ABSTRACT Popular Hindi cinema in contemporary times has characteristic patterns of ideological positioning, that reflect the populist authoritarian regime and its political agenda of a monolithic Hindu identity with its corresponding political version of a nation built on Hindutva policies. Film genres like historicals have been ideal propaganda vehicles in building counternarratives to challenge the fragile secular structures that keep the heterogeneity of the nation in place. A sub-genre to be mentioned in this context is biopics which have emerged as a popular sub-genre of historicals in contemporary Indian cinema. They narrate tales of individuals who have led extraordinary lives or have shaped their lives to become role models for the young to learn and emulate. Biopics can be turned into narratives about nationalism with little effort and we see several films shaping discourses on nationalism and national identity. Using biopics released since 2010, I seek to explore the significance of this hero in biopics in a neoliberal nationalist paradigm. The films chosen are those that depict the lives of common people who have turned heroes, as in the case of films like Manjhi – The Mountain Man (2015), Super 30 (2019), and Pad Man (2018).