From Border to Swades, patriotic films to watch this long weekend

Every year, during this week of August, Indians feel proud of being Indians a little more than they do on the rest of the days, weeks and months. And cinema fuels our feelings towards our country even further. As the nation is all to celebrate its 75th Independence, here are some films that you can watch, again of course:

Haqeeqat (1964)

Chetan Anand’s ambitious war drama was set against the backdrop of the 1962 Indo-China war that didn’t feel the need to wear patriotism on its sleeves. It had Balraj Sahni, Dharmendra , Sanjay Khan and many other actors in crucial roles. 58 years later, this war drama is still one of the finest Hindi Cinema has produced.

Border (1997)

Independence Day, and even Republic Day, is incomplete without this film being aired on television. 25 years later, Border still continues to be on the check list of people, especially if they are at home and have barely anything to do. The songs are all emotionally arresting, the dialogues are contagious, and the war scenes are filmed with breathless energy. What’s more to ask?

Swades (2004)

A very unusual patriotic film. In fact, it takes a while to understand the notions of this underrated drama. It’s about a man who comes back to India from the U.S. to meet his nanny. It’s not just a trip back to his home, it’s a transformation of his being. Ironically, even in a film titled Pardes, it was all about loving your India. But here, the narrative was both subtle and stunning. Shah Rukh Khan and Ashutosh Gowariker, with the esteemed company of A.R. Rahman and Javed Akhtar, relied more on gorgeous images and visuals than dialogues to make an impact that haunts fans even today. Here was a film where the hero stood by the fact that one doesn’t have to love everything about a nation to be a patriot.

URI: The Surgical Strike (2019)

Aditya Dhar was all out there to make us witness the horror of the 2016 attacks that shocked the nation. The vendetta of the protagonist may have been personal, but it blooms into a service for the nation as the mission progresses. The slickness of the enterprise, further powered by Vicky Kaushal ’s performance, made URI a film that worked like magic commercially, and to an extent, critically too.

Chak De! India (2007)

Another masterful storytelling, another masterstroke by Shah Rukh Khan. In 2007, he delivered what is regarded as his last great performance on celluloid. Kabir Khan, a disgraced coach is pining for redemption through the spirit of the Indian Woman’s Hockey Team. Of course, the path isn’t easy and he’s nearly dismissed off. Barring that speech filled with goose-flesh, this Shimit Amin directorial also used silences to drive many unforgettable memories about India home.

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