Patriotic cinema protagonists

Independence Day special on Bollywood freedom fighter films

• Asjad Nazir
• 17 August, 2024

By: Asjad Nazir

THE Indian independence movement was a series of key historical events that ultimately aimed to end British colonial rule.

The many freedom fighters, across different generations, who fearlessly battled oppressive rulers have been celebrated in popular culture across the decades and provided powerful storylines for movies.

Eastern Eye decided to mark Indian Independence Day on August 15 and all the celebrations that will take place this month, by putting together a watchlist of 12 Bollywood films about the march towards freedom, listed in chronological order.

Jhansi Ki Rani (1953): This historical epic about a 19th century warrior queen, who took on the British empire is largely remembered for being a huge box office disaster, which bankrupted major movie studio Minerva Movietone. But that was largely due to it being the biggest budget Bollywood movie ever being made at the time. The ambitious epic produced and directed by Sohrab Modi brought to prominence perhaps the most famous female figure in India’s march towards freedom, Rani Lakshmi Bai. The film was later dubbed in English as The Tiger and the Flame and released in 1956. Kangana Ranaut would portray the same role in her movie Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019).

Shaheed (1965): There have been many movies about Bhagat Singh, and this is widely regarded as the finest. Manoj Kumar portrayed the iconic freedom fighter in this inspiring story of a young man sacrificing himself for his country. It showed how he made an incredible impact, including from jail, before being hanged by the British on March 23, 1931 aged just 23. The powerful patriotic drama won a National Film Award for best feature film in Hindi, the best feature film on national integration and best screenplay. It would inspire lead star Kumar to make multiple patriotic films in subsequent years. An honourable mention also to Ajay Devgn starrer The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002).

Junoon (1979): Shashi Kapoor produced and starred in this National Award-winning film based on Ruskin Bond’s fictional novella, A Flight of Pigeons. He headed a strong cast that included Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and his actress wife Jennifer Kendal, in this Shyam Benegal-directed classic. The multi-layered story set around the Indian rebellion of 1857 found the middle ground between commercial and artistic cinema. It also shed light on an important chapter in Indian history.

Kranti (1981): The last great film from Bollywood legend Manoj Kumar was a mega multi-starrer. It boasted a great cast that included Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini, Parveen Babi and his own personal hero Dilip Kumar. He produced, directed, and starred in the swashbuckling 19th century set action-drama of Indian freedom fighters taking on the oppressive British Raj. The highest grossing Indian movie of 1981 had rousing dialogues, great musical numbers, and plenty of inspiring moments.

Sardar (1993): The award-winning drama about one of India’s greatest freedom fighters perhaps doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Paresh Rawal portrayed freedom activist Sardar Patel in this story of man who has his life transformed after an encounter with Mahatma Gandhi. Sardar showed how he made a positive impact on India’s road towards becoming an independent nation. It looked at his role as a unifying force and work towards preventing a civil war after Partition. It would win a National Award for best feature film on national integration.

1942: A Love Story (1994): Vidhu Vinod Chopra produced, directed, and cowrote this historical drama that cleverly mixed up patriotism with romance. Although the movie starring Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala is best remembered for being composer RD Burman’s final great soundtrack before his death, it had an interesting story set during an important period of India’s history. The story of fearless freedom fighters had plenty of powerful scenes and great performances, including an award-winning turn from Jackie Shroff.

Hey Ram (2000): Kamal Haasan wrote, directed, produced, and starred in this historical crime drama, revolving around Partition and its aftermath. The film simultaneously made in Tamil and Hindi told an alternate history of a disillusioned man, intent on killing Mahatma Gandhi, who goes on an emotional journey of redemption. The epic historical drama includes a winning supporting role from Shah Rukh Khan, who agreed to do the film out his admiration for Haasan. India’s submission to the Oscars had plenty of important messaging.

Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005): This film perhaps didn’t get the credit it deserved because lead star Aamir Khan was following up his Oscar nominated historical drama Lagaan (2001). But the truelife tale of a soldier, who sparks India’s first war for independence in 1857 had plenty of compelling moments. Khan transformed himself for the portrayal of a soldier, who ultimately gave his life, after taking a stand against British oppression. The movie successfully introduced global audiences to a forgotten Indian hero from the 19th century.

Chittagong (2012): There was compelling evidence this powerful historical drama was unfairly forced into a delayed release and ultimately pushed into the shadows by lesser film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010), which revolved around the same subject, but was headlined by bigger stars Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone. This 1930s set story based on the Chittagong uprising revolved around a schoolteacher (Manoj Bajpayee), who led a bunch of schoolboys against the British empire. Chittagong being far superior to Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) was illustrated by its director Bedabrata Pain winning a National Award for best director.

Gour Hari Dastan – The Freedom File (2015): Most of those who fought for Indian independence being forgotten by history made this powerful film important. The critically acclaimed drama directed by Anant Mahadevan revolved around Sri Gour Hari Das and his decades long struggle to get a government certificate, to recognise his work as a freedom fighter. Vinay Pathak delivers a perfectly pitched performance of a man, who is representative of so many important people who have anonymously faded into the mists of time.

Sardar Udham (2021): Vicky Kaushal played the lead role in this award-winning biopic based on the life of Udham Singh. The period drama detailed the life of a legendary freedom fighter, from a young Indian man being deeply affected by the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre to taking a deadly revenge on foreign shores. The slow-burning film told his story in fine detail and provided plenty of historical information most weren’t aware of. The great character study was also visually striking.

Ae Watan Mere Watan (2024): Although this drama set in the early 1940s received mixed reviews, it brought a compelling true story and important female freedom fighter to the forefront. Sara Ali Khan took on the role of Usha Mehta, who goes from being the daughter of a British loyalist to helping set up an underground radio station that conveys important information for those wanting independence from British rule. The Amazon Prime original also highlighted the role of Ram Manohar Lohia (Emraan Hashmi) in the road towards freedom.