After Operation Sindoor, filmmakers made a beeline to register titles related to it. The tussle of title rights doesn’t come as a surprise given the rise in number of films related to the armed forces. In the past, Army veterans have told us that while films on the forces have improved technically with the use of CGI, VFX, and other special effects, the storylines are still lacking. They picked films like Haqeeqat (1964), Border (1997) and Lakshya (2004) as their personal favourites when it comes to authentic portrayal.
In the recent years, 2019’s Uri has been a gamechanger, along with Kesari (2019) and Shershaah (2021). Despite the high volume of films based on the armed forces, most have barely managed to pique audience interest. We take a look at some recent war films and how they performed:
Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019)
Aditya Dhar’s military drama, led by Vicky Kaushal, gave the country a new war cry, ‘How’s the josh?’. It was based on the 2016 Uri terrorist attack, carried out by four heavily armed Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists and the Indian Army’s retaliatory surgical strike on terrorist infrastructure across the Line of Control (LoC). The film ran in the theatres for almost 13 weeks.
India Net Collection: Rs 244.14 crore
Audience verdict: Hit
Kesari (2019)
Directed by Anurag Singh and starring Akshay Kumar, the film is based on the Battle of Saragarhi (1897), where 21 Sikh soldiers fought against 10,000 Afghan invaders. It includes some rousing speeches of patriotism amid the bloody action on the battlefield.
India Net Collection: Rs 155.70 crore
Audience verdict: Hit
Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020)
Starring Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, and Angad Bedi, this biopic – which released on OTT – follows Gunjan Saxena, the first IAF woman pilot to serve in the 1999 Kargil war.
Audience verdict: Average
The Ghazi Attack (2017)
Directed by Sankalp Reddy, the film explores the naval conflict between India and Pakistan, centred around the sinking of the PNS Ghazi submarine in the 1971 war. The film received critical acclaim.
India Net Collection: Rs 20.30 crore
Audience verdict: Average
Shershaah (2021)
The incredible real-life story of Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra received a sincere and heartfelt portrayal in Vishnu Varadhan’s film, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani. The film, a direct-to-OTT release, stood out for its well-choreographed action sequences and a committed performance by Sidharth. Varadhan made a conscious effort to steer clear of jingoism, opting instead for a grounded and respectful tribute.
Audience verdict: Hit (Prime Video claimed film was viewed in 4,100 Indian towns and cities as well as in 210 countries)
Sam Bahadur (2023)
Meghna Gulzar’s biopic on India’s first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw highlights his 40-year military career. It covers his days in the Indian Military Academy, and fighting in World War II to the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation.
India Net Collection: Rs 93.95 croree
Audience verdict: Average
Bhuj: The Pride of India (2021)
Set during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, this Ajay Devgn–starrer OTT film tells the real-life story of IAF Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik, who rebuilt an entire airbase in Bhuj with the help of 300 local women.
Audience verdict: Average
Fighter (2024)
The Hrithik Roshan–Deepika Padukone film is a fictionalised account of military events between India and Pakistan in 2019, including the Pulwama attack and the retaliatory Balakot airstrike.
India Net Collection: Rs 212.73 crore
Audience verdict: Average
Sky Force (2025)
The Akshay Kumar and Veer Pahariya-led film is a retelling of India’s retaliatory airstrike on Pakistan’s Sargodha airbase during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war.
India Net Collection: Rs 112.75 crore
Audience verdict: Average
Paltan (2018)
The war drama by JP Dutta is based on the 1967 Nathu La pass clashes along the Sikkim border.
India Net Collection: Rs 10.26 crore
Audience verdict: Lukewarm
Tejas (2023)
Written and directed by Sarvesh Mewara, the film features Kangana Ranaut as an Indian Air Force pilot.
India Net Collection: Rs 6.2 crore
Audience verdict: Lukewarm
Pippa (2023)
Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, the web film Pippa follows the Battle of Garibpur during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Audience verdict: Lukewarm
The most loved war dramas
Border (1997)
JP Dutta’s iconic war epic was one of the early Bollywood war dramas where war was not just the backdrop of a love story but was the centre of the narrative. The film’s story was inspired by the Battle of Longewala between India and Pakistan during the war of 1971. The song Sandese Aate Hain gave the nation a patriotic anthem, which is popular to this day, and the film featured hundreds of real soldiers. “Border was the best film of that era. It looked very real, and we indeed need films like these,” said Major (retd) Sandeep Sangwan in an earlier interview.
India Net Collection: Rs 39.3 crore
Lakshya (2004)
Farhan Akhtar’s 2004 film avoided stereotypes of a war drama. Set against the backdrop of the 1999 Kargil War, the film explored the theme of self-discovery. “Lakshya is not loud, it doesn’t have jingoism. All the details are accurate, be it the uniform or the operations procedure. It also explored the impact of war on a soldier and the people around him,” said Brigadier (retd) Gautam Ganguly in an earlier interview. The film, though couldn’t get a decent footfall during its theatrical release, it earned the cult status over the years.
