Bollywood Films Based On The Preamble Of Constitution Of India

Republic Day commemorates the ratification of India's constitution and the nation's transition to a republic on January 26, 1950. Every year, the day's festivities include stunning military and cultural pomp.

The Preamble to the Indian Constitution is an opening statement that summarises the key principles of the Constitution. It was voted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, and went into force on January 26, 1950, which is commemorated as Republic Day in India.

Full text of Preamble to the Constitution of India:

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

JUSTICE, social, economic and political;

LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all

FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.

In recent years, several films have been released in Indian cinema that depicts the ideals of the Preamble, and their storylines depict these principles in their own unique style.

From 'Mulk' to 'Rang de basanti' here are Bollywood films which represent key principles of the Constitution.

Sovereign- 'Dev'

"Shakti joh hai woh police, fauj, hathyaron mein nahi hoti ... desh ki shakti uske rajnaitik dhanche mein hoti hai, uski economy mein hoti hai, uski nyay pranali mein hoti hai ... samaaji barabari aur mazhabi bhai-chare mein hoti hai (Power doesn't lie in the police, the military, the weapons ... the power of a country lies within its political nature, within its economy, within its law and order ... within its equality in society and brotherhood amongst its religions)"

'Dev' is a 2004 Indian Hindi drama film, directed by Govind Nihalani. The film is about the revenge taken by a Muslim boy when his father was killed by the police. Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puuri Kareena Kapoor and Fardeen Khan are seen in pivotal roles in this film.

Socialist- 'Swades'

"Main nahi manta hamara desh duniya ka sabse mahaan desh hai. Lekin yeh zaroor manta hoon ki hum mein kabliyat hai, taqat hai, apne desh ko mahaan banane ki ( I dont believe our country is the best. But I do believe that we have the talent, and we have the power to make our country the best)" ~ Shah Rukh Khan's dialogue from the film

In Ashutosh Gowariker's gem of a film, a NASA scientist (Shah Rukh Khan) goes home when the calling from his conscience gets overwhelming. Later in the film the scientist understands, no saviour, will come from the skies to eliminate the casteism, misogyny, or classism. And certainly not the power outage, either! The people, will have to leave their comfortable houses and ideal lives to climb mountains, dive into tanks, and build water turbines. The film serves as a symbol for India's socialist roots.

Secular - 'Mulk'

“’Woh’ aur ‘hum’ mulk ko nahin banate. ‘Hum’ mulk ko banate hain.” (“You” and “I” don’t make a nation. “We” make a nation)." ~ Tapsee Pannu's Dialogue from the film.

'Mulk,' directed by Anubhav Sinha, is a 2018 Indian drama film. 'Mulk' is a noteworthy film in today's day and age because it emphasises the necessity of secularism and corrects misguided terrorist arguments. 

Mulk is based on a true tale of a Muslim joint family from a small Indian village that fights to restore their reputation when a member of their family turns to terrorism Tapsee Pannu and Rishi Kapoor are seen in lead roles in this film.

Democratic- 'Newton'

“Voting Machine Ek Khelaune Jaisa Hai Jo Pasand Aye Achcha Lage Wo Button Daba Do (Voting Machine is just like a toy, press any button which looks good)” ~ Rajkummar Rao's Dialogue from the film.

Perhaps the greatest film depicting the idea of a democratic nation is director Amit V Masurkar's 2017 satire 'Newton'; a film that comes up with the supposedly alien concept that patriotism does not mean stating allegiance to a political party, but making a stand for the ideologies upon which one's country is built. Masurkar does this by basing his film around the most concrete metaphor he could find a simple guy defending his country's integrity against the corrupt and ruthless. Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi are seen in a pivotal role in this film.

Republic- 'Nayak'

"Janta se jayada ....Apko apani kursi pyaari hai na ( Power matters to you more than the citizens of this nation right?)" - Anil Kapoor's dialogue in the film

The film's idea is built on a dissatisfied member of society, Shivaji Rao (Anil Kapoor), who takes on the burden of asking the correct questions. In a heated conversation with the corrupt Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Balraj Chauhan, played by Amrish Puri, Shivaji spells out all that is wrong with society and ends up becoming the Chief Minister for a day. The film depicts the Republic idea in a nation and portrays how the power belongs to the people.

Justice - 'Pink'

"Na sirf ek shabd nahi ... apne aap mein ek poora vakya hai ... isse kisi tarakh, spashtikaran, explanation ya vyakhya ki zaroorat nahi hoti ... na ka matlab na hi hota hai. ("No" is not only a word ... it's a sentence by itself ... it doesn't need any explanation or interpretation ... no simply means no)" ~ Amitabh Bachchan's Dialogue from the film.

The film's premise is groundbreaking, as Shoojit Sircar and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhary attempt a conclusion of the age-old belief of sex, that a woman is always 'willing.' It stars Amitabh Bachchan and Tapsee Pannu. The director conveys an important message in this day and age: when a woman says 'no', she means 'no'. The film denotes the key principle of justice and provides a much wider prospect around the idea. Amitabh Bachchan in the film as a retired advocate tries to win justice for a group of friends who have been the victims of sexual harassment.

Liberty- 'Aligarh'

"If someone strays out of one's moral boundaries, should he be punished? Because if that's the case, then every citizen of this country should be in prison for violating someone else's moral boundaries." ~ A dialogue from the film

'Aligarh,' directed by Hansal Mehta, is based on a true story. The narrative of the film centres around the life of an Aligarh Muslim University professor who is a homosexual and how his life changes after his orientation is revealed. Aside from Manoj Bajpayee, the film also stars Rajkummar Rao as a journalist. With a focus on liberty and values, the film went on to shatter countless preconceptions. 

'Equality' - Jolly LLB

"Is desh mein gareebo ko insaaf bahut mehenga milta hai. (In this country the poor get justice at a very high price)" ~ A dialogue from the film

'Jolly LLB' is a courtroom drama about a road accident that takes the lives of five people sleeping on the road. The film is a parody about a small-time lawyer, Jagdish Tyagi, better known as Jolly (Arshad Warsi), who aspires to be a famous litigator. Parts of 'Jolly LLB' are hilarious, but underneath the humour there's a scathing condemnation of the system, which is so readily exploited by the wealthy yet so tough to penetrate for the poor. The film depicts the very idea of equality and showcases how money and power create a divide among citizens. It shows a corrupt system that is being run by the rich and the poor is so helpless that speaking about their rights is also punishable.

Fraternity- 'Rang De basanti'

"Zindagi jeene ke do hi tarike hote hain, ek jo ho rha hai hone do, bardaast karte jao. Ya fir zimmedari uthao use badalne ki. (There are only two ways to live your life. Tolerate things the way they are. Or take responsibility to change them.)" ~ a dialogue from the film

Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, 'Rang de basanti' is a film that is based on the idea of unity and talks about the key principle of fraternity in a nation. The film, starring Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, and Soha Ali Khan, emphasises the need for resonant voices that aspire to unite, establish good thinking, and tear down the walls of communal hatred and religious intolerance via fellowship and like-mindedness in action. Above everything, it calls on us, the next generation of Indians, to go above caste and creed, community and religion, to unify as Indians and contribute to the advancement and honor of our country.