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Bollywood might have us given a number of blockbusters across numerous genres, but nothing beats a desh bhakti movie! A movie which will ultimately bring out the love for your nation, those are the movies that we can all truly appreciate. We have listed down 35 of the most interesting, heart-warming and best patriotic movies Bollywood. Watch these at any time of the year and let them invoke a sense of pride in you! Vande Mataram!
War Patriotic Movies
War patriotic movies Bollywood are instrumental in evoking the feeling of patriotism with its strong and powerful content and great performances. You can check quotes on republic day to get that patriotic feel. Here are 8 such best Indian desh bhakti movies list which will make us cheer India, once more!
Border
This is one of the movies to watch on Independence Day. It shows the Indo – Pakistan war in the region of Longewala that took place in the year 1971. An army of 120 soldiers fighting back on the borders during the battle and the entire night until they get guidance from the Indian air force. It’s a captivating story from start to finish.
Watch the movie Border to witness how our courageous soldiers fought back during the war. It is sure to leave you with goosebumps!
Cast: Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, Akshaye Khanna
Director: J.P. Dutta
Genre: Drama, Action
Haqeeqat
Haqeeqat is another mind-blowing war movie which portrays the influential happenings during the Indo-Sino war in the year 1962. Set in the backdrop of Ladakh, the story of this war patriotic movie revolves around a young soldier Captain Bahadur Singh who falls in love with a girl from Ladakh.
Watch this movie Haqeeqat for a love cum action-filled experience set in the olden times.
Cast: Balraj Sahni, Dharmendra, Priya Rajvansh, Sudhir, Sanjay Khan and Vijay Anand
Director: Chetan Anand
Genre: War-History, Action
Uri
This movie is one of the best patriotic movies Hindi. It’s all about retelling the real story that happened in 2016 in Uri, Kashmir where the Indian soldiers were attacked by the Pakistani troops. It is one of those Republic Day & Independence Day movies which you watch to get the patriotic feels.
Watch the movie Uri- The Surgical Strike to see how major Vihaan Singh Shergill leads an undercover operation against the rivals.
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Mohit Raina and Yami Gautam
Director: Aditya Dhar
Genre: War, History, Action
Read More: Teri Mitti’ from Akshay Kumar’s ‘Kesari’ to ‘Kandhon Se Milte Hain Kandhe’ from Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Lakshya’ – Check out our list of best desh bhakti songs right now!
Hindustan Ki Kasam
This movie depicts the details of Operation Cactus Lilly, the war that took place in the year 1971. It shows how the Indian Air Force executed the operations against its rival – East Pakistan that resulted in India’s victory.
Watch the movie to know how the nation’s real heroes fought fearlessly.
Cast: Raaj Kumar, Priya Rajvansh, Balraj Sahni, Padma Khanna
Director: Chetan Anand
Genre: War drama, Action
1971
This movie depicts the true facts and incidents which will melt your heart. The storyline revolves around a group of six soldiers who struggle brave heartedly and escape from the hands of the Pakistani army and return to their homeland.
This Award-winning movie will ignite the love for your country and leave you speechless.
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Ravi Kishan, Deepak Dobriyal, Sunil Chavan
Director: Amrit Sagar
Genre: War, Action, Drama
Chittagong
This movie is a little known war drama depicting events from the Chittagong uprising that occurred in the year 1930s. A group of teenagers led by their teacher Surya Sen fought for their nation’s freedom. The story revolves around a boy named Jhunku showing his bravery and battle against all odds to achieve victory.
Chittagong is a movie not to be missed if you are unaware of British India’s East Bengal occupancy and the struggles of our fighters to end the British Raj.
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Barry John, Helen Jones, Delzad Vijay Varma
Director: Bedabrata Pain
Genre: War drama, History
Gandhi To Hitler
Want to know how Hitler assisted India in achieving Independence from the British Raj? This movie shows you how Gandhi took the nonviolent route while Hitler took the rebellious route towards the nation’s Independence.
Watch two strong-minded individuals with dissensions fighting for the same cause.
Cast: Drama, History,War
Director: Rakesh Ranjan Kumar
Genre: Raghuvir Yadav, Neha Dhupia, Aman Verma, Nassar Abdulla
LOC Kargil
This 2003 Bollywood drama about the Indian Army is a real story on the Kargil war. It depicts the sacrifices made by the nation’s superheroes in a very forceful and unforgettable manner. Make it a point to watch this movie on this Independence Day.
