Upkar

Upkaar is a sadly overlooked film in canonical film studies, despite its popularity. It has probably been played on TV on independence day in India more than any other film.

Manoj Kumar as the faultless Bharat is the epitome of 'Ram Rajya' and Asha Parekh is the immaculately subservient partner. Prem Chopra is the brother gone astray, turned over by the collusion of the western influences of the city, and the evil moneylender/landlord (and thus, both evils are one!). Several symbols of nationhood, benevolent military, self-sacrificing mothers (and westernized wenches) present a complete, unadulterated picture of the struggles of the righteous in a rising nation-state. See Chinese propaganda films of the Great Leap Forward, the farm-worker parallels are astonishing.

Interestingly, this was not just a turning point in Manoj Kumar's career (he practically turned to a staple screen patriot after this), but also in Pran's career - usually playing villain, Pran excelled here as a disabled farmer, a role that entirely changed his own career path in the Hindi film industry.