Akshay Kumar vs John Abraham: Bharat Kumar vs Mr Bharat

Pop goes the patriotism war at the Bollywood boxoffice on Independence Day for the second year in a row Akshay Kumars Mission Mangal is all set to go into a headon clash with Batla House starring John Abraham The season of the Tricolour is set to get a dash of the filmi hue once again on August 15 2019 after Akshays Gold and Johns Satyamev Jayate fought for boxoffice spoils on the same date last yearIn an era when image logistics define stardom more than anything else Independence Day has been the toast of Bollywood biggies out to milk the desk bhakti genre for a while now Shah Rukh Khans Chak De India opened in the IDay weekend of 2007 The Ajay Devganstarrer Singham Returns booked the date in 2014 Salman Khans patriotic spy thriller Ek Tha Tiger is widely remembered as an Eid blockbuster The films release date was incidentally August 15 2012Akshay and John more than the others have however emerged as the stars with a longterm plan to appropriate the image of the patriotic hero in modernday Bollywood The faceoff between the two actors is not just about Independence Day boxoffice supremacy The last man standing also gets to keep the sobriquet of Bollywoods newage Mr Bharat which Manoj Kumar enjoyed back in the day for his steady stream of films that crafted melodrama out of heavy doses of patriotism and nationalismAkshay was the smart first mover in this context When Rustom raked in over Rs 120 crore domestically upon release in the Independence Day weekend of 2016 and went on to win him a National Award as Best Actor the superstar realised that the boxoffice value of a film celebrating Desh bhakti invariably multiplies if it is released on a date that celebrates India itselfMost of Akshays recent films soaked in the Tricolour hue have therefore settled for either January 26 or August 15 as release dates Having scored with hits such as Kesari Gold Pad Man Toilet Ek Prem Katha Rustom Airlift and Baby Akshay was well on his way to wresting the tag of Bollywoods resident master of pop patriotismExcept John Abraham had other plansFor John it all perhaps started by chance when his cerebral political thriller Madras Cafe directed by Shoojit Sircar became a multiplex sensation upon releasing a week after the Independence Day of 2013 The actor who at that point was looking to shed the image of Bollywood beefcake found relief in the patriotism genreThe sociocultural milieu of the nation was also changing around this time with a newfound love for ones country pervading across society Backing projects that celebrated the Tricolour spirit could only spell a winwin situation for JohnAll four Johns releases over 2018 and 2019 have belonged to the patriotism genre Parmanu The Story Of Pokhran Satyamev Jayate Romeo Akbar Walter and the upcoming Batla House are all films that garnered lucrative returns casting John as the ultimate patriotThere is however a difference in the flavour of onscreen Desh bhakti that these two actors project Akshays superstardom since his Khiladi days has mostly banked on projecting a goodnatured dogooder He has successfully rolled that quality into his patriotic roles as wellSo if Akshays protagonist Ishar Singh in Kesari is not afraid to lay down his life in the battle of Saragarhi the affable Tapan Das of Gold is ready to spend even the last paisa from his pocket for the betterment of the Indian hockey team which would go on to win the gold medal at the Olympics in 1948 He was the billionaire who selflessly rescued countless Indians from wartorn Kuwait of 1990 in Airlift and he was the Navy Commander who would put at stake even personal happiness to protect the nations official secretsIn Pad Man and Toilet Ek Prem Katha he shifted focus to rural development through issues of hygiene and cleanliness and in Baby the actor was seen heading a nearimpossible mission to bring a top terrorist to bookAll these roles comprise a seamless buildup to Mission Mangal where Akshay plays the mission director who fights against all odds to make ISROs Mars Orbit Mission happenEach of the actors roles has seen him address subjects that redefine what the archetypal Bollywood messiahs responsibility towards society must be Interestingly however each of these roles have had a largerthanlife hangover Akshays brand of patriotism is tailormade to let him retain his appeal as a mass superstar first and foremostJohn Abraham on the other hand has looked at shades of grey perhaps aware that he could never match Akshays sway among the larger audienceJohns films toasting pop patriotism cater primarily to the urban market His heroes dwell in domains that are more sleek than Akshays It is the hushhush world of spies Romeo Akbar Walter and the classified realm of nuclear testing Parmanu The Story Of Pokhran It is a world where Bollywoods eternal favourite theme of cop corruption gets a newage twist in violence and character development Satyamev Jayate and the upcoming Batla HouseIt is a fascinating battle for Bollywoods crown of patriotism between Akshays earthy Bharat Kumar and Johns dapper Mr Bharat The desi boxoffice of course looks big enough for both to survive and thriveCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates