15 August,2021 marks the 75th Independence Day in history. The pride one feels when they hear about the Armed Forces – their bravery, their sacrifice, and their sense of duty to the country is unparalleled. A topic frequently highlighted in Indian cinema, their stories of valour inspire audiences across the country. Here’s a list of films that celebrate the courage of the Indian Armed Forces and are sure to make you feel patriotic as well. These films make us emotional and reignite our love for India.
Shershaah (2021)
Shershaah is based on an incredible true story of a Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra who sacrificed his life for the country during the Kargil war 1999 and was honoured with the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. The movie is a tribute to the relentless spirit and bravery of our armed forces. Featuring Sidharth Malhotra in the role of Captain Vikram Batra, this biopic is an ode to the spirit and valour of the great Kargil War Hero. We bet that at the end of the inspirational story, even you will say Dil maange more. The movie is available to watch on Amazon prime video.
Bhuj: The Pride of India. (2021)
The latest addition to the long list of Bollywood war dramas is Ajay Devgn starrer-Bhuj: The Pride of India. The Independence Day weekend release also stars Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Sharad Kelkar and Ammy Virk. The film focuses on one of the key incidents of the 1971 India-Pakistan war. It follows the story of IAF Squadron leader Vijay Karnik, played by Devgn, who ensured India’s victory in the 1971 war by re-constructing the Bhuj airbase along with the help of 300 women from a local village in Madhapar.
URI: The surgical Strike (2019)
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the film was based on the Indian Army’s surgical strikes on Pakistan in 2016, following the Uri terror attack. Vicky Kaushal’s dialogue, ‘How’s the Josh’ became a victory cry among the Indians celebrating India’s surgical strikes. The strikes were carried out against militant launch pads across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Uri is a film based on the surgical strike that was carried out by the Indian Army on suspected militants who had attacked an army base in 2016. The movie is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Raazi (2018)
Raazi, a Meghna Gulzar directorial, is a spy thriller drama, which is the adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s bestselling novel Calling Sehmat, which is about the true story of a RAW agent played by Alia Bhatt on-screen. Sehmat, an Indian raw agent, who is married into a family of military officials in Pakistan, to spy for the Indian army due to 1971’s Indo-Pak War. Alia’s power-packed performance as Sehmat in the film gets all attention, for the courageous role that she played.
Kesari (2020)
This particular Bollywood film is based on historic happenings famously known as The Battle of Saragarhi. It talks about the tale of Havildar Ishar Singh who leads 21 Sikh soldiers against 10,000 Pashtun invaders. It takes us back to one of the greatest chapters of Indian history that highlights and sheds light on how courageous our ancestors were. The film is sentimental on many levels, the love and pride in our country in Ishar’s character, played by Akshay Kumar, being the main part of it.
The Ghazi Attack (2017)
Critically appreciated, the Bollywood film The Ghazi Attack also goes back to 1971 where S21, an Indian Naval Submarine hinders Pakistan’s flagship submarine, PNS Ghazi. This movie gives us the details of what exactly happened. The film takes us under the water on the Eastern Coast of India. The whole film has been shot in a Submarine set with an ensemble cast that includes Rana Daggubati, Atul Kulkarni, Kay Kay Menon, and Taapsee Pannu. It was indeed a movie with lots of emotions. With amazing performances and a strong story base, this film of unsung heroes is an apt tribute to our Indian Naval Army, this has surely increased more respect in our mind for the people who leave everything aside but fight for the nation.
Gunjan Saxena (2020)
Gunjan Saxena is inspired by the life of a fearless young officer who made history by becoming the first Indian female Air Force officer to fly in a combat zone during the 1999 Kargil War. Starring Janhvi Kapoor in the titular role, Gunjan Saxena released last year to a largely positive response, despite facing some amount of backlash from the Indian Air Force for the sexist representation. What shined here were the performances of the main cast, specifically Pankaj Tripathi and Janhvi Kapoor. Their lovely father-daughter bond was the backbone of this biopic about one of the first Indian woman pilots in combat.
Neerja (2016)
Neerja, a biographical thriller film helmed by Ad-man Ram Madhavani, tasted massive success at the box-office. Sonam Kapoor brought back to life, late flight head purser, Neerja Bhanot and how! Right from the first frame till the climax, Sonam convinced the audience that it was Neerja Bhanot. The movie was based on the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan, which took place on September 5, 1986.