India’s conflict with Pakistan and China has always attracted film-makers to create movies on the subject of war and Indian Army. Some movies are produced to pay tribute to the brave defence forces, while some are created just to cash the emotion of the viewers.
In the last decade we have seen several old and new Bollywood movies on patriotism and army’s life. However, there are only a few that cut to the top of the list. In this article we will discuss about the best Bollywood movies on Indian Army, Navy and Airforce soldiers who shed their blood and sweat for the country.
The article includes all the popular movie titles from 60s till date, so we have got everything covered in the list.
List of the Best Bollywood Movies on Indian Army
Cut the chores and get ready with your family to feel the adrenaline rush because these thriller and action movies are sure to give you goosebumps.
1) Haqeeqat
| Main Cast | Dharmendra, Priya Rajvansh, Vijay Anand, Sanjay Khan |
| Release Date | 1964 |
| Runtime | 3h 4m |
| Genre | War/Action |
| IMDB Rating | 7.9/10 |
| Director | Chetan Anand |
Haqeeqat is a hindi war-drama movie released in 1964. The film is based on Indo-China war that broke out in 1962. The movie showcases the brave Indian troops who fought with the Chinese army to safeguard their territory. The film received the National Award for second best film in 1965. Haqeeqat is also the first Indian Army movie which premiered in 2012 on Independence day
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2) Border
| Main Cast | Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Akshaye Khanna, Tabu, Pooja Bhatt, Sharbani Mukherjee, Puneet Issar, Sudesh Beri, |
| Release Date | 1997 |
| Runtime | 2h 56m |
| Genre | War/Action |
| IMDB Rating | 7.9/10 |
| Director | J.P Dutta |
Discussing about the Best Army oriented Bollywood films and not including Border in it would be a big crime. The blockbuster film Border when released in 1997 broke all the records at the box-office. The story of the film is inspired from the events of 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. Border is one of those films which showcases the participation of Indian Air Force and Army in the battle of Longewala.
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3) Tirangaa
| Main Cast | Raaj Kumar, Nana Patekar, Mamta Kulkarni, Varsha Usgaonkar |
| Release Date | 1993 |
| Runtime | 2h 48m |
| Genre | Action/Drama |
| IMDB Rating | 6.8/10 |
| Director | Mehul Kumar |
Tirangaa is not a regular Army oriented film, however it definitely needs mentioning. The film is based on a Patriotic man ‘Brigadier Suryadev Singh’ (played by Raaj kumar), who saves India from Gundaswami and his subordinates, who launched the missile towards the country.
In this hindi action drama film, we see a series of events and clashes between Brigadier and Gundaswami (main Villain).
There are several popular dialogues of Raaj Kumar in Tirangaa which is worth mentioning.
- Joh Bhaari Nah Ho, Woh Dushmani Hi Kya.
- Yeh Commando Bada Khatarnaak Hai, Tumhara Baap Hai.
- Hum Aankhon Se Soorma Nahin Churate, Hum Aankhen Hi Chura Lete Hain.
- Hamari Zabaan Bhi Hamari Goli Ki Tarah, Dushmanon Se Seedhe Baat Karti Hai.
- Hum Kisi Se Bhi, Kisi Waqt Bhi, Kahin Bhi Mil Sakte Hain, Hamara Jab Dil Chaahe.
- Apna Toh Ussool Hai, Pehle Mulaqat, Phir Baat, Aur Phir Agar Zaroorat Pare Toh Laat.
- Na Talwaar Ki Dhaar Se, Na Goliyon Ki Bauchaar Se, Banda Darta Hai Toh Sirf Parvar Digaar Se.
- Jaani Hum Tumhe Woh Maut Denge, Joh Na To Kisi Kanoon Ki Kitaab Mein Likhi Hogi, Aur Na Hi Kabhi Kisi Mujrim Ne Sochi Hogi.
