Patriotism in Hindi cinema began during the British Raj, with songs like Door Hato Ae Duniya Walon defying British censors and introducing nationalism to cinema. But over the years, the most popular lines and songs about patriotism in Bollywood have shifted from defiance to pride and, eventually, to swag.
The 1943 film Kismet was one of the first Hindi films to include a song or theme that one can call patriotic and nationalistic. Up until then, patriotism was introduced through historical accounts of Akbar, Ashoka, or Shivaji. But Kismet brought nationalism to a film set during World War II. When lyrics to a song went ‘ Aaj Himalaya ki choti se humne phir lalkaara hai, door hato ae duniya walon, Hindustan hamara hai’, it was a clarion call to Indians. The film’s makers deftly hid the song from the British censors, saying it was a message to the enemies of British India during the War. But the message reached the masses. Manoj Kumar, too, adapted to the new theme. His film, Kranti, was an action-swashbuckler set in British India and emerged as the biggest box-office hit of the decade. Even the reigning superstar Amitabh Bachchan attempted this new style of patriotism as he fought evils like corruption in Main Azaad Hoon.
