Looking beyond the rose-tinted glasses: Has all the romance in Hindi cinema gone or evolved?

A crown prince falls in love with a courtesan, only to meet an unfateful end, in K.Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam. A young woman meant to marry the man her father has chosen for her, struggles to be with her mandolin-playing, swooning in the mustard field lover, in Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. A husband selflessly tries to unite his wife with her lover, only to find that it has caused her to fall in love with him instead, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. A forlorn poet who is devastated by the greed and corruption in society, falls in love with a prostitute with a heart of gold, in Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa. A full-of-life, perky woman befriends a lonely and quiet man, who learns to live with her by his side, in Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met. An Indian man, and a Pakistani woman, fall in love with each other, however the former spends years in jail for her, while the other tends to his village fulfilling his dream, thinking that he is dead, in Yash Chopra’s Veer Zaara. An adopted son of a rich couple, falls in love and marries a middle-class woman, against his father’s wishes, causing him to banish him, in Karan Johar’s Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham. Two best friends make the perfect couple, but they refuse to see it until they date other people, only to realise that they love each other, in Abbas Tyrewala’s Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.  

With romance that makes your heart flutter, and love that consumes you, Bollywood has kept the world enchanted for as long as one can remember.

From star crossed lovers defying fate to be with each other, to forbidden lovers trying to break free of societal shackles, romance has been foundational to Hindi Cinema’s core, and has been the fundament of it, since time immemorial. It has spun magic on the silver screen for years, and given us hope, tears, and smiling hearts. [caption id=“attachment_4568911” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] Shahrukh (left), Kajol and Amrish Puri in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge | Image from YouTube[/caption] However, lately that magic seems to be wearing off, and the rose-tinted glasses that we’ve been so keen to wear, are coming down. Romance seems to be disappearing from Hindi films, or as some would argue is changing forms, but the unfortunate fact remains, that the mushy, starry-eyed, iconic romance that we often came searching for is slowly, and sadly at the brink of extinction. Is it our divisive times, and polarised world? Or is it simply a way to move forward, in a search for a more real, and nuanced take at romance? With a heavy heart, I must tell you that it’s the latter, because love and romance run parallel with cinema and storytelling, and if we’re seeking an evolution of the craft, then it’s imperative for the ideals of love and romance to also change. As we demand our cinema to be more socially aware, isn’t it natural that the definitions of love and romance will also change, for the better? In the last few years we’ve seen a more layered portrayal of love, that descended into the discourse of homosexuality, queerness, gender equality, and casteism. [caption id=“attachment_10365741” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Chum Darang, Bhumi Pednekar in Badhaai Do[/caption] We saw films like Masaan, that dealt with the issue of caste-based discrimination, and saw a naunced yet innocent portrayal of love. We also saw Manmarziyan , a film quite similar to Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in terms of the plot arc, but in terms of the treatment, the Anurag Kashyap directorial went a bit further in exploring the intricacies of relationships. Films like Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan , Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui , and Badhaai Do explored the LGBTQ+ space, even if it wasn’t without fault, it was nevertheless monumental. Thereby, these films made a glorious mark of their own in the movie universe, and looked a bit further from wind blowing, hair flying, slow-mo dancing trope. However, what we also must take into account is that on some days, we need to wear those rose-coloured glasses. The slow-motion, stop and stare sequences are very antidote to our despondent realities, that we sometimes need to escape. We need to feel our heart flutter, and cheeks turn pink, because there are many who’ve conquered the moon, but it is Gulzar saab’s dreamy lyrics that have taught us to fall in love with it. Every time that Shahrukh Khan spreads his arms wide open, we fall a little bit more in love with our perhaps unlovable mundane lives that are filled with strife and injustice, because he makes the beauty believable. [caption id=“attachment_10371951” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna in Pushpa: The Rise[/caption] These films are not the best cinema has to offer, and they are neither ideal, in fact often they endorse the wrong notions and norms, but they also offer us a glint of magic at times. When most of us are able to differentiate right and wrong, these films can be seen for the fun and games they are. While I agree, that our cinema needs to be more relevant, real and nuanced, I also wish secretly to feel that innocent joy again of just staring at the screen giddily, praying that there’s a happily ever after, in reality there are no happily ever afters, so why not search for one in celluloid. As our lives and cinema halls are flooded with either testosterone-driven massy entertainers like RRR, Sooryavanshi, Pushpa, or message-driven social comedies, like Badhaai Do, or Jayeshbhai Jordaar, it is only fair to seek some tender, and loving, stories that make our hearts smile.   That said, cinema for change is significant, and love stories that explore the real side of it are gladly welcomed because we’ve yearned for them for far too long, but is it greedy to want the best of both the worlds? Is it asking too much, if I desire over-the-top romances, and rooted love stories as well? However, until that happens, we need to keep welcoming cinema that pushes the boundaries, and insist on changing our archaic definitions of love and romance, while devouring a dose of nostalgia and starry-eyed romance in some of our favorite films from the past, because once in a while, we all need an Anand to tell us that, Pushpa, I hate tears!, or a Raj to say that, Senorita, bade bade deshon aisi chhoti chhoti baatien toh hoti rehti hain.   Takshi Mehta is a freelance journalist and writer. She firmly believes that we are what we stand up for, and thus you’ll always find her wielding a pen. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram