It is appropriate to remark that Indian cinema has played a major role in reminding citizens of the necessity of patriotic duties in their everyday lives. The film industry has done a commendable job of putting together sometimes-daunting yet inspiring reflections of the socio-political history of the country, which has generated awareness as well as groomed Indian citizens to do better. While some films narrated and made us aware of the historic political situation in some parts of India, others imparted the right idea of patriotism into our hearts.
The film industry has been a pivotal force in keeping and reinstating the duties citizens owe to their country. Hence, we bring to you some of the most gut-wrenching as well as inspiring films that imparted awareness as well as generated a spark of change in the minds and hearts of every Indian.
Article 15
Article 15 is a film produced and directed by renowned director, Anubhav Sinha, in 2019. The film’s plot revolves around a police detective, played by Ayushmann Khurrana, who investigates the disappearance of three girls from a small village, uncovering the long history of caste-based oppression along the way. The movie not only remarks on issues of caste-based oppression, but it also talks about the reservations given by one of the greatest scholars of India, B.R Ambedkar.
Rang De Basanti
Rang De Basanti was released in 2006, starring Aamir Khan, Siddharth, R. Madhavan, Atul Kulkarni, Soha Ali Khan, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, and British actor Alice Patten. The film follows a British film student who is traveling to India to make a movie about five freedom fighters from India. She befriends and casts five young men in the film, which inspires them to fight against the corruption of their own government. The movie talks about issues of corruption in the country and how the five men, while drawing parallels from the role of freedom fighters in their own lives, set out to bring reform and change to their country as their forefathers did.
Lakshya
The movie follows the story of an aimless and lazy boy, Karan Shergil, played by Hritik Roshan, who joins the Indian Army and transforms himself into a soldier to make his girlfriend Romila Dutta proud of him. The movie is set around the Kargil war. Released in 2004, the film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta in lead roles with Boman Irani and Anjula Bedi in supporting roles. The film was directed by Farhan Akhtar and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Helmed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the film follows the real-life journey of the legendary Olympic champion, Milkha Singh. The film stars Farhan Akhtar in the lead role and talks about Milkha’s journey from pre-partitioned India to post-partitioned India and how he came to be the prolific athlete he was. The film, while being a document of Milkha Singh’s life, is also a document of the time around independence. The movie stars Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor, Divya Dutta, Meesha Shafi, Pavan Malhotra, Yograj Singh, Art Malik, and Prakash Raj.
Swades
The film, which is set in the backdrop of an underdeveloped portion of Uttar Pradesh, starts off with the protagonist, who works at NASA in America, Driven by nostalgia, he returns to his roots to find the nanny who raised him in his homeland, intending to bring her back to America. His journey leads him into the rural heart of India, to the village of Charanpur, and sets him on both an outward and an inner quest to find where he truly belongs. The film, released in 2004, stars Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, and Kishori Ballal.
The upcoming Bollywood film Dhurandhar 2 has reportedly secured a significant OTT deal, underlining its strong market buzz ahead of release. According to media reports, the film’s digital streaming rights have been acquired by JioHotstar for approximately Rs 155 crore.
The makers are expected to follow a strategic release plan, with the film likely to premiere on the platform after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. JioHotstar also holds digital streaming rights for the tournament, and the post-IPL window is seen as an effort to retain audience engagement.
Reports suggest that the film could arrive on OTT in late May or early June 2026, depending on its theatrical release schedule and run. However, there is no official confirmation yet regarding the exact streaming date.
Industry observers note that the reported deal highlights the growing demand for big-ticket Hindi films among streaming platforms, especially those expected to draw strong audience interest.
The teaser of Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming film Ramayana has been released, offering the first glimpse of Ranbir Kapoor in the role of Lord Rama. The film, which is planned as a two-part cinematic project, is scheduled for a Diwali release later this year.
The teaser shows several key moments, including scenes from the coronation and the exile period in the forest of Panchavati. Ranbir Kapoor appears in the role of Rama with a calm and composed presence. The teaser also briefly shows Yash in the role of Ravan towards the end.
Ahead of the teaser launch, Alia Bhatt shared a video message on social media asking audiences to support the project and Ranbir Kapoor’s work on the film. In the video, she said the “Rama unit” video would be released and encouraged audiences to watch and support the film.
Budget and scale
Producer Namit Malhotra said the film has been in development for six to seven years and is being made on a large scale. According to him, the total budget for both parts is around $500 million, which is over Rs 4,000 crore combined.
He said the film is being made for a global audience and aims to present the epic on a large cinematic scale while remaining efficient in production.
Music collaboration
The film’s music is being composed through a collaboration between AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer. Rahman said working on a project based on such an iconic epic is challenging, as the team wants to present something new while respecting the importance of the story.
Release plan and cast
The film will be released in two parts. The first part is scheduled for a worldwide release in October 2026 ahead of Diwali, while the second part is planned for release during Diwali 2027.
Apart from Ranbir Kapoor, the film also stars Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Ravi Dubey and Yash in important roles.
Ranveer Singh’s film Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge has crossed the Rs 600 crore mark at the India box office within seven days of its release, according to trade estimates. The film has maintained a strong run in both mass centres and urban markets during its first week.
As per trade figures, the film’s India net box office collection stands at around Rs 623 crore after seven days, while the gross domestic collection is estimated to be over Rs 740 crore. The film has also performed strongly in overseas markets, taking its international collection to more than Rs 250 crore. With this, the worldwide box office total has crossed Rs 1,000 crore within the first week of release, as per trade estimates.
Day-wise performance in India
The film opened strongly on March 19 with box office collections of over Rs 100 crore. The film continued to perform well over the next few days, collecting around Rs 80 crore on Day 2 and over Rs 110 crore on Day 3. Collections remained strong over the weekend, followed by an expected drop on weekdays. By Day 7, the film collected around Rs 47 crore, taking the total India net collection past Rs 600 crore.
Overseas performance and comparison
The film has also reported strong performance in overseas markets, particularly in the UK and other key international territories. With the worldwide collection crossing Rs 1,000 crore in the first week, the film is being compared to the fast global box office pace seen by Pushpa 2: The Rule in terms of early box office momentum, according to trade observers.
About the film
Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge is the sequel to the 2025 film Dhurandhar. The sequel features Ranveer Singh along with Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan and Sanjay Dutt in key roles.
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