Patriotic Movies and Where to Watch Them

Sue is the daughter of the jailer where Bhagat Singh was imprisoned before being given death sentence. She comes to India to make a documentary showcasing the struggles of Indian freedom fighters, specifically about Bhagat Singh and company. She is introduced into a group of six young Indians by a mutual friend, Sonia. She casts them in her movie as Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Rajguru, Ashfaqullah Khan and Ramprasad Bismil. As they all portray their respective characters, they realize that not much has changed after all these years and this inadvertently sparks their patriotism coupled with the death of their close friend, Flight Lt. Ajay Rathod. Eventually, a series of events turn them into rebels for a cause and they relive the freedom struggle once again.

Mohan, a villager, is raised by his nanny which strengthens their bond. As he grows up, he attains higher education and gets a scientists job at NASA. After years of tireless work, Mohan takes a month off and visits home. As he returns, nostalgia hits and joyful tears ensue. Love blossoms between him and a girl, whove been friends since childhood. At first, Mohan is sure of going back abroad. However, his villages condition and his beloveds requests make him stay. He decides to transform the village in a way no one couldve ever thought of.

The story of Milkha Singh, the Flying Sikh of India is inspiring for everyone! Milkha Singh is an Olympian, world champion runner. But, he lost the biggest and the most important race of his life, in 1960, in the Rome Olympics. The civil war broke out at that time, related to the India Pakistan partition. His family had to suffer a massacre. All these added to make it tough for him to be strong enough for his race. From being homeless at one point to getting over gruesome hurdles, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag shows the journey of the greatest athlete of India.

Prakash Rathore, a senior police officer of Mumbai Police, receives a call in his office from an unknown man who claims to have planted five bombs at five different parts of the city. The man declares that all five of the bomb will explode within the span of four hours, in case his demands are not fulfilled. The higher authorities and the intelligence department are informed at once. On the other hand, the unidentified man calls up a local journalist of a television channel and briefs her about the recent happenings. Being unable to track down the unidentified man, Mumbai Police agrees to adhere to the demands of the man. Gradually the man starts revealing his demands and the motive behind everything that is taking place.

A young boy, Bhagat Singh, finds the sins of the British Raj too grave to be fought with the preexisting Gandhian practice of non-violence. He has to fight not just with the oppressive regime but also with the old-school thoughts of the Congress. To wipe out the terrorist charge from his character given by the British, he chooses to surrender so that the revolution would not be mistaken with terrorism. At last, for the cause of Indian Independence, the revolutionary with his friends, delightfully accept death with a loud chant of inqualaab zindabad.

1971 is a war drama set in 1977, six years after the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The war has left quite a huge impact on both countries. Amidst all the political tension, six Indian soldiers have been taken by the Pakistani army as prisoners of war. The Pakistani army is holding them to extract valuable information from them. Among them are two Flight lieutenants, a Colonel, and three Captains. The six soldiers believe that the Indian government is fighting tooth and nail to free them. But when they come to know that they have been left stranded by the Indian government, all of them hatch an escape plan to free themselves from the clutches of the Pakistani army. The plan is deadly and could lead to their execution but their desperation empowers them. 1971 is a tragedy about the hollow nature of war and depicts the struggle of those who truly bear the brunt of it.

This pre-independence tale of Indian victory under British rule earned a lot of applause internationally. In India, it won 8 National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards, 9 IIFA Awards, 8 Zee Cine Awards and Screen Awards as well as 10 Academy Awards. At the international level, it was nominated for European film academy and Best foreign language film. Lagaan won Portland International film festival, Leeds International film festival, Bergen International film festival, Locarno International film festival and American Choreography Awards. It also ranked 55th in Empire list of '100 best films of world cinema'. This movie made a profit of ₹1.3 billion globally.

