New Delhi: Bollywood has always been at the forefront of instilling patriotism through films, songs, and dialogues. Hindi cinema is known for its nationalist storylines that often revolve around themes of sacrifice and valor.
Bollywood has produced several classic films centered on the concept of patriotism. These films often feature iconic dialogues that resonate with audiences and are passed down through generations. These powerful lines evoke patriotic feelings and celebrate the spirit of our great nation.
As the country prepares to celebrate Independence Day on August 15, let’s take a look at some of the most memorable dialogues that have touched a patriotic nerve and honored the essence of India.
1. Hindustan was long lived, is long lived, will remain long lived…
‘Hamara Hindustan Zindabad Tha, Zindabad Hai, Zindabad Rahega’ is a famous patriotic dialogue from the 2001 romantic period action drama film ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’. The film is among the biggest blockbusters. Centered around the partition, it depicted a beautiful love story between Tara Singh (Sunny Deol) and Sakina (Ameesha Patel). They both get married, however, things take a bitter turn as Sakina’s father forces her to stay in Pakistan and separates her from her family. A sequel to ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’, titled ‘Gadar 2’ was theatrically released on August 11, 2023. It also received a positive response from the audience.
2. There is a slight difference between duty and obligation…
“There is a little bit of difference between duty and duty…If I don’t fight for my country…my brothers anymore…then I will remain a foreign banker under my own eyes”. This popular dialogue from Vicky Kaushal starter ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’, written and directed by debutant Aditya Dhar strongly conveys the message of patriotism and feeling of a soldier who is ready to give his life for the nation.
3. There is nothing in front of the body, not even myself…
Meghna Gulzar’s directorial ‘Raazi’ is a popular patriotic film. Alia Bhatt, who plays an undercover RAW agent in the film, said in the film, ‘Watan ke aage kuch nahi, khud bhi nahi.’ No, doubt for a soldier nothing is greater than his/her nation. This dialogue conveys the same feeling. The film is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s 2008 novel Calling Sehmat, a real narrative of an Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) spy who, upon her father’s request, gets married into a family of military officers in Pakistan to convey intelligence to India before to the Indo-Pakistani War in 1971. The film is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s 2008 novel Calling Sehmat, a real narrative of an RAW agent who upon her father’s request, gets married into a family of military officers in Pakistan to share information with India. , before the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
4. They neither tell me nor show me the names of the states…
‘I neither hear nor show the names of states, I only hear the name of one country… India’. SRK conveys his love for the country with these strong words in the film. Indeed, it is a dialogue that not only reflects the sense of love for the nation, but also indicates that a country is above all faiths, states, and everything. ‘Come on!’ India’ is a 2007 sports drama film directed by Shimit Amin, written by Jaideep Sahni, and produced by Aditya Chopra. It stars Shah Rukh Khan as Kabir Khan as a fictional former captain of the India men’s national field hockey team and coach of the India women’s national field hockey team.
5. When there is a border, people stay awake without caring about their sleep…
Akshay Kumar’s film ‘Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty’ is a remake of Murugadoss’ 2012 Tamil film ‘Thuppakki’. The plot focuses on an Indian Army officer who travels to Mumbai on vacation and decides to track down the terrorist head of a sleeper cell network and deactivate the sleeper cells under his command. He shares that a soldier is never on a holiday with his dialogue in the film, “Jab wahan border par log apni neend ki parwah kiye binate hain, tab tumhein yahan sheher mein ki chain ki neend aati hain.”
6. This is a fight for freedom…
‘Mangal Pandey: The Rising’ is a 2005 Indian historical biographical drama film based on the life of Mangal Pandey, an Indian soldier known for helping to spark the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Aamir Khan, who played the titular role, said in the movie , “This is the fight for freedom, freedom from the past…for the tomorrow to come.”
These are just a few examples of the many iconic dialogues that have stirred patriotic feelings and immortalized the spirit of India in Bollywood cinema. Another notable dialogue is from Hrithik Roshan in ‘Bang Bang’, where he says, “Joh desh ke liye ladte hai … unki maut ka countdown unki pehli saas ke saath ho jaata hai,” reflecting the sacrifice of soldiers who fight for their country.