5 movies that showcased perfect mass movements, fighting against power

Films like Gandhi and Rang De Basanti have one thing in common—they portrayed powerful testaments to the strength of the human spirit in the face of tragedy. Over the years, films that heavily emphasized acts of resistance against oppressive systems and revolutionaries fighting for their country, have become popular among audiences. Based on these themes, we gather five movies that showcased perfect mass movements.

Richard Attenborough's British-Indian biographical drama Gandhi earned 11 Academy Award nominations and won eight. The movie follows the life of India's most prominent historical figure and anti-colonial, civil rights activist Mahatma Gandhi (Ben Kingsley). From Gandhi's white-only incident in South Africa in 1893 to India gaining Independence in 1947, this epic film perfectly showcased the importance of mass movements for bringing a revolution.

A dystopian political action-thriller film, V for Vendetta is set in a future fascist Great Britain, where the government has become an authoritarian regime. To challenge this, a shadowy freedom fighter, who goes by the name V (Hugo Weaving) begins a violent guerrilla campaign. Along the way, he meets Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman) and together they liberate England from the dangers of unchecked powers.

The Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra directorial Rang De Basanti's powerful commentary on contemporary Indian politics has been etched in our memories. The story revolves around five carefree youngsters—played by Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, and Soha Ali Khan—whose life turns upside down when their close friend—an Air Force officer, dies due to a faulty plane. And, soon the story takes a darker turn.

This Oscar-nominated, Peabody Award-winning documentary was directed by David France. The documentary chronicles the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US and how activists fought for better treatments and policies. The documentary takes you back to the time when AIDS victims were stigmatized and hospitals would deny treatments. The documentary combines archival footage shot by the activists—many of whom were themselves HIV-positive.

Ava DuVernay's sweeping historical drama Selma revolved around the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montogomery, Alabama. Led by historical figure Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the film contains heartwrenching newsreel footage of the violent police reaction against peaceful protesters. Due to its moving saga, the film was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and won the award for Best Original Song.