Besides the entertainment value, a huge part of the enduring influence of Hindi films is the ability to provide history lesson to viewers with a strong dose of music, song, dance, and popular faces. Bollywood has seen many historical films which brought to life the chronicles and stories of the most powerful legends and heroes from times gone by. From Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh, history has thrown many influential people whose stories have been covered by filmmakers making them very appealing, vibrant and fun.
Sikandar – Hindi film about Alexander the Great (1941)
Sudarshan highlights the love of Alexander the Great (Sikandar) in a classic Indian blockbuster produced in the year 1941. The film gives an Indian version of history overloaded with passionate romance. Legendary actor Prithviraj Kapoor played the character of Alexander whilst Sohrab Modi essayed the role of Poros.
Humayun (1945)
A 1945 historical epic film Directed by Mehboob Khan, Humayun emerged the 7th highest grossing film of that year. Written by Agha Jani Kashmiri and edited by Shamsudin Kadri, the film boasted an ensemble cast starring Ashok Kumar, Veena, Nargis, Chandra Mohan and Shah Nawaz. The music of the film was composed by Ghulam Haider and V.A. Balsara.
Aan (1952)
A Hindi film produced and directed by Mehboob Khan starring Dilip Kumar, Premnath, Nimmi and debutant actress Nadira, Aan turned out to be the highest grossing film of 1952. One of the first Indian films to have a London premier; it was titled Savage Princess in its English version.
Anarkali (1953)
Directed by Nandlal Jaswantlal and written by Nasir Hussain and Hameed Butt, Anarkali is 1953 historical drama film based on the life of Mughal emperor Jahangir (Salim) who revolted against his father Emperor Akbar for a court dancer and his love, Anarkali. The film went to become the biggest hits of 50s and emerged the top grossing film.
Jhansi Ki Rani (1953)
Holding the accolade of India’s first Technicolor film, Jhansi Ki Rani is a historical drama directed by Sohrab Modi under the production banner of Minerva Movietone. Starring Sohrab Modi’s wife, Mehtab in the lead role and Modi himself in an important role of mentor Rajguru, Jhansi Ki Rani was made against the background of the 1857 Mutiny, in which Rani of Jhansi, led took up arms and led a fight against the British becoming the first Indian to achieve this feat.
Shree 420 (1955)
Written by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, directed and produced by Raj Kapoor, Shree 420 was a 1955 Hindi film centering on the character of a poor orphan who comes to Bombay for success. Raj Kapoor’s role is inspired from Charlie Chaplin’s “little tramp”. The music of the film was composed by the team of Shankar Jaikishan whilst the lyrics were penned by Shailendra. The song “Mera Joota Hai Japani” became an evergreen classic with a patriotic tinge of emergent India.
Mother India (1957)
Nargis plays the role of Radha, an indigent woman who raises her children through several trials and tribulations but never loses her morals. Directed by Mehboob Khan, Mother India was a cult classic starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, and Raaj Kumar. Naushad introduced Western classical music and Hollywood orchestra to the film industry.
Madhumati (1958)
Starring Dilip Kumar and Vjjayantimala in leading roles along with Pran and Johnny Walker, Madhumati was produced and directed by Bimal Roy and written by Rajinder Singh Bedi and Ritwik Ghatak. One of the most commercially successful films, Madhumati was one of the earliest ventures to deal with the subject of reincarnation with a gothic noir sentiment attached to it.
Mughal-e-Azam (1961)
Mughal-e-Azam is an epic historical drama film starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Madhubala, Dilip Kumar and Durga Khote. Produced by Shapoorji Pallonji and directed by K. Asif, the film released in 1960 revolving around the story of Mughal Prince Salim (played by Dilip Kumar) and his love affair with Anarkali, a court dancer (played by Madhubala) which leads to a war between Salim and his father, Emperor Akbar (played by Prithviraj Kapoor)
Dharmaputra (1961)
Based on Acharya Chatursen’s novel, ‘Dharamputra’, Yash Chopra directed a 1961 Hindi film by the same name produced by his elder brother B.R. Chopra. Dharmputra was Yash Chopra’s second directorial project and India’s first Hindi film to showcase the partition of India. The issues of communalism, fanaticism, religious extremism and bigotry were tackled with the backdrop of partition. The film won Best Feature Film Award at the 9th National Film Awards in which Shashi Kapoor played the key role of a Hindu fundamentalist.
Shaheed (1965)
Shaheed was one of the most prominent patriotic films based on India’s Independence struggle. Based on the life of Bhagat Singh, Shaheed was produced by Kewal Kashyap and directed by S Ram Sharma with stars like Manoj Kumar, Kamini Kaushal, Iftekhar, Nirupa Roy, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri and Anwar Hussain helming the cast. Shaheed was Manoj Kumar’s first patriotic film.
Amrapali (1966)
Starring Vyjayanthimala and Sunil Dutt in lead roles, Amrapali was a historical film directed by Lekh Tandon. Based on the life of Amrapali, the film was India’s entry for foreign language film to the Oscars. Though the film failed to achieve commercial success, it became a classic for its cinematography and anti-war sentiment.
Gandhi (1982)
Directed by Veteran filmmaker Richard Attenborough, this Oscar winning film captured the essence of Bapu with immortality. Ben Kingsley played the role of Mahatma Gandhi to perfection.
Sardar (1993)
Ketan Mehta’s Sardar is all about Sardar Vallabhai Patel, also called as the “Ironman of India”. Paresh Rawal essayed the title role and delivered one of his finest performances.
Border (1997)
Border is a 1997 Indian war drama film based on the Battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, produced and directed by J. P. Dutta. The film starred an ensemble cast of Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles. The film is an adaptation from real life events that happened at the Battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Asoka (2001)
The film is based on the early life of Emperor Asoka, of Maurya Dynasty, who ruled most of the Indian subcontinent of the 2rd Century BCE. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Ajith Kumar, Hrishita Bhatt and Danny Denzongpa.
Lagaan (2001)
The film is set in the Victorian period of India’s colonial British Raj. The story revolves around a small village whose inhabitants, burdened by high taxes, find themselves in an extraordinary situation as an arrogant officer challenges them to a game of cricket as a wager to avoid the taxes. The narrative spins around this situation as the villagers face the arduous task of learning the alien game and playing for a result that will change their village’s destiny.
Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005)
The film is based on the story of Indian soldier, Mangal Pandey, who sparked the Indian rebellion, first war of Indian Independence. Mangal Pandey: The Rising was a drama film directed by Ketan Mehta starring Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Toby Stephens, Coral Breed, Ameesha Patel and Kirron Kher in lead roles.
Netaji Subhashchandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2005)
A founder of the Azad Hind Fauj, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose played a pivotal role in India’s freedom struggle. Written and directed by Shyam Benegal, the film starred Sachin Khedekar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajit Kapur, Arif Zakaria and Divya Dutt. The biographical war film described the life of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
Jodha Akbar (2008)
An Ashutosh Gowariker masterpiece striking up the romance between Mughal Emperor Akbar and his Rajput Queen Jodhabai, Jodha Akbar was a historic film well worth watching for its visual elegance and rich detailing along with the spectacular performances of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai.
Bajirao Mastani (2015)
Sanjay Leela Bhansali yet again proved his prowess as he shed light on the life of Maratha Empire’s Greatest Warrior, Peshwa Bajirao. Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone delivered stellar performances in the film and went onto become one of the biggest hits of the year.
