Hindi films and patriotism go hand in hand. We have seen subjects like India Pakistan rivalry’s, India under British rule and so on.

These subjects are repetitive in movies. Specially when the Republic Day, Independence Days are around filmmakers often chose the same background, same issues. We asked about this pattern to noted writer producer Aseem Arrora who is responsible for films like Bell Bottom, Mission Majnu and The Sabarmati Report and many more.
He says,”Since our partition the political situation has been such that Pakistan became our number one enemy. When I say that I only intend to speak for their leadership at large and their defense forces and ISI. They have been guilty of triggering three wars and multiple state sponsored terror attacks on the Indian soil. We have fought back and resultantly most of the patriotic content we have created are based on these true stories which shows Pakistan in the deserving bad light. I don’t agree that it’s the only  Hindu- Muslim dynamic that cinema / OTT uses. Both religions have been living together in India. One of our greatest war heroes is PVC Havildar Abdul Hamid.”

So how one can ensure your stories stand out and avoid falling into the trap of predictable narratives?

He says,”By trying to turn the tropes on their heads. Yes a cliche is a cliche because it works but if it lands in the pit of predictability and makes your content boring you must turn it around. My all time favourite patriotic films would be Haqeeqat and Bhagat Singh. Both the films delved deep into the psyche of a soldier and a freedom fighter. These films just don’t do lip service but show what the fight for nation truly takes.”

Aseem who has written films like Heroes, Mission Majnu and Bell Bottom is ready with two more scripts. One based on a war hero which Aseem wants Sandeep Modi to direct and another one is with T-series.