April 13 this year will be the 106th anniversary of the tragic Jallianwalla Bagh massacre. April 13, 1919 was just another Baisakhi in Punjab – the festival that marks the start of harvest season, specifically for Rabi crops in Punjab. People throughout the state were celebrating the festival, the air was full of excitement and delight to welcome the harvest season. But nobody knew the day would make history and turn into a tragic nightmare as the deadly horrors of the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre spread across the country. These Bollywood films based on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre pay a tribute to all those who lost their lives that day.
The brutality of General Dwyer sparked the tragedy as he ordered his militants to open fire on people without any hesitation. The people at Jallianwala Bagh panicked and tried to flee, but they lost lives, as the only exit from the place was blocked by the British army. The brutality was a response to the violence of the Rowlatt Act by the people, which was against any public gathering. The tragic incident took several lives and injured thousands.
This unfortunate incident and the story of those who raised their voices after the breakthrough inspired many scriptwriters and movie directors to demonstrate the shocking nightmare, which broke in broad daylight in Amritsar, through powerful storytelling. Many movies were made based on the massacre.
Bollywood movies based on Jallianwala Bagh massacre
Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh (2025)
Director: Karan Singh Tyagi
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ananya Panday, R. Madhavan
Synopsis: The story revolves around the life of C. Sankaran Nair, former president of the Indian National Congress and a lawyer by profession. He fought for the truth behind the unfortunate Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Sardar Udham (2021)
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Shaun Scott, Stephen Hogan
Synopsis: The movie is the biopic of revolutionary Punjabi Sikh Udham Singh. The story reveals the two decades a Punjabi Sikh spent to plan the assassination of the main culprit behind the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Phillauri (2017)
Director: Anshai Lal, Goswami Mahesh Gari Tulsigiri, Feroz Khan Bollybrothers
Cast: Anushka Sharma, Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma
Synopsis: A man, in the movie, is forced to marry a tree to ward off threats to his love life. However, the tree already had a spirit, who was waiting for her fiancé to come back, unaware of his death in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Rang De Basanti (2006)
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Cast: Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, R. Madhavan, Anupam Kher, Om Puri, Kirron Kher
Synopsis: Six young friends assist an English woman to shoot a documentary on the freedom fighters. While shooting the documentary, the group relives the memories of the freedom struggle and events of major incidents during British rule, including the glimpses of the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy.
The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Sushant Singh, D.Santosh, Raj Babbar, Amrita Rao, Farida Jalal, Akhilendra Mishra
Synopsis: The story is a biographical drama of a young revolutionary Sikh, Bhagat Singh, who raised arms against British rule in India. The film covers major aspects of his life, beginning with him witnessing the Jallianwala Bagh massacre until the day he was hanged to death on 23 March 1931.
Gandhi (1982)
Director: Richard Attenborough
Cast: Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud, Rohini Hattangadi, Roshan Seth, Amrish Puri, Om Puri, Neena Gupta
Synopsis: The film reveals the journey of a lawyer who became a famous leader during the struggle for independence in India. The story tells how he inspired many to follow the path of nonviolence to fight against British rule. The story also highlights his response to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Jallianwala Bagh (1977)
Director: Balraj Tah
Cast: Vinod Khanna, Shabana Azmi, Gulzar, Balraj Sahni, Deepti Naval
Synopsis: The story is all about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the revenge of Udham Singh against the British general, who was responsible for the bloodshed of many innocents. The story is part biopic of Sardar Udham Singh, as it shows his years of struggle to assassinate General Dwyer.