Watch the movie LOC to find how the battle between India and Pakistan took place in 1999 when the Pakistani soldiers crossed the line of control.
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Sunil Shetty
Director: J.P. Dutta
Genre: War, History, Action
Movies Inspired By Real Life
Movies inspired by real-life heroes rekindle the sense of patriotism by showcasing the struggles to establish nationalistic ideals. Here are 9 such real-life movies which made us proud of all the feisty and unsung national heroes.
Gandhi
This Oscar-winning movie Gandhi will show you how the Father of the Nation took the path of non-violence to put an end to the British atrocities and drive them out.
Watch Gandhi the British-Indian historical drama to find the struggles that he underwent for Indian Independence.
Cast: Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud, Rohini Hattangadi, Roshan Seth
Director: Richard Attenborough
Genre: Biopic, Drama, History
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
This exceptional movie is a biographical story on the life of an athlete Mikha Singh who strived so hard amidst all obstacles to run and carve a name for India in the field of athletics. Farhan Akthar’s soul touching performance is sure to leave you speechless!
This excelling movie on the world champion Mikha Singh’s hurdles and achievements for the nation is definitely going to fill you with intense patriotism.
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor, Divya Dutta, Meesha Shafi, Pavan Malhotra and Art Malik
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Genre: Biography, Sports
Raazi
It’s another one of the best Indian patriotic movies. Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi is another blockbuster of recent times which portrays the epitome of patriotism. Sehmat Khan the protagonist in the movie works as a spy by marrying a Pakistani on her Dad’s orders to save her country from enemies.
Watch this thrilling drama Raazi which is undoubtedly going to leave you spellbound by both the casts’ acting skills and the storyline in itself!
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Jaideep Ahlawat, Rajit Kapur, Soni Razdan
Director: Meghna Gulzar
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Netaji Subash Chandra Bose
If you are eager to know the history and the influential happenings that occurred during World War II then this movie has it all. Depicting the story of the great freedom fighter Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, the movie shows how he resigned from his Presidential role to fight for India’s independence.
A must-watch movie to understand Bose’s attempts, struggles, and sacrifices for an independent nation.
Cast: Sachin Khedekar, Jisshu Sengupta, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajit Kapur, Divya Dutta
Director: Shyam Benegal
Genre: War-History, Drama, Action
Manikarnika – The Queen of Jhansi
This is an epic historical drama revolving around the Queen of Jhansi – Rani Lakshmi Bai showing her intense struggles to protect her kingdom when the East India Company was trying to conquer in 1857.
Watch the film Manikarnika to understand how fearless and powerful the Queen of Jhansi was for her country.
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Rimi Sen, Danny Denzongpa
Directors: Kangana Ranaut, Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi
Genre: History, War, Biography
Mangal Pandey
This is a biographical movie based on the life of an Indian Sepoy ( soldier) named Magal Pandey, who saves the life of his British friend William Gordon back in the year 1857. The story is excellently portrayed by Aamir Khan playing the lead. This can be your Independence Day movie to watch!
Watch Mangal Pandey to know the important and interesting facts from Indian history.
Cast: Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Toby Stephens, Coral Beed
Director: Ketan Mehta
Genre: Drama, History
The Legend Of Bhagat Singh
This movie perfectly portrays the life of one of the youngest freedom fighters of the country – Bhagat Singh. The story shows how Bhagat Singh grew in his childhood amidst the British atrocities and the struggle that ultimately led to him turning into a fearless fighter for his country.
Watch the movie – The Legend Of Bhagat Singh to know how the great fighter along with his other friends let the noose go under their neck to prevent a riot.
Cast: Ajay Devgan, Sushant Singh, D. Santosh
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi
Genre: Drama, History
Airlift
Being patriotic needn’t necessarily be only about refusing to bow down to the English Raj by being a rebel, it can also be shown by rendering your support to your countrymen. This movie is about a businessman in Kuwait who helps his countrymen by endangering his life.
Airlift shows how the stranded 1,70,000 Indians were airlifted from Kuwait when it was attacked by Iraq in the year 1990.
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur, Kumud Mishra, Prakash Belawadi
Director: Raj Menon
Genre: Action, History, Drama
Gold
This movie, set in the period of post-independence, is about the game of hockey. The storyline revolves around a passionate hockey team manager who overcomes all hindrances in preparing his team hoping to win a gold medal in the Olympics.
