From Devdas to Aashiqui 2: The best of Bollywood weepies

With Aashiqui 2 entering the elite 100-crore club, it’s probably not a spoiler that the film doesn’t have a happy ending. Aashiqui 2’s success is a reminder of something we may have forgotten thanks to the fluffy happy endings in most Bollywood films in the past decade: Indian audiences love to sniffle while leaving the cinema. Maybe sad endings on celluloid make us appreciate all the things that aren’t going melodramatically pear-shaped in our own lives. Or perhaps it’s the fact that tragedy has a tendency to inspire the best songs in Bollywood music directors and lyricists. Whatever the reason, we love weepies. Tragedies have built careers in Bollywood. Heroes doing the Indian version of a stoic expression — quivering lips, shiny eyes and jutting jaw with stubble; alcohol, optional — and heroines who sing soulfully while the universe breaks their hearts and crushes their dreams, these are among Bollywood’s most indestructible pillars. Usually, it isn’t enough for the lead couple to be forced apart. There must be death, preferably executed in spectacular fashion (ref: Amitabh Bachchan in Sholay, everyone in Rang De Basanti, Aditya Roy Kapoor in Aashiqui 2, for example). Recently, however, most producers and directors have shied from ending films with glycerine-laced bleakness. Director Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra, for instance, wanted to end Delhi 6 in blood-soaked death for Abhishek Bachchan but the powers-that-be insisted that he force a happy ending. Perhaps the success of Aashiqui 2 will inspire producers to back more multiple-hanky films in the future. For now though, here’s a list of some of Bollywood’s best weepies. Let us know in the comments if we missed your favourites. [caption id=“attachment_825951” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Courtesy: Ibn live[/caption] Devdas (1955) This Bengali novel has seen too many adaptations, but before Shahrukh Khan and Abhay Deol tried to drink their way into Indian audiences’ hearts, Dilip Kumar showed everyone what it meant to be a tragic hero. He cried, he drank, roamed around with a gun, speechified and his death at the end of the film must have left cinemas flooded with tears. And if Devdas and Paro’s sad story didn’t make you blubber, Talat Mehmood soulfulfully wailing “Mitwaaa” definitely would. Kagaz Ke Phool (1959) Guru Dutt’s film about a talented but arrogant filmmaker was too tragic even for Indian audiences when it was first released. However, the box office disaster has over the decades become a cult classic. Thanks to the evil universe and the male ego, Suresh Sinha (played by Dutt himself) loses the love of his life, his career and his daughter (basically, everything) in the course of Kagaz ke Phool. And then, just in case you didn’t feel sorry enough for him, he also dies. Mughal-e-Azam (1960) As far as tragic romances go, that of Salim and Anarkali tops the list. The story of the prince and the kaneez (that’s Urdu for slave girl, not a typo) as portrayed by Dilip Kumar and Madhubala is unforgettable. This isn’t Mughal history as any text book teaches it, but if you’ve watched it, then Prithviraj Kapoor is forever etched in your memory as Emperor Akbar. The point of Mughal-e-Azam is the forbidden story between the exquisite Madhubala who plays Anarkali and Dilip Kumar’s Salim. They’re sure they can take the world on and even though Kapoor’s angry face is quite terrifying, you cheer for them even though you know this can’t end well. Watch Madhubala singing Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya and your pulse will leap at the sight of her raised eyebrow and the defiant expression on her beautiful face. Mughal-e-Azam held the record for being the highest grossing Bollywood film for 15 years. Guide (1965) Logic isn’t the strongest suit of this Vijay Anand film, but no matter. Based on a novel by RK Narayan, the film started as an unusual romance and ended up to be an unstoppable juggernaut of misfortune. Raju (Dev Anand) is a guide who effectively rescues Rosie (Waheeda Rehman) from an unhappy marriage. Circumstances lead to him being convicted of forgery. When he is released from prison, he wanders around for a bit and ends up being mistaken to be a sadhu by a village that is in the grip of famine. Thanks to some serious miscommunication, Raju is forced to fast for 12 days because the villagers believe this will bring them much-needed rain. (You see what we meant about logic?) A stubbly and dying Raju makes peace with everyone from his mum to Rosie, almost starts a new religion and finally dies while the village rejoices because lo and behold, it’s raining! Pakeezah (1972) Meena Kumari was known as the tragedy queen of Bollywood and Pakeezah showcases her ability to tug at heartstrings beautifully. The film had everything that a honest-to-goodness Bollywood tragedy needs: a beautiful heroine, a hero (Raaj Kumar) whose heart is broken for his own good and fabulous music (by Naushad). Kumari played a courtesan who tries to fight social prejudices but ultimately chooses to sacrifice her own happiness because she fears her past will stain her lover’s future. The making of the film was an almost-tragedy, considering it took 14 years to make and was initially a box office failure. However, Kumari’s charm and the glorious soundtrack eventually won audiences