Bollywood has changed many colours over the years in its cinematic style, choice of subjects and the overall style of storytelling. Patriotism as a theme has been an integral part of Hindi cinema for as long as one can remember. But the industry has come a long way from its Mother India days. From retelling episodes of the freedom struggle in films like The Legend of Bhagat Singh to telling stories of urban rebellion in films like Rang De Basanti and more recently A Wednesday. Last week’s release Airlift told a story about unsung heroes, and the soon-to-be released Neerja will also be following a similar trajectory.
These changes reflect the way societal mindset has changed about topics like patriotism and nationalism. Ketan Mehta, who made Mangal Pandey and Manjhi: The Mountain Man, observes, “Initially, our country came out of the colonial era, so our movies reflected the times we witnessed during the colonial period. Today’s audience will much better identify with films like Rang De Basanti and Manjhi that speaks a different language of nationalism.” Suneil Shetty, however, feels that patriotism overall, barring a few exceptions, has not been portrayed well in our cinema. “My all time favourite patriotic film has to be Border but in my opinion, true patriotism is lacking in our Indian films. Except for J.P. Dutta, I have not seen anyone making good patriotic films in India. But I am glad that more biopics on national treasures are being made. I really liked Mary Kom,” he says.
Director Sabbir Khan feels that films these days are keeping the jingoism in check. “More real stories are making it to the screens. I saw Airlift, which has just released, and it is such a wonderfully told story. Rang De Basanti is of course my all-time favourite in the genre and it will always make our country proud.” Airlift has found one more admirer in veteran actor Anupam Kher. “I was so moved to see such realistic portrayal of patriotism in the film. Even A Wednesday and Baby was so real. My favourite will always be Manoj Kumar’s Shaheed. I feel patriotism has always found adequate expression in our films,” he says.
