Movies on TV this Independence Day

Re-runs of patriotic movies were once the norm on Independence Day and Republic Day, but in the past few years, this has changed. As these national holidays have become just like any other chhutti for consumers, TV channels have also started to air and promote big releases, rather than specifically patriotic ones, on August 15 and January 26. For those who don’t have any major plans to head out today, watching the latest blockbusters with your friends or family is definitely an option. While some channels are airing films like 'Kranti' and 'Chak De! India', most others have decided to air new flicks – so you don’t have to crib about watching the same films year after year! So, while Sony will have the world TV premiere of the Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan starrer 'Piku', Zee TV will air the Vikram and Amy Jackson-starrer 'I'. Even English movie channels are following suit, as Star Movies will premiere Scarlett Johansson’s sci-fi action film 'Lucy', while Star Movies HD will see the premiere of 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'.READ: Movies to watch this Independence DayMN+ (Movies Now+ is now called MN+) will be airing 'Underground: The Julian Assange Story' and 'We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks', for the first time on their channel. HBO Defined will also be premiering 'I', 'Frankenstein'.According to industry insiders, movie premieres on occasions like the Independence Day and Republic Day are a sure shot way to register bumper ratings and gain eyeballs. Channels see these national holidays as opportunities to ‘capture’ audiences that might not tune in on regular days.According to a Sony spokesperson, “National holidays are usually about spending time at home with the family and television plays a central role in that bonding. Accordingly, we schedule content which appeals to the entire family. This year, we are premiering Piku, a family entertainer.”A spokesperson from Zee TV, echoing similar views, adds, “Our programming is especially designed to ensure complete family entertainment as August 15 falls on a Saturday. Patriotism will be the spirit all around and we will showcase the premiere of the blockbuster movie 'I', starring Vikram and Amy Jackson, which will be followed by shows like 'Kumkum Bhagya' and 'DID5'. Entertaining every member of the family is our objective and there will be something special for everyone.”Although there are the staple patriotic movies that will keep viewers entertained, channels are trying to break out of this trend of airing only patriotic movies on Independence Day. “There’s a slight tendency to experiment around this time now and this trend is relevant especially for Hindi GECs (general entertainment channels).It’s the festive mood and that brings about a tendency to experiment with what is aired. That is why there are so many premieres happening today. This time , Independence Day is on a weekend, but if the festival is on a weekday, that attracts an audience of regular TV watchers as well.People who tune in to movie channels on weekends also tend to tune in on weekdays after work hours if it happens to be festival, because then it’s a holiday for them where they can sit back and relax. For English GECs, we try to air movies that have a certain element that is relevant to the occasion. For example, on Movies Now, we will be airing movies like 'The Life Of Pi', which has a bravery element to it, and are stories of ordinary people facing extraordinary situations.On MN+, we are airing the Julian Assange series during primetime, which stresses on the freedom of information,” says Vivek Srivastava, senior VP and head, English entertainment cluster, Times Network.As far as Independence Day traditions go, the only one that's really entertaining is watching patriotic movies on television and getting goosebumps during the deshbhakti songs. Click Here! to know more about patriotic movies. Independence Day: TV stars share their thought on the day.SET ALERTS FOR YOUR FAVOURITE SHOWS HEREFor latest updates, news gossip & videos connect with Times TV on:Twitter @TOITV | FacebookTimesTV