Bollywood Top Patriotic Movies – Happy Independence Day!

- August 15, 2012 | 12:23 PM IST

It runs in our blood, the Patriotic spirit of being an Indian. This 65^th Independence Day has bought with itself a series of die-hard patriotism. I always try and listen to some of the best patriotic songs around and it makes you realise how much our martyrs have suffered to get this freedom for us. Many Patriotic theme based movies have also been released. Here is a look at the list of best Independence Day Movies which have been made in Bollywood. Though some movies may not make this list, making an effort to make a movie on Nationalism is certainly commendable.

Chak De! India 2007

The movie starred Shahrukh Khan in an unconventional role of a Hockey player turned coach, who avenges the humiliation he had to wrongly face as a player, by directing the Indian women’s team to the World Championship Victory. This was Shimit Amin’s first big movie and he certainly did proper justice. Jaideep Sahni’s writing was much appreciated while Salim-Sulaimaan’s music also rocked the charts for long.

Rang De Basanti 2006

Rang De Basanti was the ‘coming of the age’ genre film. The film chronicled the life of a group of friends and how the death of a friend, changes their lives forever. The movie got its deserved share of attention, awards and box office collection. It went on to create a significant history for itself, after being hailed as one of the best patriotic films for the current Indian youth. Directed by Omprakash Mehra, the movie has a brilliant character transition portrayal by Aamir Khan and great supporting act by all the other actors involved.

Swades 2004

Again a very good film which failed to do well at the Box Office. This was Shahrukh’s best performance for me and still it didn’t get the result it deserved. A well to do NRI comes to India in search of his Nanny and ultimately finds it difficult to break the bond of attachment to his homeland. It was reported that many NRI’s saw the movie, got inspired and permanently returned back to India. The emotional portrayal coupled with the phenomenal music made sure that the movie will be remembered for a long time in future.

Lakshya 2004

One of the most inspiring movies of the recent times. It’s beyond me why it failed to strike gold at the box office! The movie had virtually everything required to be a blockbuster. The only consolation being that the movie has gathered quite a huge following through television network. Lakshya for me was Hrithik’s finest performance and it was a brilliant portrayal of human emotion during wartime. Transition of a young, rich, spoilt boy to a responsible army officer and his grit in handling his personal life problems; formed the crux of Lahsya’s plot. A must watch movie for any Patriot.

Lagaan 2001

India’s official Oscar entry that year and it almost made the Best Foreign Film award its own that year if not for some bad luck. Lagaan dealt with the issue of Patriotism in a slightly different way. It integrated the concept of India’s most watched game Cricket with Nationality issue. The result as expected turned out to be a huge success. The ancient pre-independence historic feel could be grasped throughout the movie and the main point for its success was its easy connection with the masses.

The Legend of Bhagat Singh 2002

The Raj Kumar Santoshi’s version of Bhagat Singh’s story wasn’t commercially successful but it was a wonderful effort. What was really heart touching was the director’s effort and the brilliant character portrayals by the actors. Ajay Devgan even got the National Award for his brilliant portrayal of Bhagat Singh. AR Rahman’s music was also soul stirring and added an excellent dimension to the overall plot.

Gadar: Ek Prem Katha 2001

The legendary Sunny Deol starrer movie broke all the box office records back then. Gadar created a historic feat of achieving phenomenal business returns as well as triggering the emotions of many Indians in the process too! The Love Story of an Indian Male with that of a Pakistani Girl set against the backdrop of Partition. Add to it a mix of brilliant music, great dialogues and brilliant acting. It won many awards as well and can be classed as one of the best Love Story-Patriotic film combination of all time.

Border 1997

This JP Dutta classic established itself as a Blockbuster at the Box Office. It stars Sunil Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Sunny Deol and Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles. The movie takes a look at a small battalion of soldiers who have been deployed to handle the Longewala post. How they take on the enemy ten times their size, forms the crux of the story. Be it Music, Direction, Acting or the Visuals; Border scored great in every department. A must watch for any patriotic!

Prahaar 1991

The movie is directed by Nana Patekar and deals with several issues. The transition of a carefree boy to become a respected soldier, the harassment of weaker sections by the goons and the determination of a senior military official to set this right; forms the plot of Prahaar. The Commando training scenes are funny and give a proper insight into the training regime of a commando’s life. Prahaar is definitely one of the lesser appreciated yet brilliantly made movie.

Krantiveer 1994

Well the film is synonymous with Nana Patekar. His hard hitting dialogues made this movie a cult hit and there is a huge fan following associated with it. Krantiveer also got Nana the Best Actor National award. The Final scene where Nana Patekar delivers his punchline dialogues is shot wonderfully. Dimple Kapadia,Paresh Rawal and Danny Denzongpa have also given brilliant performances in this movie.

Shaheed 1965

The movie is based on the story of Bhagat Singh. It displays the essence of the legendary martyr’s sacrifice and how he fought with the help from likes of Chandrashekhar Azad, Rajguru, Sukhdev and many other patriots to free our Nation from the British clutches. The music is also legendary with songs such as Aye Vatan Aye Vatan, Mera Rang De Basanti which have created a niche for themselves as immortal melodies.

Haqeeqat 1964

This is surely one of the best movies on the Indian war scene and the plight of the nation back in the 1962 Sino-Indian war days. Indian army was 1:8 in a rough estimate as compared to the Chinese army. The story of this brilliant movie is about a small battalion of Soldiers who are encircled by the Chinese Platoon and have no option but to surrender. Movie portrays how the Soldiers fought till the end of their lives, the miserable lives their relatives had to live and the overall sense of patriotism in those days. The smash hit song Ab Tumhaare Hawaale Vatan Saathiyo will bring tears in the eyes of any individual! Lines such as Saans Rukti Gayi, Nabj Jamti Gayi Phir Bhi Badhte Kadam Ko Na Rukne Diya capture the emotions of the Indian soldier wonderfully. A must watch on this Independence Day eve.

There has never been dearth of movies based on Patriotic movies in Bollywood till date and producers are looking to make movies based on such events of National importance. We can only wish for this trend to continue for long.