HINDUSTAN AND BOLLYWOOD- THE FILM SULTANATE...

For any self-respecting nation, patriotism is its heart beat.If it is there, not only is the nation's continued existence across centuries and millennia guaranteed, but it's progressive evolution is also ensured.For most Indians cinema is the enduring source of the image of their nation, which is bound by the Himalayas in the north, surrounded by three oceans and girdled by rivers like Ganga and Yamuna and captivated by mesmerizing natural beauty.Thus, few can contest Indian cinema's, particularly Hindi cinema's, unmatched contribution to strengthening the bonds of national integration.

When freedom dawned on 15th August 1947, ending 200 years of alien rule, indian cinema was there to celebrate. There was a mood of hope and joy, when the first prime minister of the country, Pandit Jawahar Lall Nehru delivered the breathtaking speech-"Tryst With Destiny". Bollywood captured this mood in films like Naya Daur (1957) and Hum Hindustani (1960). Anand Math (1952), Jaagriti (1954) and Leader (1964) focused on the freedom struggle and the sacrifices made by its martyrs.The 1957 film Naya Daur was one of the most exhilarating of them. The indian drama film starring Dilip Kumar,Vijayanthimala, Ajit and Jeevan is set in post-independence India where Industrialization is slowly creeping in. The focus is on Tangawallahs who earn their living transporting people from place to place on Tangas(horse - carts). Their livelihood is threatened when the son of a rich landlord (Jeevan) begins operating a bus service in the town,which he subsidizes heavily with the sole intention of first driving the Tangawallahs out of the down and then making profits.The film was one of the highest grossers of 1957 and also critically acclaimed.

Even after 63 years of independence the film industry has not shadowed away from its old fashioned tradition of making patriotic based films. In recent times movies like Lagaan which is undoubtedly one of the best movies of the 21st era, in which each and every frame of the movie inspired the soul of the viewers is a deadly combination of cricket and the rebellion against the British Empire. Other movies namely Chak De India (2007), Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), Swades (2004) and Lakshya (2004) have also grossed big numbers.

We have also come across movies like Rang De Basanti (2006) which revolves around a young idealistic English filmmaker, Sue (Alice Patten), who arrives in India to make a film on Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and their contemporaries and their fight for freedom from the British Raj owing to a lack of funds, she recruits students from Delhi University to act in her drama. These youngsters (Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Madhavan, Siddhart Narayana, Sharman Joshi And Atul Kulkarni) play a self centered and materialistic existence where ideas like patriotism are of no value for them. But as the movie goes on, their way of thinking got changed. Thus this movie arouses the feeling of patriotism in our younger generation. Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra this was a movie that sparked a revolution and urged the young generation of the country against the Jessica Lall murder case.

We can thus say that patriotic films in the Indian cinema have over the years instilled a feeling of respect for the nation and have also helped the citizens come out and speak against the injustices practiced in society. They have played a vital yet unnoticed role in the transformation and evolution of India over the past 60 years...