Our country is observing 22nd Technology Day today (May 11), which is celebrated to commemorate the scientific and technological achievements of Indian scientists and engineers. It was first perceived on May 11, 1998, as India successfully test-fired the Shakti-I nuclear missile at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan which was led by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
Bollywood has been always influenced by science fiction since the beginning. Unlike the old days, there no dearth of technology now, and Bollywood has been exploring and making films based on technology and science.
From superhero movies to the one with great scientist and Indian brain creating wonders, the Indian film fraternity has a lot to offer. Although we're technologically advanced now, and can collaborate with international talent for brilliant ideas and equipment, there are some movies from the past as well where science and robotics created on-screen magic.
Here's the list of movies you must watch to commemorate National Technology Day:
1. Robot and 2.0
Rajinikanth's starrer superhit movie Robot (2010) and then 2.0 in (2018) created havoc on the box-office. Originally title as Enthiran, this Tamil-language science fiction film is directed by S. Shankar and showed India is not from creating sci-fi gems using the latest technologies.
The story of the movie revolved around the struggle of the scientist Vaseegaran after his android robot Chitti goes rogue. Part two of the movie, 2.0, which starred Akshay Kumar and Rajnikanth amazed the audience with its visual effects.
2. Mr India
A movie, that was literally ahead of its time in many spheres was Anil Kapoor's, Mr. India. Directed by Shekhar Kapur, this 1987 film is remembered for many things such as Mogambo the ultimate villain, beauty queen Sridevi, crazy kids, and Anil Kapoor's Jhakaas invisible watch.
The fact the watch can make a person go invisible made fans go gaga over the movie.
3. Koi Mil Gaya and Krish series
From Aliens to Shapeshifters, Krish series (2003-2013) had everything. Krrish is one of the most popular superhero movies in the Indian cinema. The Krrish series comprises of three films so far, Koi Mil Gaya, Krrish and Krrish 3. It has directed, produced and written by Rakesh Roshan and features Hrithik Roshan in the lead role.
This movie proved that Indian can have his own superhero and all the stunts and sci-fi sequences were presented aptly in the movie.
4. Swadesh:
Now, some might think that why we are putting this movie in the list of Sci-Fi movie as this movie solely talked about the essence of patriotism. But what some might have missed was how an Indian boy, played by Badshah Shah Rukh Khan, came back to his country and used his knowledge about technology and machinery to bring back steady life in his village.
The movie was highly appreciated by the critics and the audience was able to connect themself with the character of the film's protagonist Mohan Bhargava (Shah Rukh Khan) who lived in the US for 12 years and came back for his family and his country's development.
5. Mission Mangal:
The movie directed by Jagan Shakti was somehow based on the Mars Orbital Mission, also known as Mangalyaan by various ISRO scientists. It led the audience to the world of Indian pride and how these in-house ISRO scientists managed to bring glory to the country.
The movie that featured Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, and various other actors as the ISRO scientists showcased the brilliance of Indian scientists and technology.
As #NationalTechnologyDay trends on Twitter, PM of India Narendra Modi also shared his views on social media and wrote, "On National Technology Day, our nation salutes all those who are leveraging technology to bring a positive difference in the lives of others. We remember the exceptional achievement of our scientists on this day in 1998. It was a landmark moment in India's history."
