From Upkar to Dhurandhar: How Bollywood's language of patriotism moved from defiance to pride | Independence Day Special

Patriotism in Hindi cinema began during the British Raj, with songs like Door Hato Ae Duniya Walon defying British censors and introducing nationalism to cinema. But over the years, the most popular lines and songs about patriotism in Bollywood have shifted from defiance to pride and, eventually, to swag.

The 1943 film Kismet was one of the first Hindi films to include a song or theme that one can call patriotic and nationalistic. Up until then, patriotism was introduced through historical accounts of Akbar, Ashoka, or Shivaji. But Kismet brought nationalism to a film set during World War II.

When lyrics to a song went ‘Aaj Himalaya ki choti se humne phir lalkaara hai, door hato ae duniya walon, Hindustan hamara hai’, it was a clarion call to Indians. The film's makers deftly hid the song from the British censors, saying it was a message to the enemies of British India during the War. But the message reached the masses.

The early patriotic films were either war dramas or retellings of the freedom struggle. Haqeeqat retold stories from the 1962 China War, while Shaheed was an ode to Bhagat Singh and his comrades. The songs and lines were bold and defiant.

In the 60s, Manoj Kumar took it upon himself to bring a new style of patriotism - pride in what a young India had achieved and hope for the future. From that was born ‘Mere desh ki dharti sona ugle’ in Upkar. In Purab Aur Pachhim, when he sang ‘Hai preet jahan ki reet sada,’ the message was clear: India wants to spread love and harmony. Sunil Dutt's Hum Hindustani was a similar love letter to a developing India, with loads of messages of gratitude to Pandit Nehru's administration.

According to screenwriter Shantanu Srivastava, the language of patriotism changed because the audience changed. “As the nation grows more self-reliant and prosperous, you also start feeling emotionally involved with patriotism because, after all, being an Indian is my identity. Whenever you see the tricolour or the national anthem plays, you get goosebumps,” he told ANI.

There was yet another transition in the 80s as Hindi cinema entered its commercial masala era. The patriotic films of the time became massier, bigger, and more modern. In Karma, Dilip Kumar merged Seven Samurai's plot with a fight against a terrorist overlord. ‘Dil diya hai, jaan bhi denge, ae watan tere liye’ signified a shift in how love for the nation was perceived now. Sacrifice, while fighting for the nation, was in.

Manoj Kumar, too, adapted to the new theme. His film, Kranti, was an action-swashbuckler set in British India and emerged as the biggest box-office hit of the decade. Even the reigning superstar Amitabh Bachchan attempted this new style of patriotism as he fought evils like corruption in Main Azaad Hoon.

The 21st century saw a new language of patriotism in Hindi cinema, centred on the men and women in the armed forces fighting threats to the nation. The dialogues became bolder, more confident, and more aggressive. "Hamara Hindustan zindabad tha, zindabad hai, aur zindabad rahega," bellowed Sunny Deol in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, while Arbaaz Khan proclaimed in Maa Tujhe Salaam: “Doodh maangoge to kheer denge, Kashmir maangoge to cheer denge.”

The culmination of this trend is Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar, where the sentiment mirrors the national mood, promoted by the Modi government: “Yeh naya Hindustan hai; yeh ghar mein ghusega bhi aur maarega bhi.”

But in between have been the exceptions that talk about unity more than offence. Shah Rukh Khan's undeniable unity-driven message from Chak De! India - "Mujhe states ke naam na sunayi dete hain na dikhayi dete hain, sirf ek aam sunai deta hai... INDIA," is one such.

Vidya Malvade, who played the team captain in Chak De, told ANI, “You could be from any religion, any State, or even an Indian living anywhere else in the world. Your roots, your heritage, that's where you belong. When I first read the line 'Vidya Sharma, India,' I got goosebumps. It's not just a line; it's everything.”