Patriotism, then ...

Indian cinema was born at a time when the British Raj had already imposed severe restrictions on Indian nationalism. In 1910, the Indian Press Act curbed the freedom of the press. But by 1913, the writing was on the wall. The rise of Indian nationalism had trickled to the masses and was here to stay.

The Indian National Congress (INC) had already started mobilising the masses to fight for their freedom. And naturally, the film industry couldn't keep away from this nationalistic atmosphere. But given the circumstances, it was practically impossible to openly raise a voice of dissent or rebellion. So, film-makers started attacking the imperialist government in a roundabout way. They chose historical characters and heroes from the past as subjects for their films and used the tales of their bravery to rouse nationalist sentiments in the people.

In 1913, Dadasaheb Phalke released the first Indian feature film, Raja Harishchandra on May 03, at Coronation Cinema in Bombay. In an attempt to clamp down on the alarming rise of nationalist cinema, the Cinematography Act was passed in 1918. And in 1920, the rules and regulations for the Censor Board were formalised.

But that could not curtail Indian film-makers. The next hero to come alive on the silver screen was emperor Ashoka. Called Samrat Ashoka, the film was released in 1922 and was made by Madan Theatres of Calcutta. Baburao Painter of the Maharashtra Film Company made three similar films -- Kalyan Khajina and Sati Padmini in 1924 and Bhakta Prahlad in 1926. Sati Padmini was greatly appreciated by the London press and featured in the Wembelley Exhibition, as well. In 1926, Diwan Bhamasha (The Lion of Mewar), directed by Mohan Bhavnani of Imperial Films, was yet another film based on a hero from Indian history. This time, it was Rana Pratap urging people to make sacrifices for the cause of freedom. In 1927, V Shantaram directed his first film, Netaji Palkar for the Prabhat Film Company, which again talked about nationalism. In 1930, Shantaram made another stirring film, Swarajya Toran (The Flag of Freedom) which depicted Shivaji's fight for freedom. The British objected to the film's title because it had the word `Swaraj' in it.

He changed the name to Udaykal (Thunder of the Hills) but that was not enough. Shantaram was also asked to cut a scene which showed soldiers unfurling a flag, following victory.

Bhalji Pendharkar's film Shyam Sunder, made in 1932, was another notable film.

Producer-director J B H Wadia was a member of the INC from 1930 to 1938 and his films obviously propagated nationalism. Hunterwali directed by him for Wadia Movietone is a classic case. It shows a treacherous minister who arrests the king and harrasses his subjects. In order to get rid of the tyrannical minister, the princess moves through the kingdom in a man's garb and mobilies the people to fight against him. Finally, the subjects rebel.

What appeared to be an innocent fairy tale was actually a call for freedom. The film exhorted people to fight against the British Raj. The minister was actually the oppressive British government. In 1934, M Bhavnani made Mazdoor based on a Premchand story. The Censor Board banned this film as well because it depicted national figures and their teachings. Although not an extraordinary film, when it was released in theatres, mill workers went in such large numbers that the police had to lathi charge them at several places. The impact of the film was so great that mill workers actually started rebelling against their employers.

And, the tradition of the British government banning nationalist films began. It also laid down harsh rules preventing film-makers from portraying reality. The 37th rule of the Censor Board stated that British or Indian officers could not be shown in a bad light; the rebellion of princely states cannot be glorified; and a British citizen could not be demeaned on screen.

These rules were relaxed after April 1937. According to the August 1937 issue of Motion Picture Society of India, 17 banned films were released at this time. Of these, 14 films were related to Mahatma Gandhi. Film-makers thought that freedom had finally come to film. But after Nehru and Maulana Azad banned Indian participation in World War II, the government again restricted all activities of the INC and proved that their generosity in lifting the ban was a selfish move.

In protest against the suppression of their creativity, film-makers started showing pictures of Gandhi and Nehru and the charkha -- the symbol on the Indian flag even when it was not relevant to the scene. The film Seva Sadan, released in 1938, showed a group of women sitting at the charkha, with pictures of Gandhi and Nehru in the background. Such scenes created ripples in society and people were getting eager for independence. After World War II broke out in 1939, the British government banned the presence of Gandhi, Nehru, or any other Congress leader on the big screen.

But progressive film-makers like Sohrab Modi of Minerva Movietone could not be gagged. He made Pukar in 1939 and Sikander in 1941. Through the story of Emperor Jehangir, Pukar gave the call for freedom. And in Sikander, this was taken forward through the character of King Porus. A scene depicting a soldiers' rebellion caught the eyes of the British government and despite being cleared by the Bombay Censor Board, the film was banned from screening in Army theatres. Yet, this film continued to be popular among the masses for a long time.

Gandhi launched the Quit India movement in August 1942. And in the 1943 -- in direct response to the mood of the moment -- a stage song `Door Hato Ai Duniyawalon Hindustan Hamara Hai' written by Pradeep was specially added to the film Kismat.

...and now

After Independence, the target of attack changed. The British rulers were replaced by social culprits, smugglers and corruption-mongers. Nationalism still ruled. Instead of the freedom struggle, India's wars in the following decade dictated patriotic cinema. For example, Chetan Anand's Haqueeqat made in 1964 dealt with the Indo-China war. Hindustan Ki Kasam, released in 1973 was another war film. K A Abbas's Saat Hindustani spoke of national integration through seven people from different communities who joined hands to fight for the liberation of the Portugese colony of Goa.

Other films like Hum Hindustani (1960) and Naya Daur (1957), predicted the changed atmosphere in free India and the importance of unity. V Shantaram's Do Aankhe Barah Haath (1957) was on the necessity of rehabilitating criminals, a problem a newly-free country would have to deal with.

The `80s had Padmalaya Film's Meri Aawaz Suno (1981) and Manoj Kumar's Kranti (1981). Later that decade Tamas (1987 ) by Govind Nihalani and Watan Ke Rakhwale (1987) were released. But the decade belonged to Richard Attenborough's Gandhi.

The `90s kicked off with Ravi Raja's Pratibandh (1990) and started a fashion of sorts. In 1993, Vinod Chopra's 1942, A Love Story, Mani Ratnam's Roja and Ketan Mehta's Sardar were released. In the last year itself, Gulzar's Maachis, Priyadarshan's Sazza-E-Kaalapani and J P Dutta's Border were released. These films have drawn huge crowds and evoked passionate reactions. Patriotism still sells.