One of the most anticipated Hollywood films of 2026, Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, was released on June 12. The climax of the sci-fi thriller sees Margaret Fairchild, played by Emily Blunt, rushing to a news channel office with her colleagues to air a major exposé. Interestingly, the sequence evokes a strong sense of déjà vu and instantly reminds one of the climax of the 2000 Hindi film Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, starring Shah Rukh Khan. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
In Disclosure Day, Margaret Fairchild’s life turns upside down when she suddenly starts speaking in an unknown language while giving weather updates on the local news channel, KCXE 4. She then comes in contact with Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) and Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo). Daniel is a cybersecurity specialist working for Wardex, a secret arm of the US government. He steals highly confidential videos from Wardex and goes on the run. These videos expose how the authorities had imprisoned extra-terrestrials and, in some cases, even tortured them.
Amid all the madness, Margaret, Daniel and Hugo are chased by the authorities as they make their way to the KCXE 4 studio. Margaret then goes on air and makes the ‘Disclosure Day’ public broadcast, during which footage of the extra-terrestrials is transmitted. The broadcast is picked up by prominent news channels across the world in no time.
Meanwhile, in Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Ajay Bakshi (Shah Rukh Khan) and Ria Banerjee (Juhi Chawla) are reporters working for rival news channels. However, they team up when they realize that Mohan Joshi (Paresh Rawal), branded as a terrorist and a threat to the nation, is actually a helpless father who killed a politician to avenge his daughter, who had been raped and murdered by the latter. Mohan had also been denied justice due to political influence, forcing him to take the drastic step.
A confession tape of Mohan Joshi is hidden at the house of Ajay’s boss, played by Satish Shah. Ajay and Ria manage to infiltrate the property and steal the tape. They then rush to a news channel office and successfully broadcast the confession shortly before Mohan Joshi is to be hanged. The confession is accompanied by an emotional plea by Ajay, wherein he asks the aam junta to come out in large numbers outside the jail where Mohan is to be executed.
Of course, no one is suggesting that Steven Spielberg has copied from the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer. However, while watching Disclosure Day, one can’t help but be reminded of Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, even though the Hollywood film has a completely different treatment and also deals with extra-terrestrials.
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, which marked Shah Rukh Khan’s first film as a producer, is considered to be way ahead of its time. The film exposed the commercialization of the media and showed how news channel heads could allow themselves to be misused by political forces to further their own agenda. These ideas were rarely explored in cinema at the time and had not even entered mainstream public discourse. As a result, despite director Aziz Mirza packaging the film with commercial elements and hit music, it failed to make a mark at the box office. Over the years, however, as several of the issues highlighted in the film began to feel increasingly relevant, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani started being viewed in a new light.
The post Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day climax has an uncanny resemblance to Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani’s ending (Spoilers ahead) appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
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