New Delhi: In the 69 years that India has been free, Bollywood has rarely shied from wearing its patriotic heart on its sleeve. Here’s a list of 10 patriotic Hindi films to watch this Independence Day.

Haqeeqat (1964): Chetan Anand’s war film starring Balraj Sahni, Dharmendra, Priya Rajvansh, Sanjay Khan and Vijay Anand was set against the India-China conflict of 1962. It won the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film that year and made about ₹ 1 crore in box office collections.

Upkar (1967): The Manoj Kumar-directed film was one of the first to establish his image as “Mr. Bharat", making him the champion of on-screen patriotism. Also starring Asha Parekh, Prem Chopra and Pran, the film emerged as one of the highest grossers of the year, making ₹ 4 crore at the box office.

Border (1997): J.P. Dutta’s war drama based on the India-Pakistan conflict of 1971 featured Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Jackie Shroff, Tabu and Pooja Bhatt as part of an ensemble cast. A recipient of the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, it netted ₹ 30 crore at the box office.

Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001): Director Anil Sharma’s record-shattering blockbuster was a love story set against the backdrop of Indian Partition. Starring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel in lead roles, it made ₹ 65 crore in box office collections.

The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002): Rajkumar Santoshi’s biographical film on the legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh earned about ₹ 6 crore at the box office. It also won national awards for best film in Hindi and for lead actor, Ajay Devgn.

Lakshya (2004): Farhan Akhtar’s second directorial venture was the coming-of-age tale of a young aimless boy (Hrithik Roshan) set against the backdrop of the 1999 Kargil War. The film that also starred Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta netted ₹ 11 crore in box office collections.

Swades (2004): Actor Shah Rukh Khan played a Nasa scientist who rediscovers his roots in director Ashutosh Gowariker’s patriotic drama. Much lauded by critics and released in Tamil as Desam, the film earned about ₹ 6 crore at the box office.

Rang De Basanti (2006): Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s cult classic, aptly released on Republic Day, would probably rank as one of the most influential films of the decade. The story of a British filmmaker shooting a documentary on Indian freedom fighters along with five young aimless men who discover their own selves in the process, is now, part of movie folklore. The film made over ₹ 31 crore at the time of release.

Chak De! India (2007): Director Shimit Amin’s sports drama was a fictional story of the Indian women’s national field-hockey team inspired by the team’s win at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. A winner of the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, it made ₹ 35 crore in box office collections.

Airlift (2016): Akshay Kumar’s war thriller released earlier this year was based on the evacuation of Indians in Kuwait during the Saddam Hussain invasion of 1990. Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, it netted ₹ 128 crore in box office collections.

All figures have been sourced from movie websites Bollywood Hungama and IBOS Network.

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