26th November is celebrated in India as Constitution Day aka National Law Day. On the same day in the year 1949, the Constitution of India was adopted, which eventually came into effect from 26th January 1950.
On the occasion of Constitution Day, we have compiled for our readers a list of Indian movies which, in some way, revolve around, touch upon, or allude to the Constitution of India and/or its underlying ingredients. You can watch these films on various Indian OTT platforms. Happy Bingeing!
Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India, 2014 (Streaming on YouTube)
Directed by veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, the ten-episode series delves into how the supreme law of India – the Constitution of India came into being and became effective on 26th January 1950. The series features many seasoned actors like Sachin Khedekar (as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar), Dalip Tahil (as former PM Jawaharlal Nehru), Tom Alter (as Abul Kalam Azad), Neeraj Kabi (as Mahatma Gandhi), Rajit Kapoor, and Ila Arun, amongst others.
Newton, 2017 (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
The film’s underlying story was about the titular character Newton Kumar’s (played by Rajkumar Rao) sincere and desperate efforts to supervise free and fair voting in a remote and conflict-ridden village located in central India. The movie also featured Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil, and Raghubir Yadav.
19(1)(a), 2022 (Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar)
As the title suggests, the film is ostensibly based on the titular Article of the Indian Constitution pertaining to the freedom of speech and expression. Helmed by Indhu VS, the Malayalam drama features Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen in the lead roles. Nithya Menon’s character is that of a photocopy shop owner, whose life takes an interesting turn after a revolutionary writer (Vijay Sethupathi) leaves an unpublished draft of his book.
Article 15, 2019 (Streaming on Netflix)
The hard-hitting and intense film is set amidst the backdrop of caste discrimination. The movie features Ayushmann Khurrana in the role of an IPS officer who is in charge of the investigation of three young girls who went missing from a small village. The movie was helmed by Anubhav Sinha (of Thappad and Tum Bin fame).
Mulk, 2018 (Streaming on Zee5)
Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the film follows the story of a Muslim family who is accused of being involved in terrorism. Thereafter, the family patriarch Murad (Rishi Kapoor) and his son’s wife Aarti (Taapsee Pannu) fight a legal battle to get back the family’s lost honor. The movie also features Prateik Babbar, Rajat Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana, and Neena Gupta, amongst others.