However, a remarkable change has been noticed in this trend in last decade or so with the terrorist being shown as a "Muslim", film critics said adding, still only a few have portrayed it correctly. Most of the others have an exaggerated version.

The change was first ushered in with Mani Ratnam's 1993 film Roja who gave the villain or terrorist a name - he was a Muslim backed by Pakistan's ISI.

Roja was the first film to do so through Pankaj Kapur's character. "It was a time when aggressive Hindutva was at its peak after the demolition of Babri Mosque. The ideology that terrorists are Muslims got a political sanctity," says Ajay Brahmatmaj, senior film journalist and critic.

According to him, since then depiction of terrorism in films has been Pathan-suited Muslim with the backing of Pakistan. "Later, Pakistan bashing became a norm. But, after 9/11, terrorism assumed international levels. Recent films like Contract and soon to be released Mission Istanbul highlight it," he said.

Bhramatmaj says filmmakers glamorise the issue of terrorism. "They don't have a political understanding of the issue and do not want to take a stand. They just use the issue in the backdrop to show action and raise curiosity levels of the audience," he said.

Apoorva Lakhia, director of Mission Istanbul says terrorism means different for different people. "If it is terrorism for some, it is freedom struggle for others," he said.

Bhramatmaj wonders why filmmakers take shelter behind humanitarian issues without understanding the political angle of terrorism.

Two films on the July 11 train blasts in Mumbai are under production- while Mumbai Meri Jaan dwells on the impact such tragedies have on the society at large, Ruslaan depicts the fallout of the train blasts on a young Muslim boy.

According to Brahmatmaj, it is a dangerous trend to associate terrorism and violence with one community or section of society. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said 'Islamic terrorism' is a phrase coined by the US President George W Bush and accepted by the 'right wing BJP' when it was in power in India. "This American doctrine has found takers in India including the filmmakers," he said.

Bhatt said the most mature depiction of terrorism was in Dhoka produced by him. According to Bhatt, governments of the day have betrayed Muslims and one cannot turn a blind eye to police atrocities. "One cannot have a black and white attitude towards the issue of terrorism," he said.

Bhatt felt that most of the films have not dealt with the complex issue of terrorism in an effective manner. Bhatt wondered why Naxals, LTTE or North-East separatists are yet to find a prominent place in our films. "These outfits are not Muslims," the filmmaker said.

Bhramatmaj feels that John Mathew Mathan's Sarfarosh is the only film that understands the ground reality of terrorism and deals with it in much better way. Senior film journalist and critic Rajiv Vijaykar said Sarfarosh was a well-researched realistic film. While a present film like Mission Istanbul was a masala entertainer with the backdrop of terrorism.