7 Patriotic films to watch this Republic Day

Purab Aur Paschim

Think of patriotic films and the first name that comes to our minds, as far as Hindi cinema is concerned, is Manoj Kumar. The actor was the first one to become synonymous with such genre of films. For this reason, he derived the nickname ‘Bharat’. ‘Purab Aur Paschim’, which he also directed, remains one of his most loved nationalistic sagas, more so because of the song ‘Hai preet jahan ki reet sada’.

Shaheed

'Shaheed' is yet another well-appreciated patriotic saga, which was written and acted by Manoj Kumar. The film is based on the martyrdom of revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. ‘Shaheed’ turned out to be a winner all the way. The film’s climax still remains as one of the most touching moments of Indian patriotic films. Manoj Kumar was also appreciated for his act as Bhagat Singh.

Border

‘Border’ remains J P Dutta’s finest and most successful works till date. Based on the India-Pakistan war of 1971, the film stars Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Akshaye Khanna among a host of other actors. The film not only succeeded in igniting patriotic spark among Indians, it also gave an anti-war message in the end.

Rang De Basanti

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Rang De Basanti’ is considered an iconic patriotic saga for today’s youth. Starring an ensemble cast of Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R Madhavan, Soha Ali Khan, Atul Kulkarni, Siddharth and Kunal Kapoor, the film succeeded in retelling Bhagat Singh and his comrades’ story in today’s era. The film’s highly positive reaction to the movie even surprised Mehra himself.

The Legend Of Bhagat Singh

Although Bollywood has seen a host of films based on Bhagat Singh, this one manages to stand apart. Director Rajkumar Santoshi and writer Abhijat Joshi tried a commercial way of narrating the story of martyrs and it paid off. Starring Ajay Devgn, Sushant Singh and D Santosh, ‘The Legend Of Bhagat Singh’ might not have earned much accolades at the box-office, it continues to be one of the most loved patriotic films of the modern era.

Lagaan

Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Lagaan’ is not only an all time classic, the film achieved history by being one of the top five films at the Oscars in the Foreign Language category. The film, starring Aamir Khan in the lead, generated strong patriotic sentiment without being jingoistic or preachy. ‘Lagaan’ also achieved a rare feat of turning a cinema hall into a cricket stadium through a nail-biting cricket match.

Airlift

Raja Krishna Menon’s ‘Airlift’ is the latest addition to the list of well-made patriotic films. The Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur-starrer has instantly found acceptance from cinegoers. The film recreates Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and how 1 lakh 70 thousand Indians were evacuated by air back to India, in what remains the biggest human air evacuation ever. The film reaches such heights due to its climax and provides a soul-stirring patriotic effect.