From Sky Force to Kesari Chapter 2: Is Patriotism in overdrive in 2025?

By Rajiv Vijayakar -

April 28, 2025 - 12:13 PM IST

2025 has been a peculiar year. Just as 2023 could be called the year of four Rs. 500-crores blockbusters (Pathaan, Gadar 2, Jawan and Animal) and 2024 the year when horror films ruled (Stree 2, Munjya, Shaitaan, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3), 2025 sees the deshbhakti films in seeming overdrive.

From Sky Force to Kesari Chapter 2: Is Patriotism in overdrive in 2025?

And why do we say that even if Chhaava remains the only unqualified mega-hit among them? Reports say that the collections of Sky Force, Kesari 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh and Jaat have been artificially escalated, while The Diplomat has done just average business. Ground Zero has just been released to a reported opening day collection of just over a crore, while Phule, despite the controversy over cuts suggested by the CBFC, opened merely to a quarter of that amount.

And now, Raid 2 is set to release on May 1, Maharashtra Day in the State. Though strictly not in the deshbhakti genre, it speaks of an income-tax officer, Amay Patnaik, who is above corruption and deals with a nexus of defaulters of the law in income-tax dues again. The original Raid was inspired by the collective real sagas of three intrepid income-tax officials, coalesced into one on-screen persona, Amay Patnaik.

Piquant point

Raj Bansal, veteran distributor and exhibitor, dismisses the releases as an indicator of a “trend”. “I don’t think you can call Chhaava, Kesari 2 or Phule as ‘patriotic’ dramas. They are historical films. Yes, Sky Force, The Diplomat and Ground Zero can be termed patriotic, while Jaat is fiction, and so is Raid 2. Besides, of all these released films, only Chhava has actually done well. Especially in terms of return on investment.”

And yet, there is a very piquant point, though trade guru Taran Adarsh, also does not find this as a reason to believe that filmgoers now want an endless supply of such films. But he points out that filmmakers will follow a ‘herd’ mentality, just as restaurants with a particular cuisine spring up when one become a success.

But the piquant point that remains is that while some of these films have done decent business, even if the investment may not have come back, no other film has fared well at the box-office!

“So I think it is all about the individual film and what it says, how it is made and how much it connects with the people and is important to them!” Adarsh declared. “It also must be entertaining, which is what the audience wants. And which is not happening in most cases, including in all the other releases this year!” Concurred Bansal, “In these times, entertainment is a must! And of all the released films you mention, only one film resonated, Chhaava!”

Taran disagreed a shade with Bansal here and stated, “One cannot write off Kesari 2. I have heard that the story has been fictionalized, and I would not be able to comment on that aspect. But this weekend has seen a 70 percent growth, and I think it will sustain. Also, I personally found Jaat a throwback to the films of the 1970s and 1980s and thoroughly enjoyed it, and so did a lot of the audiences.”

He added, “As for Sky Force, this is not the first of recent good Akshay Kumar films that has done only modest business. I can mention Khel Khel Mein and another story of an unsung hero, Mission Raniganj that did not do well at all. And I was shocked that a film like The Diplomat that cost over Rs. 20 crores was not even publicized well. Many people were completely unaware of the existence of the film and of what it was about!”

The same malaise seems to have hit Ground Zero too and was also the case with Sky Force to a good extent: lack of awareness. “Also, good music is a missing magnet I completely believe in,” added Adarsh. “None of the seven films released have a single hit song among them!”

The topical element

The 1999 hit, Sarfarosh, on the internal enemies of India along with the hostile neighboring country, released on April 30. And on May 3, the Kargil attacks outraged us and India hit back with determination. This boosted the collections of that quasi-masterpiece.

The Pahalgam terror attacks of April 22 have spawned intense rage around the country and the film Ground Zero released just that weekend on April 24. Says its director Tejas Vijay Prabha Deoskar, “My film may benefit from public sentiment, but that is the last thing I would want, as the magnitude of the tragedy should not be something on which we should capitalize.”

And “resonance with the people” is that one surefire factor that supercedes mere entertainment and makes a film important for the audience. And that explains the massive successes of stories like URI—The Surgical Strike, The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, each of which crossed the Rs. 200 crores club barrier.

Bottomline

It’s the same old story. Audiences want variety in entertainment and entertainment in the variety. Cinematic excellence or the intrinsic value of the story are far less important. Not that any of these films were short of merit in most departments. But given a choice between an award-worthy screenplay and value-for-money, viewers, also encumbered by high ticket pricing and daily stress, want a family-and-friends escape from reality. And great face-value can be a major asset, as in star-presence and good songs.

The other theatrical releases of the year so far—Fateh (another ‘patriotic’ film), Emergency (a biopic on a late PM), Azaad, Deva, Loveyapa, Badass Ravikumar, Mere Husband Ki Biwi, Crazxy, Superboys of Malegaon, Tumko Meri Kasam and the behemoth that was Sikandar all failed to entice viewers as theatrical watches, and so it is no surprise that the deshbhakti (a broad term) dramas maintained some level of prestige in what has been a disappointing beginning to 2025.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar channels Kesari Chapter 2 spirit while condemning Pahalgam terror attack