Are We Really Free? | 11 Films To Watch This Independence Day

Freedom carries a different meaning for every person—whether liberation from stigma, societal diktats, gendered expectations or even the right to speak one’s mind. In a democracy like India, where the ruling powers relentlessly erode that meaning, it becomes both disheartening and imperative to remember the films that endure—using the medium as fertile ground to question, reclaim and redefine freedom from political, cultural, familial, patriarchal or deeply personal constraints. Too often, the idea of “patriotic” cinema is reduced to hollow jingoism. These are films that serve as a mouthpiece for religious and nationalist agendas, tightening their hold over a medium meant to reflect the voices of its creators and the people it serves. Yet, some works refuse to submit to such a blinkered vision. They cut through propaganda with clarity and conviction, framing freedom as something urgent, lived and fought for.

The following selection of 11 films from across India not only confronts and defends this ideal, but also celebrates it in ways that remain sharp, unyielding and unforgettable: 

Vinay Shukla’s tense, incisive newsroom documentary traces journalist Ravish Kumar through a turbulent moment in Indian media, casting a stark light on the fragility of press freedom. At its heart, the film embodies a journalism that speaks truth with courage, insisting on integrity amid rising propaganda, jingoism, and the shrinking space for dissent. It is an ideal Independence Day watch, redefining patriotism as the defense of democratic principles, rather than allegiance to the ruling government. It reminds viewers that real freedom lies in the right to question, critique, and inform without fear.

Bedabrata Pain’s film centres on Jhunku’s quest in pre-independence British Bangladesh, a young man searching for a space where he truly belongs. Rooted in the true events of the 1930 Chittagong Armoury Raid, the film traces the audacious struggle of Indian revolutionaries against colonial oppression. It embodies courage and sacrifice, rendering the collective pursuit of justice and belonging with striking clarity. With its raw, unflinching depiction of bravery and determination, Chittagong compels viewers to confront the price of freedom and the relentless spirit that forged it.

Swades, beyond showcasing one of Shah Rukh Khan’s most compelling performances, is a meditative study of personal and societal freedom. The narrative follows Mohan Bhargava, an NRI at NASA, who returns to India only to confront the unvarnished realities of rural life. It traces freedom not merely as escape from external constraints, but as a reclamation from emotional detachment, indifference, and disconnection from one’s origins. In striving to empower a village through education, water, and self-reliance, Mohan embodies the ethos of self-determination and collective awakening, honoring the community that underpinned his success. 

Vanessa Roth traces the journeys of five children from Dalit communities, as they enter a boarding school, created to break the cycle of poverty through education. Filmed over several years, it holds an unflinching gaze on their battles with caste prejudice, financial instability and inherited wounds, while also catching fleeting moments of joy, friendship, small victories, self-discovery and fierce ambition. At its core, the film frames freedom as a question of access—the power to choose and shape one’s course, once freed from systemic constraints. It asserts that real independence is not only political or social but personal, rooted in dismantling the structures that fix one’s value from birth.

Adapted from Dattani’s play On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, this landmark work is often cited as India’s first openly gay film. It speaks of the freedom to live and love without disguise, and the weight of breaking silence in a world quick to judge. Centred on two couples, it treats queer identities with rare tenderness for its time, rejecting caricature for honesty. In doing so, it turns into a quiet, yet defiant celebration of personal liberty. Its courage reminds us that the freedom to exist as oneself is vital.

Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh produce a striking documentary, chronicling the pivotal shift of Khabar Lahariya, India’s only newspaper led entirely by Dalit women, as it moves from print to digital. It frames their defiance with intimacy, following them as they confront familial resistance, caste prejudice, gendered restrictions, and political pushback, armed only with their phones and an unrelenting commitment to the truth. It is freedom in its most unvarnished form—the freedom of the press, of speech, of questioning authority, and of reclaiming the right to one’s own story, despite systemic chokeholds. As an Independence Day watch, it resonates deeply, reminding that the soul of liberty is measured not just in political autonomy but in the strength of its most marginalised voices to speak and be heard.

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s searing courtroom drama chronicles the ordeal of three women confronting sexual harassment and societal prejudice that scrutinises their sexuality and autonomy. Through powerful performances by Taapsee Pannu and Amitabh Bachchan, the film asserts the imperative of personal agency, consent, and the courage to assert one’s voice within a corrupt patriarchal framework. Pink shows that freedom extends beyond legal definitions into the everyday assertion of one’s rights, particularly a woman’s right to live unjudged, unthreatened, and unapologetically herself.

Rang De Basanti stands as a compelling ode to personal and collective freedom, tracing the awakening of contemporary youth, who confront systemic corruption and claim their civic responsibility. The film frames freedom not merely as the historical struggle against colonial rule, but as the courage to question authority, resist censorship, pursue truth, and assert agency within society. It painfully underscores what is silenced today—especially considering that Prasoon Joshi, the film’s writer, serves on the CBFC that suppresses dissenting voices. The film remains a testament to the enduring power of cinema and to an India, where freedom is as much about self-awareness and social accountability as it is about national pride.

Gulabi Gang is a gripping documentary tracing Sampat Devi Pal and her formidable band of pink sari-clad women vigilantes in rural Uttar Pradesh, as they confront patriarchy, femicide, caste violence, and systemic corruption. It is a portrait of freedom seized, not granted—wrested from the grip of complicit officials and apathetic law enforcers. At its core lies a reclamation of dignity, voice, and agency, carved into spaces that had long denied women the right to exist without fear.

Shazia Iqbal’s film confronts the relentless grip of caste discrimination, framing the pursuit of love and personal ambition as acts of defiance. Through Neelesh, a dalit man, and Vidhi, an upper-caste woman, the narrative transforms into a fierce arena where individual freedom clashes with societal constraints. The film refuses compromise, exposing the violence and prejudice that tether lives to rigid hierarchies. In doing so, it stakes a bold claim in a Bollywood rarely willing to interrogate its own structures. Its commercial reception, although disheartening, highlights the film’s courage and honesty, that is rare in today’s times.

Anubhav Sinha’s social drama lays bare the human toll of India’s 2020 COVID 19 lockdown. It captures the perilous journey of migrant workers trapped at a border checkpoint, evoking echoes of the 1947 Partition and the massive displacement it wrought. The film exposes the decay of human dignity under bureaucratic apathy, entrenched caste hierarchies, and persistent social divides—all intensified by a public health crisis. Bheed is a stark reflection on the freedoms withheld from the vulnerable, a film that demands confrontation with uncomfortable truths. As an Independence Day watch, it presses viewers to interrogate who inherits freedom, who must claim it, and the urgent necessity of empathy and collective responsibility in moments of upheaval.