They are fearless, hysterical and patriotic to the extreme level. They have no qualms living in extreme conditions and often laying down their lives for the sake of their motherland. A spy operates in a foreign land to thwart any kind of conspiracy against his own country. The spies live under different identities and shift their locations too frequently. It is an extremely risky job as their own government will refuse to accept them as their own citizens if they are caught in another land.
Like Hollywood, our Hindi film industry is not aloof from this genre. There have been films highlighting the sacrifices our secret agents do to prevent any kind of conspiracy against India. Recently, Taapsee Pannu has donned the role of a secret agent in Naam Shabana which released on March 31. Sushant Singh Rajput will also play a RAW agent in his 2018 release Romeo Akbar Walter.
If you are fond of spy-thrillers and feel that good films in this genre are only produced in the West, these 7 seven flicks will change your mind.
Baby: Remember this famous dialogue,”Religion ka jo column hota hai na, usme hum bold aur capital me Indian likhte hain.” Akshay Kumar’s dialogue from 2015 thriller Baby became very popular and the film a runaway success. The story revolved around four secret agents to undertake a risky task to take a wanted terrorist back to India. The Neeraj Pandey directorial won accolades for its intriguing screenplay which will make you bite your nails.
Ek Tha Tiger: India’s intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and its Pakistani counterpart Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) are sworn enemies. But what happens when spies belonging to the rival agencies fall in love with each other? And what’s better than the characters played by Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. Kabir Khan in 2012 directed the two stars in his thriller Ek Tha Tiger which turned out a blockbuster. The film had some brilliant action sequences in Dublin and Havana and won praises for the unconventional screenplay.
D-Day: Indian intelligence agencies have reportedly carried out covert operations in a bid to bring back fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim back to India. There are untold accounts of how Indian agencies almost came close to nabbing him in Pakistan before the cover was blown up. In 2013, Nikhil Advani of Kal Ho Naa Ho fame directed D-Day, which had Rishi Kapoor playing the gangster believed to be inspired by Dawood. Also starring Arjun Rampal, Irrfan and Huma Qureshi, the film was appreciated for the strong narrative.
Agent Vinod: Saif Ali Khan, known for playing varied roles in his career impressed all when he played a badass secret agent in Sriram Raghavan’s Agent Vinod. The film starred his better half Kareena Kapoor Khan and their chemistry was loved by the audience. However, the film did not fare well at the box office. But if you are ready to watch any spy-flick irrespective of its performance at theatres, there’s no harm going for it.
Madras Cafe: Shoojit Sircar’s 2012 directorial Madras Cafe dealt with India’s intervention in Sri Lankan civil war in the late 1980s. John Abraham essayed the role of an army officer sent to the Emerald Isle as a covert operation. The thriller dealt with the tumultuous political situation prevalent in the strife-torn country at that time. Abraham’s role was appreciated and the film won the National Award for Best Audiography.
Force 2: John Abraham donned the role of a tough cop Yashwardhan Singh who is sent on a duty as a secret agent to unearth conspiracy behind the murder of RAW agents. He is joined by a lady agent Kamaljeet Kaur (Sonakshi Sinha), and the duo set aside their egoistical differences to hunt down the culprit. Sadly, the Abhinay Deo directorial could not do well at the box office. But you can watch it once, at least if you are a John Abraham fan.
Phantom: The Indian government has time and again asked Pakistan to hand over 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed to them. But the dreaded LeT founder continues to spew venom against the country from Pakistan in full public view. Kabir Khan took inspiration from Hussain Zaidi’s book Mumbai avengers and cast Saif Ali Khan as a badass agent deputed by RAW to eliminate the antagonist in his 2015 directorial Phantom. Also starring Katrina Kaif, the film showed the protagonists looking for the dreaded terrorist in Pakistan. Whether they were successful in their attempts or not, you need to watch the movie.
Do you remember other spy films which need to be mentioned?
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