Hindi War Films and Indian History

Abstract

War films is a genre of Cinema not just in India but generally overall. Combat scenes and the patriotic fervour have always seemed to enthral audiences. In India, war films hold a special place when the Cinema of India is studied. The paper begins by looking into the War films as a genre of Cinema on the global level. As Indian cinema is vast and multilingual, we can see war films being made in almost all major Indian languages. For the paper, war films that have been in Hindi language have been chosen. The war films are not to be confused with documentaries. War films have been classified according to the period they depict, ranging between Historical dramas to those which highlight the Indian Army or patriots from the Army. The paper is an overview of five such films that have been popular with the masses. Each film will be studied in its own context to certify their background, their role in deepening the Indian nationalism sentiment and how they were accepted by the masses. The paper is an attempt to highlight the role of Hindi cinema in the spread of nationalism in India.