Bollywood’s pride in its roots reflects through its films. Through the years since 1947, many films have celebrated the spirit and ethos of the nation. Films Like Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl celebrate the patriotic spirit and the passion of those in the defence forces who have faced all odds and fought for the country. It proves that all one needs to stand for their nation is courage. On the 74th Independence Day of India, we present to you a list of films rich in patriotic fervour:
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019)
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi is the courageous tale of the brave-hearted Queen of Jhansi – Laxmibai – who resisted the colonial rulers to protect her kingdom and her people, by fighting them in the battlefields. Kangana Ranaut, as usual, is splendid as Manikarnika and exudes the same confidence as the real queen.
Paltan (2018)
Paltan is based on the Indian troop’s victory against Chinese troops attempting to encroach their territory, in Nathu La and Cho La regions in 1967. The film stars an assortment of actors – Harshvardhan Rane, Jackie Shroff, Arjun Rampal, Sonu Sood, Gurmeet Choudhary, Dipika Kakkar Ibrahim to name a few.
Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019)
Uri: The Surgical Strike is the story of the Indian army’s retaliation against terrorists post attacks on their soldiers in Uri. The film weaves the incidents to show the events leading to the surgical strike. Uri: The Surgical Strike stars Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam, Mohit Raina, Paresh Rawal, Kirti Kulhari among many others.
Panipat (2019)
Panipat is an epic-war film capturing the third battle of Panipat between Ahmad Shah Abdali (Sanjay Dutt), the ruler of Afghanistan, and the army chief of the Marathas, Sadashivrao Bhau (Arjun Kapoor). When Abdali threatens to capture Delhi, Sadashivrao Bhau prepares for battle fearlessly while overcoming several obstacles.
Raazi (2018)
Raazi is based on Harinder Sikka’s 2008 book ‘Calling Sehmat’ – a true account of an undercover RAW agent. Sehmat Khan marries into a Pakistani army family to help the Indian army by extracting valuable information about them. Alia Bhatt’s performance as Sehmat is par excellence and Vicky Kaushal as her husband makes you fall in love with him even though he’s on the ‘enemy’ side.
Rang De Basanti (2006)
When a bunch of students is selected to portray various Indian freedom fighters in a film, they undergo a transition from ignorance to patriotism. The emotional impact that the experience has turns them into rebels for a cause. Starring Aamir Khan, R Madhvan, Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Kapoor, and Sharman Joshi, the film had a strong connect with the youth of today.
Swades (2004)
Mohan Bhargava (Shah Rukh Khan) returns to his native Charanpur from the US. He finds his village divided by caste and politics and grossly lacking facilities. Mohan decides to put his skills to use to bring the village back on its feet.
Airlift (2016)
When Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait, Indian businessman Ranjit Katyal (Akshay Kumar) along with the help of the Indian embassy in Kuwait and the Government of India helped evacuate 170,000 refugees from Kuwait. The film captures the longing for one’s own country when stranded away in a foreign land.
Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran (2018)
Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran follows the story of IAS officer Ashwat (John Abraham) who is assigned with the task of leading an operation to develop and test nuclear weapons but must ensure that American intelligence agencies do not hear about it.
Lagaan (2001)
A farmer Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) accepts the challenge of winning a cricket match against colonizers to help exempt the taxes of his village for the next three years.
Kesari (2019)
Kesari is the real-life account of Havildar Ishar Singh, a soldier in the British Indian Army who leads and trains 21 Sikh soldiers to prevent an invasion by 10,000 Pashtun soldiers. The film boasts of one of Akshay Kumar’s finest performances.
We wish you all a Happy Independence Day!
(Contributed by Deblina Munshi)