Munna Bhai, a goon who works for a builder, falls in love with Jhanvi. He pretends to be a professor specialising in the life of Mahatma Gandhi to impress her. Jahnvi runs an old age home which is being taken over by Munnas boss. The residents of the old age home are unknowingly kicked out by Munnas sidekick, Circuit. This leads Jahnvi to discover Munnas identity and she breaks all ties with him. Munna makes it his mission to get back the elders their home back and is helped by no one other than, Mahatma Gandhi himself.

Ajay Singh Rathod is a medical student who leaves his medical studies midway to join the Police Force after his brother is killed by terrorists and his father is severely injured. With the aim of wiping out all the terrorists from the face of the world and bringing justice to his family, he starts to work undercover and during one of his favourite singer Gulfam Hassans concert, he meets Seema and the two fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, the investigation that Ajay is a part of lands him in Rajasthan in the home of a person who has been running the operation of cross-border terrorism, someone who is very close to his heart.

Radha, a poor woman, is burdened with a loan her mother-in-law had taken from a moneylender. After her husband dies tragically, she has to take the responsibility of raising her children alone and pay back the greedy moneylender. Radha never does anything against her moral code even if she has to suffer more hardships by taking the righteous route. She wants her sons to follow the same ethical route as she has but her sons decide against it.

Inspired by a true event, the story begins when after a breakdown of negotiations between Iraq and Kuwait, Iraqi troops start invading Kuwait in August 1990. It all comes down to the vision of Ranjit Katyal, a brave businessman, who amidst numerous crises and panic going in Kuwait, helps the stranded countrymen in evading through the air.

Baby is a Spy action thriller about the exploits of a secret task force known as Baby and formed in order to retaliate to the notorious 2008 Mumbai attacks. The purpose of the task force is to infiltrate the terrorists and prevent any attacks whatsoever. Ajay Singh, who leads the team, learns about a series of bomb blasts that are about to go off in Delhi. It’s a plan hatched by Maulana, a Pakistan based terrorist. A team is assembled by Ajay and his senior and they all set off to prevent the attacks. But it sounds easier said than done as Ajay and his team are unaware of the revelations and the risk that befalls them. Baby is a triumphant epic tale about a bunch of spies and their commitment towards their country and countrymen. It’s an incredible story of resilience and intelligence.

Lt. Peter D’Souza is an Indian Army officer who wants to join his battalion’s specialist commando platoon against the will of his family and his girlfriend. He goes to the training camp where he meets Major Pratap Chauhan, under whom he is to complete his training. Major Chauhan is notorious for his extreme training tactics which leave everyone exhausted. He is very strict and at times, rude to his cadets. Chauhan believes that to be in the army, one has to truly deserve the position. At first, Peter dislikes Chauhan but after a while, he warms up to his method and they both strike an unlikely friendship. Their friendship owes more to mutual appreciation and respect than to common interests. When Peter doesn’t return after the holidays, Pratap visits his town to unravel the mystery behind his disappearance and to know about the whereabouts of his only friend. Prahaar is an emotional tale about friendship, corruption, and injustice.

Karan lives a carefree life on his fathers hard earned money. He spends most of his time hanging out with his friends and girlfriend Romi. After getting inspiration from a movie, he decides to join the army. However, hes unable to get through the basic training and gives up. He gets ridiculed for being lazy by his girlfriend and family. This leads him to rejoin the army and take up the herculean task of being a soldier.

It is 1971 and the state of war between India and Pakistan is high. At the border of India and Pakistan,120 Indian battalion soldiers are appointed to safeguard their country. On the other side, an army of 2000 Pakistani force is ready to attack. The Indians, with high morality and dignity, are ready to fight them till the end. The enormous and gritty battle showcases the emotions of a soldier towards his motherland.

