7 raw, unfiltered Indian movies on youth activism worth rewatching tonight
Students have taken to the streets in various Indian cities to protest against the NEET exam paper leak. As the protest rages on, here is a look at 7 films about youth activism that have gained relevance now in more ways than one.
Films on youth activism
As CJP-led student protests against the NEET exam paper leak grip the entire country, the focus has shifted to youth-led activism. You may or may not agree with them and their ideology, but it is hard to ignore the spirit of the young, which, despite facing harsh opposition, remains undeterred.
Cinema always mirrors reality. Here are some iconic films based on youth activism that have inspired generations and seem now more relevant than ever. Time to re-watch these classics.
Rang De Basanti (2006)
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Key Cast: Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Soha Ali Khan, Alice Patten, R. Madhavan
Plot: A British documentary filmmaker casts a group of apolitical, carefree Delhi University graduates to play Indian independence revolutionaries in her film. When their friend, an Indian Air Force pilot, dies in a jet crash caused by defence procurement corruption, the group undergoes a radical transformation. Shifting from apathy to activism, they launch a high-stakes, youth-led revolt against the state.
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003)
Director: Sudhir Mishra
Key Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Chitrangada Singh, Shiney Ahuja
Plot: Set against the turbulent backdrop of the 1970s Naxalite movement and the Indian Emergency, the film follows three students from Delhi’s elite St. Stephen's College. Siddharth, a passionate leftist revolutionary, heads to the countryside to organize rural peasants; Geeta, who loves him, follows his cause; and Vikram, an opportunist, tries to climb the capitalist ladder. It traces the tragic collision of youth idealism with political reality.
Yuva (2004)
Director: Mani Ratnam Key
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, Esha Deol
Plot: Set in Kolkata, the narrative intersects three young men from drastically different social backgrounds: Michael, a fiercely principled student leader mobilizing youth against political corruption; Lallan, a ruthless henchman working for a local politician; and Arjun, a carefree youth aiming to migrate to the US. An assassination attempt on the Kolkata bridge brings their lives together, forcing the youth to step directly into electoral politics.
Jana Gana Mana (2022)
Director: Dijo Jose Antony
Key Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Mamta Mohandas, Pasupathi
Plot: When a beloved university professor is brutally murdered, violent student-led protests erupt across a Central University campus demanding justice. As the police respond with heavy-handed encounters to quell the public outrage, the narrative shifts into a fiery courtroom drama that exposes how political establishments manipulate youth anger, caste bias, and media optics to cover up systemic corruption.
Haasil (2003)
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Key Cast: Jimmy Sheirgill, Irrfan Khan, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Ashutosh Rana
Plot: Set in the volatile environment of Allahabad University, the film follows Aniruddha, an innocent college student who gets unwittingly drawn into the murky world of student union politics. He becomes a pawn in a deadly rivalry between two student leaders, Ranvijay and Shankar, revealing how student idealism is corrupted by regional gang warfare and political patrons.
Gulaal (2009)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Key Cast: Raj Singh Chaudhary, Kay Kay Menon, Abhimanyu Singh, Deepak Dobriyal, Piyush Mishra
Plot: Dilip, a mild-mannered law student in Rajasthan, is hazily abused and sucked into the dark underbelly of campus politics. He becomes entangled with Dukey Bana, a fiery leader spearheading a militant secessionist movement for Rajputs. The film is a dark, Shakespearean exploration of how student grievances are weaponised by old-world elites for political gain.
Hurdang (2022)
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Key Cast: Sunny Kaushal, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Vijay Varma
Plot: Set in 1990 in Allahabad against the backdrop of the anti-Mandal Commission protests, Daddu is an ambitious student preparing for civil services who gets swept up in student agitations. The film focuses on the intense anxiety, violent student-police clashes, and socio-political divisions among the youth as educational policy changes trigger widespread student strikes.
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