The anniversary of the deaths of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru on 23 March, 1931, is declared to be Martyr's Day or Shaheed Diwas. Hindi cinema has been consistently inspired by these brave freedom fighters and their life stories of courage, rebellion and sacrifice. Bhagat Singh, in particular, has fired the imagination of many filmmakers, who have presented his stirring life story on screen.

Actors too, have eagerly grasped the opportunity to essay the Indian socialist revolutionary Bhagat Singh, whose two acts of dramatic violence against the British in India and execution at the age of 23 made him a folk hero of the Indian Independence movement.

Here’s a glance at the actors who have essayed the daring Singh over the years, and brought his inspirational and moving story to life on screen…

Prem Abeed - Shaheed-e-Azad Bhagat Singh (1954)

The first film based on Bhagat Singh's life, it was directed by Jagdish Gautam. With Prem Abeed essaying the lead role of Bhagat Singh, the rest of the cast comprised Jairaj, Smriti Biswas and Ashita Mazumdar in lead roles. The film also featured the moving patriotic song ‘Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai…’ rendered by the incomparable Mohammed Rafi.

Shammi Kapoor - Shaheed Bhagat Singh (1963)

Generally known for his boisterous ‘Yahoo!’ persona, Shammi made the perfect Bhagat Singh in this K N Bansal directorial. Not only did he look the part, he also played the role with reverence and solemnity. Not surprisingly, his performance fetched Shammi rave reviews. The film also starred Shakeela, Premnath, Ulhas and Achla Sachdev.

Manoj Kumar - Shaheed (1965)

The first of Manoj Kumar's series of patriotic films, S Ram Sharma’s Shaheed was marked by a raw authenticity. Manoj Kumar played Bhagat Singh with serene restraint, giving him solemn dignity. He delivered one of the finest performances of his career, inspiring even Bhagat Singh's mother to declare that his film persona was similar to her son’s. The film won several awards including the National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.

Sonu Sood - Shaheed-E-Azam (2002)

Directed by Sukumar Nair, this film saw Sonu Sood do his best to fill the shoes of the great freedom fighter. “Bhagat Singh is the biggest star anyone could ever have played,” he declared. “This is also the reason why so many seasoned actors have taken up the challenge. I have been extremely cautious throughout my shooting. My biggest concern was not to misinform people and not to appear unnatural. After all, it was the question of showcasing history.”

Bobby Deol - 23rd March 1931: Shaheed (2002)

This historical biographical directed by Guddu Dhanoa, depicted the events leading up to the hanging of Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and his companions Rajguru and Sukhdev. It starred Bobby Deol as Bhagat Singh, with his elder brother Sunny Deol as Chandrashekhar Azad. At the time Bobby had shared that he did not need to read a single word on Bhagat Singh; he had been told many stories of the hero by his grandmother since a young age.

Ajay Devgn - The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)

The smouldering Ajay Devgn essayed the role of Bhagat Singh, bringing the necessary passion to the role. This Rajkumar Santoshi directorial went on to win two National Film Awards, including the Best Feature Film in Hindi, and three Filmfare Awards. The film showed in detail how Singh came to develop his views on the British Raj and his struggle for Indian independence.

Siddharth - Rang De Basanti (2006)

Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s film covered Bhagat Singh’s role in the Indian freedom struggle via a story about a British documentary filmmaker who makes a film on Indian freedom fighters based on diary entries by her grandfather. She asks a group of five young men to act in her film – the result was Siddharth essaying Bhagat Singh, with Aamir Khan playing Chandrashekhar Azad. The film became a cult amongst youngsters and won several awards.

JAI HIND!