Things are hotting up! Vicky Kaushal’s much-awaited biographical Sam Bahadur, in which the Bollywood hunk plays legendary Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Chief of the Army during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, is all set for release. And Indian audiences, who have always loved a war hero, cannot wait for it to hit the screens. The buzz on Sam Bahadur is high because the film’s trailer has triggered a fascination for war films all over again that was first sparked off by Sunny Deol’s Border in 1997, continued to burn brightly with Vicky’s Uri: The Surgical Strike in 2019 and simmers still with Siddharth Malhotra’s Shershaah in 2021. Now, Vicky is back in Army uniform and the patriotic fervour is peaking. In the countdown to Sam Bahadur’s release, here’s a recap of some outstanding Bollywood war films that have struck a chord in our hearts over the last few decades. 

1. Border (1997) – Starring Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff and Akshaye Khanna, the film follows the story of 120 Indian soldiers posted at the Longewala region in Rajasthan’s Thar desert who go up against a large Pakistani strike force. The film is set in the year 1971 and its backdrop is the major Indo-Pakistani war. It was directed by J.P Dutta.

2. Lakshya (2004) – Directed by Farhan Akhtar, Lakshya features Hrithik Roshan who portrays the role of Karan Shergill, a young man who joins the Indian Army. On finding the life of a soldier to be tough, he backs out and becomes a failure in the eyes of his girlfriend. Following the conflict he goes through, he decides to return to the base once again to prove himself.

3. Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) – Featuring Vicky Kaushal in the role of Major Vihaan Singh Shergill of the Indian Army, the film is based on the operation led against the group of militants who attacked a base in Uri, Kashmir, in 2016 causing major loss of lives. The film was directed by Aditya Dhar and is most famous for Vicky’s inspiring roar to his troops, How’s the josh!” 

4. Gunjan Saxena (2020) – The film follows the journey of a young girl Gunjan Saxena (portrayed by Janhvi Kapoor) who dreams of becoming a pilot. Facing several challenges, she keeps working on her goal and eventually becomes the India’s first female combat pilot in the Kargil War. The film showed a gritty side of young Janhvi that was loved by the Dhadak actress’ fans. It was directed by Sharan Sharma.

5. Shershaah (2021) – The film follows a tragic story of a young man, Vikram Batra (portrayed by Sidharth Malhotra), who dreams of becoming a soldier and after rigorous training does achieve this ambition but gets killed in the Kargil War after majorly contributing to India’s victory.