5 reasons why the patriotic films of 2024 have not worked so far!

Out of everything that has made it to pop culture this year, patriotic films have just not been it. Here’s why!

In the first half of 2024, we had a plethora of patriotic films and apart from just being watered down versions of each other, none of them really stuck to us as an audience. In the past two years, very few Bollywood films have been able to give us the emotion that we’re looking for in a film. Be it rom-coms, action or patriotic films, there has barely been anything that has resonated with a large number of audiences. In fact, when we truly want to watch a good patriotic film, we have to go back to the early 2000s where films were made with a lot of heart and soul. The fact that we have to keep going back in time instead of enjoying what we currently have, says a lot about why patriotic films this year are not able to keep us hooked to the story the way they once used to!

Also Read: 15 patriotic songs that give you goosebumps and awaken the patriotic spirit in you!

Here's why we think so!

There’s too much violence in the name of patriotism 

Somehow, over the years, patriotism has become synonymous to violence in movies. The way a hero proves to be ‘patriotic’ is by beating up the bad guys or going above and beyond to kill the enemy in the name of his country. It might look great in the action genre but just does not translate into patriotism.

The hero saves the day at the cost of defying logic

Fighter was an example of how everything else takes a back seat….even science when it comes to patriotism. The aerial stunts in both Fighter and Yodha just stopped making sense after a point. It is one thing to save hostages but it is entirely another to park a plane outside a building like it’s your local scooty!

The lines are blurred between patriotism and propaganda 

Often, in the name of patriotism, a propaganda film is shown to us. It's made with the moral of telling the world that this is the ultimate truth when we all know that it isn’t. There’s always more to a story even when it appears black and white. Especially when the agenda is so in the face that there is no room to think about anything else but that.

Fail to touch your heart as they once did

We’ve had films like Chak De India where the ‘70 minute’ monologue still remains iconic even years later. But patriotic films today just do not have that charm, whether it is the dialogues or the songs. It is not what the story needs, it is what the makers think the audience wants to hear today and they lose our interest in the process. Another reason why patriotic films do not have heart these days is because they're all just watered down versions of each other. Pathan and Jawaan worked well at the box office last year and ever since then, it's felt like filmmakers have been copy pasting their work. Back in the day, we had varied patriotic films like Chak De India and Lagaan, while both fall in the same genre, they're poles apart in nature from one another.

Separating the audience instead of unifying them

The early 2000s patriotic films united its audience in a way where everyone felt the same emotion; we were all on the edge of our seats while watching these films, no matter what our individual political opinions were, it brought all kinds of people together. But patriotic films today, only cater to a certain kind of audience, the more massy viewers who do have similar ideologies when it comes to defining patriotism. 

What do you think of patriotic films that have released so far this year? Tell us in the comments below!

For more reviews, follow us on @socialketchupbinge.