India Net Collection: Rs 23.39 crore
Upcoming War Dramas
Of late, there has been a resurgence of war films in Hindi cinema. Here are a few titles currently in the works:
In the recent years, 2019’s Uri has been a gamechanger, along with Kesari (2019) and Shershaah (2021). Despite the high volume of films based on the armed forces, most have barely managed to pique audience interest. We take a look at some recent war films and how they performed:
Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019)
Aditya Dhar’s military drama, led by Vicky Kaushal, gave the country a new war cry, ‘How’s the josh?’. It was based on the 2016 Uri terrorist attack, carried out by four heavily armed Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists and the Indian Army’s retaliatory surgical strike on terrorist infrastructure across the Line of Control (LoC). The film ran in the theatres for almost 13 weeks.
India Net Collection: Rs 244.14 crore
Audience verdict: Hit
Kesari (2019)
Directed by Anurag Singh and starring Akshay Kumar, the film is based on the Battle of Saragarhi (1897), where 21 Sikh soldiers fought against 10,000 Afghan invaders. It includes some rousing speeches of patriotism amid the bloody action on the battlefield.
India Net Collection: Rs 155.70 crore
Audience verdict: Hit
Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020)
Starring Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, and Angad Bedi, this biopic – which released on OTT – follows Gunjan Saxena, the first IAF woman pilot to serve in the 1999 Kargil war.
Audience verdict: Average
The Ghazi Attack (2017)
Directed by Sankalp Reddy, the film explores the naval conflict between India and Pakistan, centred around the sinking of the PNS Ghazi submarine in the 1971 war. The film received critical acclaim.
India Net Collection: Rs 20.30 crore
Audience verdict: Average
Shershaah (2021)
The incredible real-life story of Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra received a sincere and heartfelt portrayal in Vishnu Varadhan’s film, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani. The film, a direct-to-OTT release, stood out for its well-choreographed action sequences and a committed performance by Sidharth. Varadhan made a conscious effort to steer clear of jingoism, opting instead for a grounded and respectful tribute.
Audience verdict: Hit (Prime Video claimed film was viewed in 4,100 Indian towns and cities as well as in 210 countries)
Sam Bahadur (2023)
Meghna Gulzar’s biopic on India’s first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw highlights his 40-year military career. It covers his days in the Indian Military Academy, and fighting in World War II to the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation.
India Net Collection: Rs 93.95 croree
Audience verdict: Average
Bhuj: The Pride of India (2021)
Set during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, this Ajay Devgn–starrer OTT film tells the real-life story of IAF Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik, who rebuilt an entire airbase in Bhuj with the help of 300 local women.
Audience verdict: Average
Fighter (2024)
The Hrithik Roshan–Deepika Padukone film is a fictionalised account of military events between India and Pakistan in 2019, including the Pulwama attack and the retaliatory Balakot airstrike.
India Net Collection: Rs 212.73 crore
Audience verdict: Average
Sky Force (2025)
The Akshay Kumar and Veer Pahariya-led film is a retelling of India’s retaliatory airstrike on Pakistan’s Sargodha airbase during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war.
India Net Collection: Rs 112.75 crore
Audience verdict: Average
Paltan (2018)
The war drama by JP Dutta is based on the 1967 Nathu La pass clashes along the Sikkim border.
India Net Collection: Rs 10.26 crore
Audience verdict: Lukewarm
Tejas (2023)
Written and directed by Sarvesh Mewara, the film features Kangana Ranaut as an Indian Air Force pilot.
India Net Collection: Rs 6.2 crore
Audience verdict: Lukewarm
Pippa (2023)
Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, the web film Pippa follows the Battle of Garibpur during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Audience verdict: Lukewarm
The most loved war dramas
Border (1997)
JP Dutta’s iconic war epic was one of the early Bollywood war dramas where war was not just the backdrop of a love story but was the centre of the narrative. The film’s story was inspired by the Battle of Longewala between India and Pakistan during the war of 1971. The song Sandese Aate Hain gave the nation a patriotic anthem, which is popular to this day, and the film featured hundreds of real soldiers. “Border was the best film of that era. It looked very real, and we indeed need films like these,” said Major (retd) Sandeep Sangwan in an earlier interview.
India Net Collection: Rs 39.3 crore
Lakshya (2004)
Farhan Akhtar’s 2004 film avoided stereotypes of a war drama. Set against the backdrop of the 1999 Kargil War, the film explored the theme of self-discovery. “Lakshya is not loud, it doesn’t have jingoism. All the details are accurate, be it the uniform or the operations procedure. It also explored the impact of war on a soldier and the people around him,” said Brigadier (retd) Gautam Ganguly in an earlier interview. The film, though couldn’t get a decent footfall during its theatrical release, it earned the cult status over the years.
India Net Collection: Rs 23.39 crore
Upcoming War Dramas
Of late, there has been a resurgence of war films in Hindi cinema. Here are a few titles currently in the works:
- Border 2
- Fauji
- 120 Bahadur
- Bharat Bhagya Vidhata
- Lahore 1947
- Love and War
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