The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) A biographical drama film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the film is based on Bhagat Singh, a revolutionary who fought for Indian independence along with fellow members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. It features Ajay Devgn as the titular character along with Sushant Singh, Akhilendra Mishra and D. Santosh as the other lead characters. Raj Babbar, Farida Jalal and Amrita Rao play supporting roles. The film chronicles Singh's life from his childhood where he witnesses the Jallianwala Bagh massacre until the day he was hanged to death before the official trial dated 24 March 1931. The film traces the life of Indian revolutionary Bhagat Singh from witnessing the tragic Jallianwala Bagh massacre as a child to his fearless martyrdom alongside Sukhdev and Rajguru.
The narrative begins with his childhood, where witnessing the horrific aftermath of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre deeply traumatises him and instils a lifelong resolve to free India from British colonial rule. As he grows older, Bhagat Singh joins the Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, but becomes deeply disillusioned when Gandhi abruptly calls off the struggle following the Chauri Chaura incident. Seeking a more revolutionary path to independence, Bhagat Singh joins the Hindustan Republican Association, which he later renames the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) to reflect his socialist ideals. Alongside fellow revolutionaries like Chandrashekhar Azad, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Rajguru, he begins actively resisting British oppression. The turning point comes when veteran leader Lala Lajpat Rai dies from injuries sustained during a brutal police lathi charge while protesting the Simon Commission. To avenge this loss, Bhagat Singh and his comrades plot to assassinate the police chief responsible, James Scott, but accidentally shoot Deputy Superintendent John Saunders instead. To avoid capture, Bhagat Singh flees Lahore but continues his activism. He later orchestrates non-lethal bombings of the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi alongside Batukeshwar Dutt, using the trial as a public platform to broadcast their revolutionary message of Inquilab Zindabad (Long Live the Revolution) to the Indian masses. While imprisoned, Bhagat Singh and his fellow inmates launch a historic hunger strike to demand equal rights and humane treatment for Indian political prisoners, which captures the attention of the entire nation. Despite widespread public appeals and legal defene efforts, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru are sentenced to death for the murder of Saunders. The film culminates in their execution on 23 March 1931, showcasing how their ultimate sacrifice ignited a massive wave of patriotism across India.
The film was produced by Kumar and Ramesh Taurani's Tips Industries on a budget of ₹200–250 million (about US$4.2–5.2 million in 2002). The story and dialogue were written by Santoshi and Piyush Mishra respectively, while Anjum Rajabali drafted the screenplay. K. V. Anand, V. N. Mayekar and Nitin Chandrakant Desai were in charge of the cinematography, editing and production design respectively. Principal photography took place in Agra, Manali, Mumbai and Pune from January to May 2002. The soundtrack and film score were composed by A. R. Rahman, with the songs Mera Rang De Basanti and Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna being well received in particular.
A. R. Rahman composed the soundtrack and score for The Legend of Bhagat Singh, marking his second collaboration with Santoshi after Pukar (2000). Sameer wrote the lyrics for the songs. Rahman recalled that Santhoshi had suggested him to compose slow-paced songs, unlike Shaheed which had fast paced compositions and experimented with Punjabi music more than what he done in his previous films.
It achieved widespread critical acclaim and major awards, but suffered a major commercial failure at the box office. It grossed roughly ₹129 million against its production costs, largely hurt by a market saturated with simultaneous competing biopics. However, the film underperformed at the box office, grossing only ₹129 million (US$2.7 million in 2002). It went on to win two National Film Awards – Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Actor for Devgn – and three Filmfare Awards from eight nominations.
The film's release coincided with another film based on Bhagat Singh directed by Guddu Dhanoa and titled 23rd March 1931: Shaheed. Both films failed at the box office.