7 Patriotic Movies That Released On Patriotic Occasions!

Gone are the days when everything about Jan 26^th or August 15^th was meant to be patriotic. While Doordarshan made sure to only chant patriotic songs like Sandeshe Aate Hain or Mera Rang De Basanti Chola throughout the day, the only movies to be found on other channels were either displaying Indian army’s heroics or the pledged sacrifice of our freedom fighters.

So much so, that even producers made sure to release their films on occasions of Republic Day or Independence Day if there was even a hint of jingoism in their story. While the country is gearing up to witness the Kaabil v Raees on the Republic Day weekend this year, we tried to do something different.

As we turn the pages of history and try to figure out a pattern, we found seven mainstream patriotism filled movies that only hit the screens on patriotic occasions:

Rang De Basanti (Republic Day Week - 2006)

The Aamir Khan led team that in literal terms changed a lot of cinematic facets in India released on Republic Day in 2006. While the treatment of this epic outing was pretty stylish and contemporary, it had a massive patriotic undertone throughout its run.

Kohram (Independence Day Week - 1999)

When you think of a movie like Kohram, you probably first see through the comic shades of Nana Patekar and Mr. Bachchan together. However this army heavy film had a lot of then ongoing national issues covered in the film. It released on August 13^th 1999.

Chak De India (Independence Day Week - 2007)

Essentially a riveting sports drama but carrying a tremendous shadow of nationalism in its narrative, Chak De India released on 10^th August 2007. The SRK led film still gets its title track played on every patriotic occasion.

Maa Tujhe Salaam (Republic Day Week - 2002)

One of the biggest openers of 2002 but an equally big flop was this Sunny Deol led patriotic drama set in the backdrop of Kashmir dissident. The film released on Jan 25^th 2002 but couldn’t lay the kind of impact expected out of it.

Mangal Pandey: The Rising (Independence Day Week - 2005)

Do you remember the country going berserk during the release of what was touted to be the biggest release of the decade? The Aamir Khan starrer movie based on India’s first war of independence released on August 12^th 2005. Though it took the biggest opening of the year, it somehow faltered bigtime and not become a success.

Tirangaa (Republic Day Week - 1993)

The epic Raj Kumar-Nana Patekar starrer that set the cash registers on fire more than two decades ago released on Jan 29^th in 1993. Directed by Mehul Kumar, the film was Doordarshan’s favorite telecast every year on Republic and Independence Day.

Rustom (Independence Weel - 2016)

While it draws its inspiration from a real life event and mixes up more dramatic elements to fit the taste of audience, we can’t deny the patriotic card the makers tried to play on us. While Akshay is a naval officer in the film, it made a lot of nationalistic references during its run. The film was released on August 12^th 2016.