Bollywood's Take On The Unconventionally Patriotic

Movies about anti-patriotism or unconventional patriotism is not a new concept in Bollywood. Films whereby a character who is Indian tries to harm the country due to the believe that the country has failed them in one way or the other. One such example is Main Hoon Na (2004), in which a former para-rescue-trooper turned militant played by Sunil Shetty tries to sabotage peace talks between India and Pakistan. While he plays an anti-patriot, the protagonist in the film, played by Shah Rukh Khan, is a soldier and patriot who succeeds in stopping the militant and saves the day.
Another example of anti-patriotism in films is Fanaa (2006), a part romance, part crime-drama. In the film, Aamir Khan plays a Kashmiri insurgent responsible for terrorist bombings and the death of many people. He falls in love with a blind Kashmiri girl, played by Kajol. However, he fakes his death in a bombing as he believes that they cannot be together due to his dangerous life. Fate brings them back together seven years later, but his association with the insurgency organisation IKF eventually tears them apart permanently.
One of the first movies to touch upon this subject is the Bobby Deol starrer Soldier (1998). The movie had corrupt army officials as antagonists who were selling weapons to gangsters. Bobby's character was motivated more by personal revenge rather than patriotism as his character's father had been betrayed and killed, and deemed a traitor by the antagonists.