Through Bollywood, we have been provided with narratives that go beyond being just a source of entertainment. They tell us who we are, where do we belong and what do we belong to. Sometimes these make you wish you could go back in history just to be with those who fought with nothing but hope and courage. It makes you proud to share the same land as a great figure like Bhagat Singh whose courage and hunger for revolution is heard till date. This year as we Indians celebrate our 79th Independence Day, we have taken the initiative of bringing forth 10 movies, which you can watch and feel proud to be an Indian.
Here are 10 Bollywood Movies That Make Us Feel Proud To Be Indians:
1. Rang De Basanti (2006)
Rang De Basanti film is nothing less than a wake-up call. A group of carefree friends in their college days in Delhi take a role in a documentary about freedom fighters only to get emotionally dragged into a fight of their own with the problematic system. What is initially a performance is made real, low key ferocious and indelible. There is nothing very loud in the film when it comes to patriotism; instead, it exudes patriotism with a load of silence. Nothing seems to have changed since it was written, which in itself proves a lot to think on.
2. Swades (2004)
Swades, the film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker is one of the most down to earth patriotic movies. Shah Rukh Khan acts as Mohan, a NASA scientist who goes back home to India and slowly gets in touch with his home that he once had to leave. We get to see Mohan building electricity for a village. Instead of making big gestures, he stays back. The movie reveals the fact that patriotism can be practiced in simple ways, such as teaching, building, and appearing where it is needed.
3. Chak De! India (2007)
In Chak De! India – riots, love and patriotism all take place within a hockey stadium. Kabir Khan, a falsely fired player, falsely accused of betrayal, carrying that pain for years, is back as a coach to a broken women’s hockey team- a group of girls who have diverse languages, lives and dreams.The film develops from division to unity . It is not necessary to convince people of your ability and that is what the players and the couch does m. They only believed, worked and showed pride in playing for the flag. The ultimate game does not feel as a win of one team, but that of everybody, who has ever felt not visible.
4. Raazi (2018)
Raazi is the biography of a young girl who is sent in to spy into the family of a Pakistani military family and falls in love with the family and the family in turn accepts her. True to life events, the documentary engulfs the essence of patriotism not on large proclamations but rather in silence, sacrifice and moral burden. There are no simply constructed villains; instead there is the isolated and multi-dimensional action of Sehmat, who chose to serve her land while being far from it.
5. Sardar Udham (2001)
Sardar Udham Singh follows the mission of Udham Singh to take revenge on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Vicky Kaushal carries out the performance in a spectacular manner succeeding in making us feel all the emotions. The depiction of the massacre recreated by the film is heartbreaking and it enables it to express itself with raw sincerity. This is not a movie that rushes, it wants you to digest history and its soreness. It ensures that you do not forget it.
6. Shershaah (2021)
Captain Vikram Batra had such a life that Shershaah makes patriotism more personal. Siddharth Malhotra plays the role of Batra with a constant call of courage. It is not only the scenes of war that remain in your mind, but also phone conversations with loved ones, witticisms between friends, and exposure. His final mission is a bitter pill to swallow, not only because it is a brave mission but also because it is the height of patriotism.
7. The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)
Ajay Devgn as Bhagat Singh is not loud but rather puts a lot of thoughts in the right place. It is not just a rebel as shown in the movie, but it brings out the mind behind the icon. Courtrooms, hunger strikes, prison debates — it all helps to build the profile of a very young man with full conviction. The movie is not glorifying anything, the movie clarifies. It proves that 23 year old Bhagat Singh’s belief and patriotism is what made him an unforgettable revolutionary. His sacrifice will be always remembered by every Indian.
8. Lakshya (2004)
Lakshya is a Farhan Akhtar movie of a lost soul Karan Shergill who finds his way in life when he joins the army. The change is unbelievable. The setting is incarnate. The description of the Kargil War which is shown in the movie is tense, but what keeps you hooked, and in the end leaves you with thoughts throughout the movie, is the inner change brought about in Karan. Lakshya is not about shouting slogans; the loudness of the voice is not important but what is important is to become someone who appears at the right time.
9. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2005)
Directed by Shyam Benegal, it is a film that explores the years 1941-1945, during which Bose established the INA. It has nothing to do with the drama, but more with a man who was determined to be independent and even though it meant to take a complex path, he managed to do that. Sachin Khedekar as Bose radiates quiet dignity, which forces you to believe that he thinks nothing of himself, and cares very much about right and wrong, unanswered questions. The film can not present easy answers, but it certainly gives a strong image of a leader who did not allow people to forget about him.
10. Border (1997)
Even now the Indian war film by JP Dutta, Border, remains one of the most touching ones. The movie is based on the Battle of Longewala and it tracks a group of soldiers during the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. It is sentimental without being overdone – each soldier has a name, a family, a life and something to lose. As the fight ensues, you do feel the fighting, but not as just a war but you feel it as the final act of love for a country that they belong to.
Some of these leave us crying and some smiling to ourselves. Nevertheless, all these movies make us feel proud to call India our home.