5) Lakshya
| Main Cast | Hritik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan |
| Release Date | 2004 |
| Runtime | 3h 6m |
| Genre | War/Drama |
| IMDB Rating | 7.8/10 |
| Director | Farhan Akhtar |
Lakshya is a coming-of-age hindi war drama film released in 2004. The movie is about the aimless young man from Delhi who joins the Indian army and grow himself into a soldier to make his girlfriend proud. The film features Hritik Roshan, Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta in the main lead. Despite its average box office success, the film added several Filmfare nominations to its list.
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6) LOC-Kargil
| Main Cast | Ajay Devgan, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Suniel Shetty, Rani Mukherji, Akshaye Khanna, Kareena Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Sanjay Kapoor, Nagarjuna, Isha Deol, Raveena Tandon, Ashutosh Rana, Mahima Choudhary, Divya Dutta, Namrata Shirodkar |
| Release Date | 2003 |
| Runtime | 4h 15m |
| Genre | War/Action |
| IMDB Rating | 5.4/10 |
| Director | J.P Dutta |
After the success of Border, J.P Dutta ventured the multistarrer historical war film released in 2003. The story of the film is inspired from the real events of Kargil war, happened between India and Pakistan in 1999. LOC Kargil is the only Indian army movie with a run time of over 4 hours. The film did not received success at the box office but it stayed in our hearts forever.
7) Vijeta
| Main Cast | Shashi Kapoor, Rekha, Supriya Pathak, Kunal Kapoor |
| Release Date | 1982 |
| Runtime | 2h 31m |
| Genre | War/Drama |
| IMDB Rating | 7.8/10 |
| Director | Govind Nihalani |
Vijeta is a hindi Bollywood film produced by Shashi Kapoor. The movie features Shashi Kapoor’s son ‘Kunal Kapoor’ (as Angad) as a confused man who doesn’t know what to do in his life. The film shows Angad’s journey and his struggles while transitioning from a confused man to an Indian Airforce pilot.
8) Prahaar
| Main Cast | Nana Patekar, Gautam Joglekar, Madhuri Dixit, Dimple Kapadia |
| Release Date | 1991 |
| Runtime | 2h 46m |
| Genre | Action/Thriller |
| IMDB Rating | 8.0/10 |
| Director | Nana Patekar |
Prahaar is a Bollywood action drama film written and directed by Nana Patekar. The story revolves around four primary characters of the film: Major Chouhan (Nana Patekar), Gautam Joglekar (Peter D’souza), Madhuri Dixit (Shirley), Dimple Kapadia (Kiran). Peter is an Indian Army Officer who’s father wants him to run bakery instead. Major Chouhan is a strict army officer who gives commando training to the cadets. However, Peter doesn’t like him and wants to run away from the training. Major warns him that if runs away from the situation he will be seen as coward. Which inspires him, he completes the training and secures the top rank. Prahaar is a must watch film based on commando training and army’s personal and professional life.
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9) Shaurya
| Main Cast | Kay Kay Menon, Rahul Bose, Minissha Lamba, Amrita Rao, Deepak Dobriyal |
| Release Date | 2008 |
| Runtime | 2h 29m |
| Genre | Court Drama |
| IMDB Rating | 7.3/10 |
| Director | Samar Khan |
The Shaurya is a hindi language court drama movie which revolves around the muslim Indian Army Officer Javed Khan who got of killing his senior officer. The film has ensemble cast of Kay Kay Menon, Rahul Bose, Javed Jaffrey, Deepak Dobriyal, Minnisha Lamba and Pankaj Tripathi, whose acting and screen presence made it one of the best army movies in Bollywood history.
10) Hindustan Ki Kasam
| Main Cast | Raaj Kumar, Amjad Khan, Priya Rajvansh, Balraj Sahani |
| Release Date | 1973 |
| Runtime | 2h 26m |
| Genre | War/Action |
| IMDB Rating | 6.8/10 |
| Director | Chetan Anand |
Hindustan Ki Kasam is a Bollywood war film which is based on the operation called ‘Cactus Lilly’ performed during 1971’s Indo-Pak war. The movie features Raaj Kumar, Amjad Khan, Amrish Puri and Balraj Sahni in the main lead. The film was directed by Chetan Anand. And it wasn’t as successful as the other army films of the same league.