A man named Hidayat Khan works for India in Pakistan in disguise as an agent. He wants her daughter to follow the same path after him as he is suffering from lung cancer. She starts training under Khalid Mir and Bakshi to be a spy. Because of his goodwill, Khan marries his daughter to Pakistan Army's Brigadier Syed's son, Iqbal. She moves to Pakistan and gets settled there fast enough to start with her work as an agent. But what she didnt foresee was Iqbal falling in love with her. Soon enough, she identifies some threat to India and while communicating this to her fellows, the servant of the house suspects her. She has no choice but to kill him. What follows is a fight between her emotions and her duty. Will she let go off Iqbal or will one of them lose their lives protecting their nation?

The film is set during the 1962 Sino-Indian war. An Indian army platoon displaces itself in the Ladakh valleys, and are presumed dead. Helpless, a tribesmen group rescues them. Captain Bahadur Singh comes looking for his men. Enlisting his lover, Almo’s help, he plans the platoon’s escape route to safety. As the Chinese surround the hilly region, the fight for safety seems a brutal one. Bahadur and Almo move to the frontlines, to let the platoon escape quickly. As the war wreaks destruction, many lives lie in danger.

This is a journalist’s story, who stays true to his job and chats with politicians but stays far away from politics himself. One day, a serious riot breaks out in Maharashtra, creating chaos. TV journalist, Shivaji covers it and is somehow forced to enter the world of politics. During an interview, the Maharashtra CM challenges Shivaji to take up his political position, just for a day. Shivaji obliges, plays the role of legitimate minister, and changes everything. He fires corrupts, handles crime the right way, and steers off all corruption. However, these damage his personal life as the CM wants to continue his illegal paths.

The story is set to post-withdrawal of Indian Peace Keeping Forces from Northern Sri Lanka around 1992. A RAW officer is sent to this war-torn coastal island as head of a rebel group. With his life, identity and future at stake, he makes major breakthroughs in the tense situations. Caught up in politics and rebel forces he comes across a journalist who shows him the mirror of truth, the agent digs deeper only to find faceless enemies and a prime minister in danger. Watch this movie to know beyond the truth everyone knows.

In 1971, a secret code is sent by Pakistan to Bangladesh about capturing control over the waters of Bay of Bengal. This code is decoded by the intelligence of the Indian Navy, and to their horror, they discover that a submarine called the PNS Ghazi, is being sent by Pakistan to execute their plan. This submarine is more powerful than any of the Indian ones and it is up to the Indian Navy to stop it. The PNS Ghazi plans an attack on the valiant INS Vikrant, and it is on the Indian submarine INS Karanj to stop this attack.

Pokhran in Jaisalmer is famous as a nuclear test site in India. Parmanu is the story of the Pokhran II Nuclear Tests conducted in 1998 which made India a Nuclear State. The 1998 nuclear-state declaration of India was one of the biggest intelligence failures of the CIA at that time. Parmanu movie takes a fictional shot at the original story. IAS Ashwath Rana, who always wanted to see India as a nuclear state, proposed the idea of nuclear tests to the PMO Secretary Yadav with a brief statement and a floppy. Yadav shows it to the then Prime Minister and gets only the statement approved without keeping Ashwath and the original floppy as a part of the team. The 1995-nuclear test plan fails and the PMO makes Ashwath the scapegoat for his failure. The Government changes in 1998 and the new PMO Secretary now asks a jobless Ashwanth to help him achieve the original plan. Thus, Ashwath gathers a team of the best people across the country as the Indian Government gives him the monumental responsibility to lead a top-secret operation of testing nuclear weapons, without disclosing anything to the American satellites. Ashwant is a highly-skilled officer at his job, but he knows that his arch-rival is the American Lacrosse satellite, constantly keeping an eye over the country. Thus, they operate on the blindspots when the satellite goes away for a few hours. Challenging the danger, Indian politics, and American threats, Raina continues to conduct the tests and finally on the fateful day, India is declared a nuclear power right under the nose of ISI and CIA.