With an excellent star cast, Gold is a movie that ignites the hidden love for your nation as you watch how the team plays for their country.
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Mouni Roy, Kunal Kapoor, Amit Sadh
Director: Reema Kagti
Genre: Sports, Drama
Fictional Movies
Bollywood fiction movies depict the struggles through the county in sports, by the wars that we fought, and the selfless act of Indian armed forces. Here are 13 such fiction movies which are bound to make you feel patriotic and shed a tear or two!
Hindustani
Targeting all the Government officials, ministers and even common man for that matter, a veteran who had fought for Indian independence by serving the Indian army, teaches a lesson to every person whom he comes across.
Watch Hindustani to find out how a father roots out corruption while his son facilitates the same!
Cast: Kamal Haasan, Sukanya, Manisha Koirala, Urmila Matondkar
Director: Shanker Panicker
Genre: Action/Crime
Aiyaari
Another recent inclusion in the array of patriotic movies in Bollywood is Aiyaari. Jai Bakshi an active and loyal Army officer turns to be a rogue threatening his mentor Abhay Singh of destroying all the sensitive data belonging to the armed forces. This movie definitely has the Neeraj Pandey twists and turns triggering the audience and leaving them wanting more.
Watch the movie Aiyaari to see the conflict of interest between two hard-headed Army officers and how the witty Jai Bakshi is knocked down by his mentor.
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Manoj Bajpayee, Rakul Preet Singh
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Genre: Action, Thriller
Roja
Coming from the veteran director Mani Ratnam, the movie tells the story of a girl named Roja. Roja hails from a small village in Tamil Nadu. The entire plot revolves around her attempts to find her missing husband who is actually been trapped by the militants in Jammu and Kashmir during a secret mission that involves terrorists.
Watch Roja to witness the intense struggles that a woman undergoes to find her husband and also save the nation from misery.
Cast: Arvind Swamy, Madhoo, Nassar, Pankaj Kapur
Director: Mani Ratnam
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Lakshya
Karan an irresponsible man joins the Indian army and fights to emerge as a superhero from there. This film delivers the beautiful message of staying focussed and goal oriented besides showcasing the sacrifices made by a youngster to prove his mettle to his family and dear ones. Undoubtedly, the best of desh bhakti movies.
Watch the movie Lakshya to find how far Karan survived and how resilient he was during his testing times.
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Sharad Kapoor, Sengupta, Om Puri
Director: Farhan Akhtar
Genre: War, Drama
Swades
Mohan, a well-settled Indian and a scientist who works for NASA, returns to India in order to take his nanny back to America. But destiny has something else in store for him!
Watch Swades and get to know how Mohan’s roots unfold and how he falls in love with his nation all over again. Add this patriotic movie in your watch list for Independence Day.
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal, Smit Sheth
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Genre: Drama, Musical
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha
This is a beautiful love story set in the year 1947, portrays the story of Tara Singh a Punjabi who falls in love with Sakeena a Muslim girl from Lahore and how they live happily together only to be separated by Sakeena’s father who takes her back to Pakistan.
Watch Gadar Ek Prem Katha to find out how Sakeena struggles to regain the love of her life.
Cast: Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel, Amrish Puri
Director: Anil Sharma
Genre: Drama, Love
Bhajrangi Bhaijaan
Not just war, action and crime stories, but movies like Bhajrangi Bhaijaan will also ignite the passion towards your country especially with a strong storyline like this. A young mute Pakistani girl gets lost in India and is backtracked to her homeland by a selfless young man.
This movie is sure to leave you in tears towards the end!
Cast: Salman Khan, Harshaali Malhotra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kareena Kapoor
Director: Kabir Khan
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Action
Mother India
This movie is a masterpiece from the year 1957 and was also nominated for the Oscars as it came with a very strong storyline. Radha after being dumped by her husband, sweats, and toils in the farm in order to raise her two sons. Wondering how that makes it a patriotic movie?! The director just gave it away in the title. The hardworking mother was the literal embodiment of our mother nation India while her sons represented the good and the bad elements of the society.
Cast: Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar
Directors: Mehboob khan
Genre: Drama
Mission Kashmir
Filled with complete action, Mission Kashmir is a movie about a person named Altaaf Khan who happens to be the sole survivor of his family that was massacred by the police. Being adopted by the same police officer who had killed his family while dealing with the terrorist, will Altaaf get to know the truth?