11) Tango Charlie
| Main Cast | Bobby Deol, Ajay Devgan, Suniel Shetty, Sanjay Dutt |
| Release Date | 2005 |
| Runtime | 2h 23m |
| Genre | War/Action |
| IMDB Rating | 6.1/10 |
| Director | Mani Shankar |
Tango Charlie is an action war film directed by Mani Shankar. The film is about an Indian Sepoy Tarun Chauhan (played by Bobby Deol) who gets stuck in the middle of the Indo-Pak war and emerged as the true soldier. The movie has an ensemble cast of Bobby Deol, Ajay Devgan, Suniel Shetty, Sanjay Dutt, Nandana Sen, Tanisha Mukherji and Shahbaz Khan.
12) 1971
| Main Cast | Manoj Bajpayee, Ravi Kishan, Deepak Dobriyal, Piyush Mishra, Manav Kaul, Kumud Mishra |
| Release Date | 2007 |
| Runtime | 2h 40m |
| Genre | War/Action |
| IMDB Rating | 8.2/10 |
| Director | Amrit Sagar |
1971 is a hindi war-film based on the true story of Prisoners of War, who were captured during the 1971 Indo-Pak warfare. This is one of the best Bollywood movie on Indian Army till date. The film also received a National Film Award for the being the best feature film in hindi language.
13) Holiday: A Solider is Never Off Duty
| Main Cast | Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, |
| Release Date | 2014 |
| Runtime | 2h 50m |
| Genre | Action/Thriller |
| IMDB Rating | 7.2/10 |
| Director | A.R Murugadoss |
Holiday is the hindi feature film released in 2014. As the name suggests ‘A Soldier is Never Off Duty’, the same goes with the Captain Virat Bakshi (Akshay Kumar), who returns to his home town for a holiday, but returns to action as soon as he witness the bomb blast.
14) URI: The Surgical Strike
| Main Cast | Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam, Paresh Rawal, Mohit Raina |
| Release Date | 2019 |
| Runtime | 2h 18m |
| Genre | Action/War |
| IMDB Rating | 8.2/10 |
| Director | Aditya Dhar |
There are several Bollywood movies on Army but URI needs special mention. The film is inspired from the real events of the Pathankot attack where several Indian soldiers were killed. URI tried to recreate the events that would have happened during the successful operation of the surgical strike. The film features Vicky Kaushal, Mohit Raina, Yami Gautam, Kirti Kulhari and Paresh Rawal in the main lead.
15) Shershaah
| Main Cast | Siddharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani |
| Release Date | 2021 |
| Runtime | 2h 15m |
| Genre | Action |
| IMDB Rating | 8.3/10 |
| Director | Vishnuvardhan |
Shershaah is the one of the most successful and latest Bollywood film on Army. The film is a biographical war film based on the real life of Indian Army officer Vikram Batra who got martyred during the Kargil war. The film was written by Sandeep Shrivastava and produced by Karan Johar under the banner of Dharma Productions.
16) Satellite Shankar
| Main Cast | Sooraj Pancholi, Salman Khan, Megha Akash, Palomi Ghosh |
| Release Date | 2019 |
| Runtime | 2h 2m |
| Genre | Action/Drama |
| IMDB Rating | 6.3/10 |
| Director | Irfan Kamal |
Satellite Shankar is an action thriller film which features Sooraj Pancholi in the main lead. In this film Sooraj is playing the character of a soldier named ‘Shankar’, who gets injured during firing but instead of taking rest he prefers to go on duty and serve the nation. The film did not do well at the box office but it can be watched for the sake of patriotism and love towards nation.
17) Gunjan Saxena
| Main Cast | Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi |
| Release Date | 2020 |
| Runtime | 1h 52m |
| Genre | Biopic/Action/Drama |
| IMDB Rating | 5.5/10 |
| Director | Ali Khan, Sharan Sharma |
Gunjan Saxena is a biopic of a helicopter pilot who joined the Indian Airforce in 1996. She became the first woman to fly over the combat zone during the Kargil War. In this film, Janhvi Kapoor played the role of Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena who served the nation from 1996 till 2004.
