Updated On: 04 August, 2025 05:56 PM IST | Athulya Nambiar
Ahead of the 79th Independence day, we bring to you a list of South Indian movies with patriotic themes that one must watch

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Major (Telugu)
Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan faces his biggest battle when he joins the task force to save the occupants at the Taj Hotel attacked by a terrorist group. The film is based on the real life story of the soldier
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Roja (Tamil)
This Mani Ratnam-directorial is technically a love story with heavy patriotic themes placed in it. A village girl falls madly in love with a city guy (he loves her as well) and moves with him to Kashmir after marriage. When everything is going wonderfully, the guy gets kidnapped by militants, leaving her yearning and fighting to save her husband
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Take Off (Malayalam)
This is a survival thriller film, based on the ordeal of Indian nurses in the city of Tikrit, Iraq, in 2014. Indian ambassador Manoj uses his wit and shrewdness to rescue them and get them out of the country alive
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Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (Telugu)
Ten years before the Sepoy Mutiny, Emperor Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy of the Rayalaseema region fights the British East India Company in order to put an end to their atrocities. The film stars Chiranjeevi, Amitabh Bachchan, Vijay Sethupathi, Tamannaah Bhatia among others. The film is streaming on Prime Video

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Vande Mataram (Kannada)
Gayathri, a police officer, is entrusted with the responsibility of eliminating terrorists. When her younger brother is lured into terrorism, she has to overcome personal loss and save the country
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Bombay (Tamil)
The film tells the story of an inter-religious family in Bombay before and during the Bombay riots, which took place between December 1992 and January 1993 after the demolition of the Babri Masjid led to religious tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities. It is the second installment in Ratnam`s trilogy of films that depict human relationships against a background of Indian politics, including Roja (1992) and Dil Se.. (1998)

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Sita Ramam (Telugu)
Upon returning to Pakistan, Afreen sets off to fulfil her grandfather`s wish of delivering a letter from Ram to Sita. Along the way, she finds Ram and learns about their love story. While its a love story at its core, it also highlights Ram`s love for his country and his duty
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Unnaipol Oruvan (Tamil)
The film depicts the confrontation between an anonymous caller who has planted bombs in the city and wants four terrorists to be released, and a police commissioner who tries to hunt him down. The film is a remake of the Hindi film `A Wednesday`

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RRR (Telugu)
This film needs no introduction. SS Rajamouli`s film narrates the story of a fearless revolutionary and an officer in the British force, who once shared a deep bond, decide to join forces and chart out an inspirational path of freedom against the despotic rulers
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Mission 90 Days (Malayalam)
The prime minister of the nation gets killed and an efficient police officer, Sivaraman, gets appointed by the government to solve the murder mystery. He gets ninety days to accomplish the mission

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Ghazi (Telugu)
Almost on the verge of declaring war, the naval forces of India and Pakistan are involved in a deadly duel. Amid this confusion, a Pakistani stealth submarine PNS Ghazi embarks on a secret mission
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Thuppaki (Tamil)
An army officer sets out to save the people of his country when he learns that an entire network of terrorists are operating in the city and are planning to carry out multiple terror attacks

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Kandahar (Malayalam)
Major Mahadevan and his unit undertake a mission to deal with an international terrorist organisation after a group of hardcore militants hijack a plane. The film stars Mohanlal and Amitabh Bachchan and is currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar
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Kaalapani (Malayalam)
In 1915 British India, Indian doctor Govardhan is falsely accused of bombing a train and sent to a cellular jail at Port Blair. He witnesses the extremely inhumane treatment meted out to the inmates

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Keerthi Chakra (Malayalam)
When Major Mahadevan receives news of terrorists hiding inside a mosque, he and his team set out to apprehend them and then, he takes help of his team member, Jai, and plans to execute the mission
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Jana Gana Mana (Malayalam)
A professor`s death causes uproar across the nation and sends a policeman on a meticulous probe about the murder. However, the case soon puts the officer in trouble. A court case at the core, the film highlights the plight the current political state of the country. The film is available on Netflix

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Indian (Tamil)
An honest veteran, having served in the Indian Army, decides to teach corrupt officials a lesson. He targets officials, ministers and bureaucrats to make them work diligently without accepting bribes
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Muthina Haara (Kannada)
Achappa, a soldier, marries an army nurse he met during WWII. They have a son, Vira Raju, but the child dies before Achappa can see him

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Hey Ram (Tamil)
When his wife, Aparna, gets raped during the partition of India, Saketh Ram joins a gang that aims to kill Mahatma Gandhi because he advocates peace with Muslims. The film starring Kamal Haasan is streaming on Jio Cinema and Prime Video
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1944 (Kannada)
A freedom fighter escapes from prison and seeks refuge in the house of a woman. Later, he discovers that she is the wife of the policeman who is looking for him