Soorma is based on a true story of a Hockey Champion, Sandeep Singh. As a kid, Sandeep hated hockey. But over time he found that his passion lay within hockey. Years later, through hardships and hard work, Sandeep grew up to become a renowned player of the Indian Hockey Team. But life took an unexpected turn & he was mistakenly shot at his lower back which left him paralysed below the waist. Torn apart by the tragedy and left alone by the love of his life, Sandeep decided to take control of his life again. The movie is a true story of his recovery to the position he earned.

One can witness the bravest battle fought in the history of humanity in this movie. 21 Sikh soldiers of the British Indian army against the 10,000 Pashtun invaders. The Sikhs get martyred but they did not let the invaders win. Their aim was not to kill these 21 Sikh militants but something else. What? These Sikh soldiers did not want to live a life under the command of the Britishers but wanted to give their soul for the motherland. Bravery was never this underrated until Kesari showed the reality.

Gold is the story of Tapan Das, who helped India win her first Olympic Gold Medal as a free nation, in the 1948 Summer Olympics. Tapan Das played by Akshay Kumar is the man who fights his personal demons, the struggles of partition and the sports association, with the aim of winning the gold for India and beating the British on their own turf who colonized India for 200 years. The movie is inspired by the story of two leading sports reformers of that time Moin-Ul-Haq or AC Chatterjee.

Dangal is a biography on the life of Geeta Phogat & Babita Phogat, popularly known as the Phogat Sisters and their struggle to shine brightly in the male dominated world of wrestling. Mahaveer Singh Phogat was a promising wrestler who gave up his dream of wrestling after his father wanted him employed full time to support his family. He wanted sons whom he could train to be wrestlers and win gold medals for the country. As destiny has it, he has 4 daughters and thus gives up on his hopes. One day his eldest two daughters beat up boys of their classes for cat-calling. Thats when Mahaveer Singh realises that his daughters could also be the next champions, and thus begins their training. His coaching methods are hard and at first, the girls resist his techniques but when they learn what their father has given up and what they are getting in the society where their friends are made to get married and do household chores at a young age, they learn the sport with enthusiasm & ease. They later become the state and national sensations. Geeta, the eldest one, further goes to the national training academy where the methods are new to her, the atmosphere is full of freedom, there is no one stopping her from doing anything and thus, she undermines her father's training.

Young Neerja is a flight attendant with a happy life and a loving family. Her life takes a drastic turn for the worst when the flight she is on is hijacked by terrorists. Neerja is forced to make choices that will either save the flight or doom them all. This movie is based on the story of Neerja Bhanot, who managed to save 359 people in the terrorist attack.

Chittagong, set in British Bangladesh, is based on a true story in which the British government was defeated by a few teenagers. Jhunku, a fourteen-year-old boy, faces many difficulties in his early life so he joins the revolutionary army on impulse. This decision forces him to accept his self-doubts and become very clear about his motives for himself and his nation. As the story proceeds, Jhunku faces more problems to achieve that victory which he has been longing for.

Wali Khan is a passionate Indian Intelligence officer who was sent to Karachi, Pakistan 9 years ago by RAW to spy on Goldman, Indias most wanted terrorist, and his activities. Rudra, Zoya, and Aslam, recruited by RAW, are sent to Pakistan to join Wali and capture Goldman. A stealthy plan is devised to carry out this huge mission and everything goes according to it until a simple unintentional mistake is made. It is up to these RAW agents to carry on with the plan to bring back the deadly criminal and make their country proud.

Virat Bakshi returns home to Mumbai along with a train full of Indian Army officers. His family is unaware that he is a part of a special wing of the Indian army called DIA. His parents insist he meets a girl they chose for him to marry, but he rejects her. Soon, he witnesses a bombing and finds out that a terrorist group has planted 12 agents, acting as sleeper cells that will go off and create havoc in different areas of Mumbai.