over and the film became a commercial success. Muqaddar ka Sikandar (1978) In the annals of inventive suicides in the name of love, there are few that can match up to the sheer imaginative genius of Zohrabai’s (Rekha) death in Muqaddar ka Sikandar. This phenomenally successful film is about Sikandar (Amitabh Bachchan) who is an illiterate smuggler. He may be a criminal in the eyes of the law but in the eyes of pretty much everyone else, he’s a hero. Sikandar is in love with Kaamna (Rakhee) but she’s in love with Vishal (Vinod Khanna) and completing this quadrangle of confusion is the kothewaali Zohra (Rekha) who loves Sikandar. Following in Pakeezah’s footsteps, Zohra promises to stay away from Sikandar to save him from social ruin. Except he’s hellbent on seeing her. What’s a girl to do? Swallow that symbol of everlasting love, a diamond, choke on it and die in Sikandar’s arms. Later Sikandar ends up dying at Kaamna and Vishal’s wedding. Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981) If you’ve been to Goa, then you’ve probably stood at the vantage point of Dona Paula. If you’re a child of the 1980s, then the first thing you’ll think of when you stand there are the dead bodies of Kamal Haasan and Rati Agnihotri. The massive success of Ek Duuje Ke Liye made the romantic suicide pact an undying trend. Vasu (Haasan), a Tamil lad, is in love with his neighbour, the north Indian Sapna (Agnihotri). She loves him too, but the two sets of parents are less obliging. Then come separation, lying friends, Hindi lessons, a rape (in a temple, no less), some goons and finally, suicide. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) When the name of the film has not one but two qayamat (translation: doom) in it, you know there’s tragedy ahead. QSQT was an Indian take on the story of Romeo and Juliet. Raj (Aamir Khan) and Rashmi (Juhi Chawla) have a lot in common. They’re both Rajputs, wear brightly-coloured clothes, aren’t afraid of blow-drying their hair and consequently, it’s no surprise that they fall in love. Unfortunately, there’s a long-standing feud between the two families, as a result of which the two cannot be allowed to dance around trees and sing romantic duets. The two elope and live in a deserted fort for some time (where else would a runaway Rajput couple live after all?). But their idyllic life is destroyed by bloodthirsty henchmen and stubborn parents. She is shot by mistake, he kills himself and the film ends with everyone (except the film’s producers) feeling miserable. Maachis (1996) Director Gulzar set this love story against the backdrop of insurgency in Punjab and while the film has its flaws, it’s moving and packed with solid acting performances. Kripal (Chandrachud Singh) is a regular Punjabi village boy whose carefree life changes when his friend is beaten up by the police just because he dared to play a harmless little prank. He ends up in a militant group, but more as an observer than an active participant. Circumstances force Kripal and Veeran (Tabu) into militancy and through their story, Gulzar tried to show how common people because pawns in games played by people in power. The final scene, in which Veeran gives Kirpal a cyanide pill and then swallows one herself, is a two-hanky moment. Maachis had some beautiful songs written by Gulzar and composed by Vishal Bharadwaj. It was both a critical and commercial success. Tere Naam (2003) Who’d have thought that hair that looks like ironed roadkill could actually become a fashion statement? Salman Khan’s hair in Tere Naam deserves a biopic of its own, but let us not digress. Tere Naam was one of those films that no one could have predicted will be a success. Radhe Mohan (Khan) is a rowdy-type person. Whether his anger management issues stem from the fact that he has a spectacularly bad hairstyle is not confirmed, but when he falls in love with Nirjara (Bhumika) and she reciprocates, his rage comes under control. Just when there could be a happy ending, a bunch of thugs show up and beat up Radhe Mohan. A few severe blows to the head lead to him losing his mind and being sent to an asylum. The treatment at the asylum somehow reignites his sanity and Radhe Mohan rushes to Nirjara. But he’s too late. She’s committed suicide because her parents were forcing her to get married and her heart belonged to Radhe Mohan. Rockstar (2011) Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri’s love story is doomed even before it’s begun in Rockstar. When they meet, she’s already engaged to be married, which is never a good sign in Bollywood. Since boy and girl cannot be just friends in our filmi universe, JJ (Kapoor) and Heer’s (Fakhri) camaraderie is actually a volcano of boiling passion that takes a while to erupt. Before that can happen, JJ must go through some humiliation and trials in order to become the rock star of the title, aka Jordan. He meets Heer when he comes to Prague for a concert, and in this picturesque city, love breaks the dams of social convention. However, while Heer’s spirit is willing, medically speaking, her heart isn’t. A mysterious and incurable heart ailment is sapping the life out of Heer and all JJ can do is hang out with her. So he does that and occasionally pops out to do a concert or two. Heer eventually slips into coma and dies. Jordan keeps singing songs because they allow him to hallucinate she’s standing on stage with him.