Must watch patriotic movies for Independence Day

Schenelle Dsouza

The Indian film industry has showcased great prowess when it comes to patriotic theme movies. From classics like Border and Lagaan to new-age creations like Raazi and Kesari, the number and quality of patriotic movies only seem to improve over the years. As the country celebrates its 74th year of independence, here are some of the must-watch movies for Independence Day.

Border

A popular Indian war movie, Border chronicles the events of the infamous 1971 Indo-Pak war during the battle of Longewala. The film focuses on a group of 120 Indian soldiers living in the Longewala region, who bravely defended their post against a massive Pakistani assault. With a star cast ensemble including Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Akshaye Khanna, Pooja Bhatt and Tabu, the movie is memorable for its moments of brotherhood, intense emotions and action sequences and is an enduring classic in Indian cinema.

Gadar: Ek Prem Katha

Given the buzz around Gadar 2, it’s only fair to talk about the masterpiece that was Gadar. The events in the movie take place during the partition of India. Sunny Deol and Ammesha Patel play pivotal roles of Tara and Sakeena, a newly married couple who are forced to live in the newly formed country of Pakistan following the partition. Gadar does a wonderful job highlighting the scars of those affected by the partition in the most respectful manner possible.

Watch online on ZEE5

Gandhi

There have been at least a dozen movies made about Mahatma Gandhi. But none come close to the 1982 Richard Attenborough-directed Gandhi. One of the greatest movies of all time, the movie tells the story of the world’s greatest peace activist and the Father of the Nation of India, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The film begins with a young lawyer from South Africa coming back home to start a non-violent protest campaign that changed the world forever and helped India achieve Independence. The movie received heavy praise from critics, especially Ben Kingsley, whose portrayal of Gandhi was especially commendable.

Watch online on JioCinema

Kesari

Kesari is among the newer patriotic movies and a commendable one at that. The premise of the movie centres on a soldier named Havildar Ishar Singh who leads a small contingent of 21 Sikh soldiers against a massive army of 10,000 Afghan invaders in 1897. A true blue patriotic drama, the movie brims with valour, sacrifice, and camaraderie, portraying the spirit of brave warriors as they fiercely defend their post.

Watch online on Amazon Prime Video 

Lagaan

Lagaan is a classic Independence Day must-watch that focuses on the smaller freedom battles that contributed to the country-wide movement leading up to 1947. Lagaan is set in a small Indian village during the British Raj. The poor villagers, plagued by the exorbitant taxes, gather to appeal to the British Raj, requesting the authorities for an exemption of last year’s taxes. However, the arrogant captain of the British regiment, Andrew Russell, challenges the villages to a game of cricket as a wager to get rid of their taxes for the next two years. As a downside, losing the game will result in triple the amount of taxes. Worried, a young villager name Bhushan agrees to the wager and decides to lead the group in the game. Lagaan is a heartwarming story of unity, determination, and rebellion, and will leave feeling an uncanny love for your homeland.

Watch online on Netflix 

Rang De Basanti

Another patriotic masterpiece featuring Amir Khan, Rang de Basanti is a modern-day patriotic film. Following an unconventional narrative, the movie begins with a British film student named Sue who travels to India to make a movie about five famous freedom fighters of the Indian revolutionary movement. While doing so, the woman ignites a sense of patriotism among young college students who decide to become rebels with a cause. No matter how old you are, Rang de Basanti, with its themes of friendship, nationalism and politics, is one movie meant to be watched by everyone.

Watch online on Netflix 

Raazi

A suspense thriller film, Raazi’s patriotic theme makes it a perfect watch for Independence Day. Based on Harinder Sikka’s 2008 novel Calling Sehmat, the movie focuses on a young Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent prior to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. A young Kashmiri girl named Sehmat marries into a Pakistani military family at her father’s behest in order to gather information for India. Alia Bhatt portrayed the role of Sehmat wonderfully, while Vicky Kaushal tool on the role of her husband Iqbal Syed.

Watch online on Amazon Prime Video 

Roja

Although presented as a love story, Roja is loaded with patriotic themes. The Mani Ratnam directorial tells the story of a village girl named Roja who falls madly in love with a man named Rishi and moves in with him to Kashmir after marriage. All seems well until Rishi gets kidnapped by militants during a secret undercover mission in Jammu and Kashmir, leaving Roja alone and worried sick. Wanting to fight for her husband, Roja decides to go on a journey to find him herself.

Watch online on ZEE5

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