Deepa Gahlot

No matter how cynical you may be, when everybody is 'celebrating' Independence Day, you can't but feel a little patriotic. It's the time of the year when Aye mere watan ke logon, Vande Mataram, I love my India, or even East or West India is the best on the radio can make you misty-eyed.

You buy that paper flag the urchin shoves at you and let it flutter outside the car window.

To help celebrate the spirit of Independence Day (August 15, not July 4 --- just in case some people have forgotten!), a list of ten films that make you feel good about waving the tricolour.

Why this Rajkumar Santoshi film makes the grade above other biopics about leaders of the freedom movement (Gandhi, Sardar, Veer Savarkar, Ambedkar), is that it came at a time when the young generation felt that the independence struggle is just a boring history lesson.

Besides, it managed to be engrossing, educative and entertaining at the same time. A pity that other Bhagat Singh films crowded the market and rained on this one's parade.

The review

This Ashutosh Gowariker-Aamir Khan film was hyped beyond belief, but what works for it is the rah-rah feel good factor --- that gilli-danda playing villagers took up the cricket challenge and whipped the firangi at his own game on his own turf.

So what if it's only a film, it is a great Mera Bharat Mahaan fantasy. And the fact that it made it to the list of Oscar nomination made every Indian moviegoer's (except, perhaps Mahesh Bhatt) chest swell with pride and a sense of collective achievement.

The review

John Matthew Mathan's debut film does not have an obvious deshbhakti message, but the cop vs terrorist plot has elements that envelop idealism, duty, loyalty, nationalism, family values and courage in an intelligent, almost realistic format. The audience feels that if the country is in the hands of Amar Singh Rathod and his band of brave men, India is safe.

The review

J P Dutta's war film may have had every soldier cliché in the book, but the fact that it was based on true-life incidents and had a lot of blood and thunder patriotic ranting, appealed to a wide section of the audience. Who does not like to see the Paki enemy decimated by a bunch of macho, kick-ass dudes like Sunny Deol and Co? Later, Deol's patriot act became a permanent fixture in his films (Indian, Maa Tujhe Salaam, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha) but he was very convincing as the Sikh soldier in this one.

Mani Ratnam's Roja --- about Kashmir militancy affecting a Tamil family --- sent out clear warnings, that nobody is safe from treacherous villains. It also talks of ordinary people responding to extraordinary circumstances with superhuman courage. The scene in which the hero Aravind Swamy kidnapped by militants, throws himself on the burning national flag to put out the flames invites wild applause every time.

Subhash Ghai's multi-starrer led by the redoubtable Dilip Kumar fighting the terrorist gang of the evil Dr Dang (Anupam Kher) with the help of three condemned criminals (Naseeruddin Shah, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff) had a familiar plot reworked to incorporate a save-the-nation angle. When the country is in danger, patriotism can be aroused even in a criminal. The three of them defeat a well-organised network! It was an enjoyable thriller anyway, with the very hummable song Dil diya hai jaan bhi denge aye watan tere liye.

You can't talk patriotism and not include Manoj Kumar's Upkaar on the list. The film which was inspired by Lal Bahadur Shastri's Jai Jawan Jai Kisan slogan, had the farmer hero Bharat (Manoj Kumar) join the army and also help fight anti-national villains. The popular hit Mere desh ki dharti sona ugle ugle heere moti is an I-day staple. Manoj Kumar's Purab Aur Paschim and Kranti also explored patriotic themes, earning him the nickname of Mr Bharat.

K A Abbas's Saat Hindustani has been immortalised as Amitabh Bachchan's (who played a Muslim poet) debut film, but it was a stirring, inspiring tale of six men and one girl from different parts of India getting together in Portuguese-occupied-Goa to participate in the fight for liberation. In the process they forget their differences and discover what national integration is all about.

The mother of all idealistic stories, Mehboob Khan's classic extols the strength of Indian womanhood, and the moral courage of the common citizen. When the heroine (Nargis) shoots down her own rebellious son, she represents the post-Independence Indian who put the interest of the community/country before his/her own. It may seem unbelievable in today's times, when almost everyone in power puts personal profit above all else.

Ramesh Saigal's charming patriotic drama came a little after Independence, but was one of the few films set against the backdrop of Netaji's Indian National Army. Ashok Kumar plays a rich guy who gives up his comfortable life to join the INA. His brother (Shyam) is a British officer and the two are on opposite sides of the fence. The leading ladies are a vampish spy (Kuldip Kaur) and her innocent sister (Nalini Jaywant) who falls in love with the hero. The very watchable film had the evergreen Gore gore baanke chore number, as well as the patriotic Kadam kadam badhaye ja. (Saigal had also made Shaheed, a Dilip Kumar-Kamini Kaushal starrer about a young Bhagat Singh-like martyr.)