one. By focusing on the diversity of India’s history—its regional kingdoms, unsung heroes, administrative structures, social institutions, governance mechanisms, technological advancements and cultural exchanges—creators can break free from the confines of sensationalism and ideology, producing work that is both innovative, authentic and also engrossing.

As already said, truth does not need fiction to drive its story. Historical events are popular in their entirety, encompassing all aspects and actors. The most populous country also has the most creative minds. It’s time to have some creative exercise and believe in the potential of true expression. Next time, whenever you watch or make something creative liberally, do it while fulfilling your creative and social responsibility. Your one action can create ripples. It’s in your hand to choose the field: irresponsible sensation or responsible substance.

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