Watch this thriller movie to know how this painful truth is revealed to Altaaf and how he commissions his secret mission against the nation and his stepfather.
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Jackie Shroff, and Sonali Kulkarni
Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Sarfarosh
Watching any movie from the ’90s is always a bliss. This is one such movie wherein the protagonist Ajay Singh Rathod, a medical student, joins the Indian Police force to root out the entire group of terrorists who had killed his brother and injured his father.
Watch the movie Sarfarosh for its stellar star cast and action-filled sequences.
Cast: Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Mukesh Rishi, and Sonali Bendre
Director: John Matthew Matthan
Genre: Drama, Action
Rang De Basanti
Being one of the finest movies of Indian Cinema, Rang De Basanti talks about the modern version of patriotism among the youth amidst globalization. Sue, the granddaughter of Mckinsley the jailer who hanged Bhagat Singh, travels all along to India to shoot a documentary based on her grandfather’s diary which ultimately triggers patriotism among the cast to fight for a real cause.
Watch Rang De Basanti to find the rebel within you to fight for your nation.
Cast: Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Siddharth and Sharman Joshi
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Lagaan
Do you wish to play a game, win and waive off your tax bills? Well as surreal as that may sound, the movie Lagaan portrays this exactly. Bhuvan a farmer challenges his British officers to play a game of cricket in order to protect their fields and to waive off tax for three years!
Lagaan not only invokes patriotism for the country but also caters to all the cricket fanatics out there.
Cast: Aamir Khan, Raghuvir Yadav, Gracy Singh, and Rachel Shelley
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Chak De! India
Chak De India is yet another game with complete love for the nation that would literally get you to the edge of your seat. Kabir Khan a former hockey star with a corrupted name in the industry trains the Indian National Women Hockey Team to prove his love for his Nation.
Watch Chak De India to feel the sportiveness and complete devotion towards the nation.
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade, Sagarika Ghatge, and Shilpa Shukla
Director: Shimit Amin
Genre: Sport, Drama
Baby
Another stellar desh bhakti movie by Akshay Kumar, Baby tells the story of a secret agent organisation titled BABY which revolves around India’s temporary task force whose mission was to find and eliminate the terrorists. Helmed by Neeraj Pandey, the movie delivers some amazing action-packed scenes and highlights the selfless sacrifices of braveheart soldiers. If this doesn’t make you feel patriotic, we don’t know what will!
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Madhurima Tali, Taapsee Pannu, Rana Daggubati
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Genre: Action, Thriller, Spy, Crime Fiction
Holiday: A Soldier is Never Off Duty
‘Holiday’, the official remake of the monster Tamil hit ‘Thuppaki’, where you can see Akshay Kumar in a full combat mode. This movie is about a military officer who uses his fighting skills and intellect to hunt and ultimately knock down a terrorist who is aiming to target Bombay by activating sleeper cells under his command. It’s a perfect roundhouse kick!
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Sumeet Raghavan, Freddy Daruwala
Director: A.R. Murugadoss
Genre: Thriller, Action, Drama, Romance
Kesari
The recreation of the Battle of Saragarhi of 1897, Kesari, is a soul-stirring film which will firmly grip you with its contemporary cinematic effects. It’s the heart-wrenching story of the 21 soldiers belonging to the Sikh regiment of the British-Indian army, who together took on thousands of Afghan tribesmen in number. The single-handed bravery of these soldiers will leave you teary eyed, making this movie a patriotic flick.
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra, Mir Sarwar
Director: Anurag Singh
Genre: Action, Historical Drama, War
Also Read: Independence Day Wishes
Special 26
A movie that completely stunned the audience, Special 26 has a thriller plot-line which made everyone latch to the edge of their seats in anticipation. It’s the end that took us off the hook as no one even remotely expected! Count this as one of the best Indian mystery movies which intricately weaves patriotism throughout the story.
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kajal Aggarwal, Manoj Bajpai, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Genre: Heist, Crime film, Action, Thriller
My Name is Khan
A film that still finds relevance today – In times of regional conflicts and intolerance within the nation, this movie teaches us acceptance. It advocates the single argument that it doesn’t matter which religion or caste you belong to, it is humanity that surpasses all.
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Jimmy Shergill, Zarina Wahab
Director: Shahrukh Khan
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Also Read: Independence Day Quotes
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