This year, the Republic Day parade featured a special tableau from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ( I&B Ministry) dedicated to Indian cinema. Veteran Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali designed the tableau, conceptualising the theme Bharat Gatha, and roped in Shreya Ghoshal for a specially composed song.

The HeeraMandi director brought around Shreya on board to render a song that played alongside the tableau as it moved down Kartavya Path on January 26.

“Shreya Ghoshal rendered a specially composed song for Bharat Gatha, the Republic Day tableau conceptualised by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Music has always been integral to Bhansali’s storytelling, and whenever he and Shreya collaborated, the result carried a emotional depth. Their collaboration consistently created moments that stayed with audiences, and this time, that musical magic unfolded on Kartavya Path, becoming a part of the Republic Day Parade itself,” according to Hindustan Times source.

The tableau reflected Indian cinema's place in popular culture. The design presented Indian cinemas not merely as entertainment, but as an extension of India’s civilisational story legacy.