Bollywood has gifted us powerful patriotic films that go beyond entertainment. These films capture the spirit of sacrifice, courage and national pride. Whether on the battlefield or the cricket pitch, they showcase India’s fight for dignity. Some are based on real heroes, others on symbolic struggles but all hit hard.
There was a time in the 90s when every actor had a defined image that dictated their film choices. Shah Rukh Khan was the quintessential lover boy, Akshay Kumar was the action hero who could throw kicks and punches on command, Aamir Khan was already the perfectionist and Ajay Devgn was known for his brooding, intense look. Fans of Ajay Devgn believed that his silence spoke more than his dialogues, and dancing in college-based movies was probably not meant for him. So when an actor like him, who was known to hold the gaze of his audience, got the most verbose role of his life, he had a challenge on his hands — to play Bhagat Singh in Rajkumar Santoshi’s The Legend of Bhagat Singh in 2002.
Bhagat Singh (born September 27/28, 1907, Banga, Lyallpur, western Punjab, India [now Faisalabad, Pakistan]—died March 23, 1931, Lahore [now in Pakistan]) was an Indian freedom fighter who was honored as a hero of the Indian Independence Movement after his execution by British authorities at the age of 23. He is also known as Shaheed Bhagat Singh (shaheed meaning “martyr”).
