Republic day movies on OTT in 2023: Parmanu, Lakshya, Shershaah, and more

Other than the parade, you can celebrate Republic Day 2023 by binge-watching some of the best patriotic movies on OTT. The last couple of decades has had some stellar Hindi films that help you reprise your love for the nation with heartwarming stories and brave tales of our soldiers and police forces. These movies are now available on OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and more. We have curated a list of the best movies to watch this Republic Day, across streaming platforms in India.

List of Republic Day movies on OTT: streaming platform and IMDb rating

TITLESTREAMING PLATFORMIMDb RATING
ParmanuNetflix7.6
RaaziAmazon Prime Video7.7
Rang De BasantiNetflix8.1
BabyDisney Plus Hotstar7.9
LakshyaNetflix7.8
Chak De! IndiaAmazon Prime Video8.1
URI: The Surgical StrikeZee58.2
SwadesNetflix8.2
ShershaahAmazon Prime Video8.4
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in IndiaNetflix8.1

Parmanu

Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran is an action drama film that has a star cast with John Abraham, Diana Penty, and Boman Irani in lead roles. The film is based on the real-life nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by the Indian Army at Pokhran in 1998. The film follows the journey of an Indian scientist who leads the operation to conduct a series of nuclear tests in Pokhran, Rajasthan, despite facing opposition from the government and international organisations. The film was lauded by critics and audiences for its close-to-reality depiction of the hardships faced by scientists at the time.

  • Parmanu IMDb rating: 7.6
  • Parmanu cast: John Abraham, Boman Irani, Diana Penty
  • Where to watch: Netflix

Raazi

Another one of the classic patriotic movies from 2018, Raazi is a spy thriller film directed by lyricist-writer-director Meghna Gulzar. The film stars new-age stars Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in lead roles, and tells the offbeat story of a young Indian girl who is married to a Pakistani military officer during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, and becomes a spy for India. Not many know this, but the film is actually based on the novel “Calling Sehmat” by Harinder Sikka.

  • Raazi IMDb rating: 7.7
  • Raazi cast: Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapoor
  • Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Rang De Basanti

Going back to 2006, Rang De Basanti is one of the most impactful movies about our country. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s superhit directorial tells the story of a group of friends in India who, through the direction of a British filmmaker, become involved in the Indian independence movement. The film explores themes of friendship, love, sacrifice, and patriotism. Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Siddharth Narayan, and Sharman Joshi are part of the wonderful star cast.

  • Rang De Basanti IMDb rating: 8.1
  • Rang De Basanti cast: Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Siddharth
  • Where to watch: Netflix

Baby

Baby is a 2015 action thriller film directed by Neeraj Pandey, the king of nationalistic action thrillers in Bollywood. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, and Rana Daggubati in lead roles. The story follows a team of secret agents who are tasked with tracking down and eliminating a terrorist cell operating in India. The film received positive reviews from critics and audience, and was a commercial success.

  • Baby IMDb rating: 7.9
  • Baby cast: Akshay Kumar, Danny Denzongpa, Rana Daggubati
  • Where to watch: Disney Plus Hotstar

Lakshya

Lakshya is a 2004 Indian war drama film directed by Farhan Akhtar and starring Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta in the lead roles. The film tells the story of a young man named Karan Shergill (played by Roshan) who is aimless and uninspired in his personal and professional life. He joins the Indian Army as a lieutenant and goes through a journey of self-discovery and personal growth as he becomes a brave and respected military leader. In fact such was the craze of Lakshya, there are reports of hundreds if not thousands of young men hurrying to become fresh army recruits.

  • Lakshya IMDb rating: 7.8
  • Lakshya cast: Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan
  • Where to watch: Netflix

Chak De! India

Not just sports, but Chak De! India is patriotism extraordinaire. This sports drama film stars Shah Rukh Khan as Kabir Khan, a former national team hockey player who returns as the coach of the Indian national women’s hockey team. The film follows the team as they struggle to overcome their personal and professional differences and win the World Cup. The film also deals with themes of patriotism, unity, and national pride. The film was India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards in 2007.

  • Chak De India! IMDb rating: 8.1
  • Chak De India! cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade, Sagarika Ghatge
  • Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

URI: The Surgical Strike

One of the more recent hits that you should definitely check out this Republic Day is URI: The Surgical Strike, Vicky Kaushal’s runaway hit. With Paresh Rawal and Yami Gautam in supporting roles, the film is based on the true story of 2016 Indian Army’s surgical strikes on Pakistan as a retaliation for the Uri attack. The film follows the events leading up to the surgical strike and its aftermath. URI received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi award.

  • URI: The Surgical Strike IMDb rating: 8.2
  • URI: The Surgical Strike cast: Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Mohit Raina
  • Where to watch: Zee5

Swades

Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades is the perfect watch for those contemplating leaving India for greener pastures abroad. It shows the story of Mohan Bhargava (Shah Rukh Khan), a non-resident Indian who returns to his homeland to take a village girl named Ganga (played by Gayatri Joshi) back to the United States with him, but ultimately chooses to stay and work for the betterment of the village. The film explores themes of cultural identity, responsibility and self-discovery.

  • Swades IMDb rating: 8.2
  • Swades cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal
  • Where to watch: Netflix

Shershaah

Directed by lesser-known director Vishnuvardhan, Shershaah was one of the more underrated Bollywood movies in 2020. The film is based on the real-life story of Indian army officer Vikram Batra, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest military decoration, for his actions during the 1999 Kargil War. The film shows the life story and chronicles, along with his girlfriend (played by Kiara Advani). Shershaah also showcases the sacrifices he made during the Kargil War, and the impact they had on his family and loved ones.

  • Shershaah IMDb rating: 8.4
  • Shershaah cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Shiv Panditt
  • Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

2001’s sports drama Lagaan is set to be inspired by real life events. Set in the Victorian period of India’s colonial British Raj, the story revolves around Bhuvan, a poor farmer who leads his village to fight against the high taxes imposed by the British. The film explores themes of caste discrimination, poverty and British colonialism in India. Lagaan was our nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001, and put Aamir Khan on the global stage for the first time.

  • Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India IMDb rating: 8.1
  • Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India cast: Aamir Khan, Raghuvir Yadav, Gracy Singh
  • Where to watch: Netflix