As the title suggests, 1942 is a love story set in the early 90s when India was under British Raj. The British government is exploiting India’s resources and there is huge political unrest in the nation. The film follows Naren, who is the son of a British employee, and Rajjo, who is the daughter of a revolutionary, fighting against the British. They both fall in love and want to marry each other. Both of them try to convince their parents to let them get married but their fathers are against their relationship. After much persuasion, Naren’s father agrees and asks to meet Rajjo’s father. He tricks Naren to reveal the location of Rajjo’s father. The British find Rajjo’s father but it turns out he was waiting for them and has decorated his place with many bombs. Rajjo’s father dies with many British soldiers. This leads to a fatal turn in Naren and Rajjo’s love story.

Rustom Pavri is an honest commander in the Indian Navy. During his duty in Navy, his love life seems to be perfect with his wife Cynthia, till the time he returns back to home and discovers about his wifes love affair with his friend and business magnate Vikram Makhija. He murders him with 3 bullets and decides to surrender himself stating the murder as an action to self-defence. Despite it being a real murder, the decision and case starts turning in favour of Rustom Parvi and nations crowd comes in his support.

Sultan Ali Khan is a middle-aged local wrestling champion who wants to make his comeback after giving up the sport for years. Estranged from his wife and career, Sultan is out to live his dreams again, of representing India at the Olympics. Losing ground at the peak of ones career is not easy to cope with and Sultan must take the difficult journey to emerge victoriously and regain his lost respect.

Kabir Khan, a former hockey player, lost his reputation in the society when he was wrongly framed after a lost match against Pakistan. The journey though is not his story but of the female hockey team that was under-dogged into the society with the statement that Yeh chakla-belan chalane wali kya hockey stick chalayengi? The movie revolves around 16 national level women hockey players who are fighting their inner as well as the societal demons.

A biography on the life of the renowned Indian boxer, Mary Kom highlights the hardships and the perils she faced on her way to the World Boxing Championship. The film shows Mary's journey, from being a fiery young girl to being a mother of two and still boxing. She faced disapprovals from her family but never let this affect her and continued her training to become the World Champion.

The movie is set in the times of the Company, Raj of the Britishers in India. In the mid-century, there is an ongoing battle between the Afghans and the Britishers. The British commanding officer, William Gordons life, is saved by an Indian sepoy. This leads to a serious friendship between the two. The friendship is not just between two people but two major sides during the pre Independence time. With the introduction of Enfield, a new rifle, this friendship is shaken as it coated with the grease of cows. A man and his love for freedom and his friendship are depicted in the movie.

A regular Brahmin girl, Manikarnika, is a fierce one who gets married to a Kshatriya king because of her capabilities of being a Kshatriya queen. She is a warrior who can stand for herself. Her in-laws have almost bowed down to the East India Company. But, she isnt ready for this. Manikarnika has her pride quite high and refuses to be under the Britishers. She then turns into a rebellion and starts a revolution against the British Raj. With extremely less army and enough courage, she jumps into the war-field and kills Britishers as no one did.

Indian army Major Manav Kaul, along with his thirty colleagues, is trapped in the Pakistani prison for the past thirty-three years as prisoners of war by the Pakistani army. Kaul has tried to escape from the prison but has never been successful. One day, one of Kaul’s colleagues successfully manages to escape and sends a letter to Kaul’s family. Kaul’s wife and son are shocked to learn of Manav’s imprisonment as they believed he had died in the war. They both go to the army to inform them of this discovery but the army refuses to help. This enrages Gaurav, Manav’s son, and he sets out to find his father and free him. He learns that his father is being transferred to another prison which gives Gaurav a rare opportunity to get his father out of his misery. Deewar is a beautiful war drama that explores the relationship between a father and son.

The John Abraham starring action flick deals with corruption and vigilante justice. Veer is an unapologetic vigilante who goes about killing corrupt cops, while DCP Shivansh is assigned the task of arresting him. A lot more aggressive in its patriotism than Raazi, Satyameva Jayate is all about righteousness and violence, sometimes a bit much. The film tends to be graphic, so watch out.