From 'Chak De!' to 'Sam Bahadur': How Bollywood Shaped India's Patriotic Vocabulary

From 'Chak De! India' to 'Sam Bahadur': How Bollywood taught generations of Indians the language of patriotism

By Nikita Bishay, Mumbai, August 14

Families across the country even tune into television sets to watch films like 'Lakshya', 'Swades' or 'Sam Bahadur'.

Notably, a line written for a fictional character can, over time, become part of the audience's own vocabulary of national pride, be it is "amara Hindustan zindabad tha, zindabad hai, aur zindabad rahega!" from Sunny Deol starrer 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' or Shah Rukh Khan's undeniable unity-driven message from 'Chak De! India' - "Mujhe states ke naam na sunayi dete hain na dikhayi dete hain, sirf ek mulk ka naam sunai dedeta hai... INDIA."

People may often wonder why some patriotic dialogues stay with them long after the film has ended. However, it isn't always because they are loud, stirring speeches, but it captures something we instinctively feel about the country.

Bollywood's relationship with patriotism has travelled through several such phases.

And, as 'Sam Bahadur' screenwriter Shantanu Srivastava puts it, the evolution of patriotic cinema has closely mirrored the evolution of India itself.

"I think there is a clear trend. In the early years after Independence, patriotic films were largely about self-reliance. It's like a new baby starting to walk on its own and stand on its own. That used to be the flavour of patriotic films early on after independence. At some point in time, I think in the early 2000s, the sentiment also ran toward not letting your armed forces brothers stay in trouble, but to rescue them," Srivastava told ANI.

According to Srivastava, the language of patriotism has changed because the audience has changed.

"As the nation grows more self-reliant and prosperous, you also start feeling emotionally involved with patriotism because, after all, being an Indian is my identity. Whenever you see the tricolour or the national anthem plays, you get goosebumps," he added.

Citing the popular dialogue from Ranveer Singh's 'Dhurandhar', which says, "Yeh naya Hindustan hai; yeh ghar mein ghusega bhi aur maarega bhi," Srivastava explained that it essentially captures the current national mood. It reflects an assertiveness that has increasingly found its way into popular cinema.

He also referred to a dialogue from his film 'Sam Bahadur', proudly reiterating "Hum rahein na rahein, vardi ka gaurav zaroor rehna chahiye."

"I've always liked the fact that even high-impact dialogues in today's times do not diminish the class and the honour of our armed forces," Srivastava said.

He detailed how the screenwriting team of 'Sam Bahadur' did a lot of research to bring Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw alive on the big screen.

"Meghna (Gulzar), Bhavani (Iyer), and I read a lot of books and watched a lot of videos of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. The aim was to understand not only Manekshaw's military career but also his personality, his swag, this style, and this personality, and bring those qualities into ordinary conversations," he said.

While speaking to ANI, Shantanu Srivastava also offered a line he had written specifically for the occasion, which, in many ways, sums up his own connection with the spirit of patriotism and Indian soldiers.

"Indian soldier jab muskurata hai toh lagta hai sab theek ho jayega; Aur agar Indian soldier muskurana band karta hai toh lagta hai woh sabko theek kar dega," he said.

"For me, patriotism and my connection with the people who defend our nation is summed up in this line," Srivastava further added.

Shrivastava believes that honesty is the foundation of writing patriotism. "You have to believe in what you are writing. You have to believe that you belong to this nation and that this nation is one of the best places in the world. For me, this is my home," he said.

It is worth mentioning that Bollywood's patriotic vocabulary has never belonged exclusively to war films.

Some of its most enduring expressions of national identity have emerged from stories about sport, friendship and ordinary people.

Speaking of which, Shah Rukh Khan's 'Chak De! India' remains a particularly powerful example.

Actress Vidya Malavade, who played Vidya Sharma in the sports drama, opened up on how the film's dialogues continue to resonate because they speak about identity beyond the boundaries of state, religion or community.

"You could be from any religion, any State, or even an Indian living anywhere else in the world. Your roots, your heritage, that's where you belong," Malavade told ANI.

Referring to her character's introduction - "Vidya Sharma, India" - she noted how it became one of the film's memorable moments.

"When I first read the line 'Vidya Sharma, India,' I still get goosebumps. It's not just a line; it's everything," she says.

Malavade explained that distinction as central to what makes India unique.

"States are just parts of India; beautiful, amazing states with different food, clothes, and people, and so many languages. But what binds us together is this incredibly awe-inspiring nation called India or Hindustan," she said.

Meanwhile, that idea also explains why 'Chak De! India' continues to find an audience. Its patriotism is not about a soldier at the border, but about identity, belonging and collective purpose.

Perhaps that is the larger story of patriotic dialogue in Hindi cinema.

In one era, patriotism sounded like rebuilding a young nation. In another, it sounded like pride in India's achievements. Then it became about defending the country, rescuing its own and standing up to threats.

From the evocative 'Mere desh ki dharti' from 'Upkar' to contemporary military dramas, from 'Chak De! India' putting India before individual identities to 'Sam Bahadur' emphasising the honour of the uniform, Bollywood has repeatedly tried to give voice to something difficult to define.

Perhaps the most effective patriotic dialogue is the one that does not feel like a lecture, but will make you remember a veteran who served, a school assembly where the national anthem was sung, a tricolour being waved from a balcony, a cricket match won at the last moment, or a soldier helping during a disaster.

The secret behind the lines that last - Patriotism in cinema can be loud, poetic, angry, funny, understated or larger than life. But it has to feel lived-in.

And every August 15, when those familiar dialogues return to our screens, we discover that some lines don't merely belong to the films anymore. They have become part of how generations of Indians talk about India.

— ANI