For the past few decades, Hindi filmmakers have been making films with patriotic content as the key aspect.
Bollywood Astrologer cum Business Transformation Expert Hirav Shah brings you some of the best patriotic films ever made in Bollywood.
Table of Contents
1) Swades(2004)
The best part of Swades is that it doesn’t depict war or goes overboard with its preachy episodes on the country. Instead, it showcases the lifestyle of people from remote areas and gives hope for a better tomorrow.
Swades’ story tells us that it’s okay to point out all the defaults in the country but try to be a proud Indian. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal, among others in prominent roles, Swades was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker.
2) Haqeeqat(1964)
This Chetan Anand directorial was a war epic based on the Sino-Indian war of 1962. Starring Dharmendra and Balraj Sahni in the lead roles, the film showcases the struggle and sacrifice of a common soldier in an effective manner.
3) Vijeta(1982)
This 80s film is all about an Indian Air force fighter pilot, Vijeta, who is criminally underrated and underseen. Directed by Govind Nihalani, the film was produced by Shashi Kapoor.
Starring Shashi Kapoor’s son Kunal Kapoor in the lead role, Vijeta is a must-watch film for aerial shots of the war sequences involving fighter jets.
4) Rang De Basanti (2006)
Starring Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni, Kunal Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan, Alice Patten, Cyrus Sahukar, among others in key roles, Rang De Basanti is an inspiration from Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad’s fight for freedom and was executed by interlinking the proceedings with today’s scenario. Each and every aspect of the film was taken care of in a commendable manner by the film director Om Prakash Mehra.
The film had a huge impact on the youth during its release, and even a group of youngsters conducted a candlelight vigil at India gate.
5) Lakshya (2004)
Directed by Farhan Akhtar, Lakshya was commercially a flop at the box office. But the premise created and the war sequences showcased in the film will instantly grab the audience’s attention.
Starring Hrithik Roshan in the lead role, Lakshya is a highly recommended patriotic drama that has authentic war sequences.
6) Shershaah (2021)
Due to the pandemic crisis, Shershaah had a direct to digital release on Amazon Prime Video in the second half of 2021.
Said to be a biopic on the life of Param Vir Chakra-awardee captain Vikram Batra, Shershaah is one of the best war-based biopics made in the Indian film industry. Directed by Vishnuvardhan, the movie has Sidharth Malhotra in the lead role and delivered his career-best performance.
7) Chak De India(2007)
Touted as the sports drama based on Hockey, Chak De India showcases the life of an unsuccessful champion who later makes a re-entry as a Hockey coach for the women’s Hockey team.
This emotional drama is a huge hit at the box office and showcases the patriotic bond in a beautiful manner. Starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role, this Shimit Amin directorial is one of the highly recommended patriotic films.
Hirav Shah concludes by saying, “Several more films in the pipeline have patriotic fervor at their heart — up next are biopics on-field Marshal Sam Manekshaw by director Meghna Gulzar and the youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient Arun Khetarpal to be directed by Sriram Raghavan, Kangana Ranaut-starrer Tejas.“
