Border 2 To Ikkis: 5 Patriotic Movies To Watch This Republic Day 2026

Republic Day marks the day in 1950 when our Indian Constitution came into effect. On January 26, 2026, India will celebrate its 77th Republic Day. The Republic Day celebrations will be held at Kartavya Path, commemorating 150 years of the national song Vande Mataram as the main theme of the parade.

This Republic Day, you can indulge yourself in some patriotic films with your family and friends. From Ikkis to Border 2, we have listed down an extensive range of movies that you can enjoy this Republic Day in theatres and on OTT.

Top 5 movies to watch on Republic Day 2026

Ikkis

Sriram Raghavan's Ikkis chronicles the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was martyred at the age of 21. He was posthumously honoured with India's highest military recognition, the Param Vir Chakra, for his valour and dedication in the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 India–Pakistan War.

The film was released in theatres on January 1 and opened to positive reviews. Ikkis is more than a war drama. It's a film about emotions, grief, sacrifice, dedication, and legacy without chest-thumping patriotism.

It starred Dharmendra, Agastya Nanda, Jaideep Ahalwat, Deepak Dobriyal, Rahul Dev, Sikandar Kher, and Vivaan Shah, among others, in pivotal roles.

Ikkis is a perfect watch to watch in theatres this Republic Day.

Border 2

A spiritual sequel to the 1997 blockbuster, Border 2 is headlined by Sunny Deol, alongside Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty. Directed by Anurag Singh, the war drama hit the screens on January 23, receiving an overwhelming response and performing well at the box office. Sunny Deol and Varun Dhawan have received rave reviews for their outstanding performances. Many called Deol the "soul" of the film.

Border was about the Battle of Longewala, while the sequel is about Operation Chengiz Khan, which started the Indo-Pak war in 1971.

Deol is seen in a new character as commanding officer Lt. Col. Fateh Singh Kaler, Varun plays Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, while Diljit is seen as air force officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, and Ahan Shetty portrays navy officer Lt. M. S. Rawat.

Mona Singh, Sonam Bajwa, Anya Singh, and Medha Sharma round out the cast as female leads.

Dhurandhar

Ranveer Singh-starrer hit the screens on December 5. The spy thriller opened to split reviews, with praise for its grand scale, high-octane action sequences, visuals, background score and performances, but also received criticism for the intense violence, hyper-nationalism and anti-Pakistan propaganda. Despite mixed reviews, the film emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025.

Inspired by real-life events such as the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Aditya Dhar-directed film also starred Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun, among others, in significant roles.

120 Bahadur

Headlined by Farhan Akhtar, 120 Bahadur is based on the Battle of Rezang La in 1962. It recounts the Battle of Rezang La during the Sino-Indian War, focusing on the unparalleled courage and sacrifice of the soldiers from the Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment, who fought against a huge 3000-strong Chinese Army. 

Farhan played the legendary martyr Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, for his bravery.

Directed by Razneesh ‘Razy’ Ghai, the film also starred Raashii Khanna, Sparsh Walia, Vivan Bhatena, Dhanveer Singh, Digvijay Pratap, Sahib Verma, Ankit Siwach, Devendra Ahirwar, Ashutosh Shukla, Brijesh Karanwal, Atul Singh, Ajinkya Deo and Eijaz Khan in significant roles.

You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video.

Kesari 2

Starring Akshay Kumar, R Mahavan and Ananya Panday, Kesari 2 is an ode to India's freedom movement and to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh.

Akshay plays the role of lawyer C. Sankaran Nair, who exposes the deceit and lies of the British Raj, revealing the truth of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. He fought against General Dyer and the British Empire. R Madhavan, who portrayed lawyer Neville McKinley, defended the British government. It is currently streaming on JioHotstar.