Republic Day 2025: Sam Bahadur to Article 370, contemporary Bollywood films capturing the many layers of patriotism

Films like Lagaan (2001) and Rang De Basanti (2006) will in all likelihood never not be revisited on occasions like Republic Day and Independence Day and rightly so. In recent years, more milestone films like Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) and Shershaah (2021) for instance, have managed to eek a place out for themselves in this coveted l of patriotic nostalgia. Contemporary Bollywood films that should be on your binge-watchl for Republic Day 2025(Photos: X) That being said, these aren’t the only films full of patriotism to have come out of Bollywood in recent times. This l then, is for those under-the-radar projects, that too deserve an honest chance on your binge lineup so as to steep you in patriotism. Sam BahadurVicky Kaushal’s stellar work in Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur (2023) may have been eclipsed in the shadow of the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Animal’s mammoth success (one of the year’s biggest box office clashes). That still, doesn’t take away from the riveting cinematisation of the life and valour of India’s first Field Marshal, Sam Manekshaw, especially placed in context of the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Main Atal HoonFrom a poet to a politician, Main Atal Hoon (2024) presented a very honest portrayal of former Indian Prime Miner Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s unassuming yet every-bit earnest political ascent. In one of his first roles as a leading man in cinema, Pankaj clearly gives this film his all, capturing the essence of true patriotism driven not greed for power, but greed for collective progress. Article 370Article 370 (2024) was no doubt a polarising film. The Yami Gautam-starrer profiles the controversial revocation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. No matter which side of the debate you fall on, the film in itself is a thrilling watch ranking very high on its emotional context. Ae Watan Mere WatanSara Ali Khan’s Ae Watan Mere Watan (2024) may have flown under the radar. Nonetheless, the film, instead of profiling someone already lauded the annals of hory and literature, sheds light on how the layman too was so involved in the struggle for India’s independence. Swatantrya Veer SavarkarVinayak Damodar Savarkar is a controversial figure in the hory of India’s independence. Randeep Hooda gave his hard-hitting story an over 3-hour long spotlight in Swantatrya Veer Savarkar (2024), essaying the titular role as well as debutant directing himself through it. Happy Republic Day!