Independence Day: 5 Gen Z stars who can carry the weight of our freedom fighters

Behind the Independence Day celebration on August 15 1947 lies a tumultuous history filled with intense rebellions battles and the efforts of countless passionate Indian freedom fighters who struggled to free India from British rule Many of these fighters endured great hardships fought bravely and even sacrificed their livesBollywood has a long tradition of making films that revisit Indiarsquos fight for independence and these movies have resonated with audiences not only for bringing stories from preindependence India to life on the big screen but also for stirring patriotic emotionsWhile seasoned actors like Aamir Khan as Mangal Pandey Kangana Ranaut as the Queen of Jhansi and Ajay Devgn as Bhagat Singh have already portrayed these roles as Independence Day 2024 approaches this article explores some newgeneration actors in Bollywood who could rise to the challenge of playing similar charactersGen Z actors as freedom fightersVedang Raina Mangal PandeyIndian soldier Mangal Pandey who is known for igniting the 1857 Indian uprising also called the First War of Indian Independence remains an iconic figure With roles like the one in Jigra and his impressive performance in Archies Vedang has shown the potential to fully embody the spirit of this freedom fighterNitanshi Goel LakshmibaiNitanshi Goel gained significant attention with her role as Phool in Kiran Raos Laapata Ladies where her acting skills captivated audiences across the nation She could easily be imagined playing the role of the Queen of Jhansi Born as Manikarnika her name was changed to Lakshmibai when she married Gangadhar Rao Newalkar the King of Jhansi in 1842 She later became a central figure in the 1857 RevoltPratibha Ranta Sarala Devi ChaudhuraniPratibha Ranta delivered outstanding performances in both Kiran Raos Laapata Ladies and Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Heeramandi two vastly different stories that showcased her mettle as an actor With her experience playing a character from the preindependence era in Heeramandi Pratibha seems wellsuited to take on the role of Sarala a writer educator singer and political activistSarala founded Bharat Stree Mahamandal Indiarsquos first womenrsquos organization which focused on the upliftment of women and promoted girlsrsquo education She played a significant role in the freedom struggle by advocating militant nationalism in Bengal and establishing the secret society Bharat Mata Sabha Sarala was also a close associate of the freedom fighter Lala Lajpat RaiAbhay Verma Udham SinghAbhay Verma may be new to the scene but hersquos already taken on diverse roles from playing a transgender character in Safed a terrorist in The Family Man 2 a revolutionary in Aye Watan Mere Watan to a boy battling an ancestral monster in Munjya With this range of experience he would be a great fit to portray a freedom fighter like Udham Singh the Punjabi revolutionary who assassinated Michael ODwyer in London in 1919 to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in AmritsarMedha Shankr Sarojini NaiduVikrant Massey isnrsquot the only one who gained from the success of 12th Fail Medha who played his leading lady also made a strong impression with her powerful performance as an aspiring bureaucrat We can easily picture her portraying Sarojini Naidu one of Indiarsquos notable women freedom fighters Sarojini was not only a great poet but also a political activist famously known as the Nightingale of India Sarojini joined the Indian independence movement in 1905 after the Partition of Bengal and became a follower of Mahatma GandhiAre we ready to see Gen Z actors fully commit and put in the hard work to portray these legendary freedom fighters on the big screen Itrsquos an intriguing idea but only time will tell if this new generation can meet the challenge and do justice to these historical figures with the passion and dedication they require