|
Take the quiz on Bollywood's romantic movies!
A Bollywood flick deviod of romance? Nah! Before the Ram Gopal Varmas and Vikram Bhatts came out with their spooky flicks, Bollywood always relied on the tried and tested formula of soft, breezy romance.
Untitled Document
With showmen like Yash Chopra and the immortal Raj Kapoor around, Bollywood managed to churn out the best of romance. Simple stories, enchanting music, and talented stars, those films had them all in abundance. Here, we take a look at some of the best romantic films ever made in Bollywood.
Devdas:
 Bengali author Saratchandra Chattopadya's novel on the 'defeated lover' was adapted into the silver screen thrice. First, with the late K L Saigal, then with Dileep Kumar in 1950s and recently with Shahrukh Khan. Pundits say Indian audience would still watch the film if made again. That's the impact the love saga leaves on us. The name Devdas has become synonymous with the 'bearded disenchanted lover'. In the film, Devdas turns into an alcoholic wreck after his childhood love Paro ties the knot with someone else. Devdas buries himself in alcohol...and somewhere in the middle of the story, appears a beautiful courtesan Chandramukhi. The dismayed Dev finds solace in Chandramukhi's company, who helps Dev find Paro. But she's a true 'bharatiya naari' commited to her family. The last scene of Dev echoes the laments of Paro, when Dev gives up his soul. While the Saigal and Dileep Kumar movies excelled with their simplicity, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's modern version scored with the magnificent sets, ravishing costumes, mesmerising cinematography and haunting songs. The movie also saw the comeback of Bollywood's lady with the million dollar smile, Madhuri Dixit Nene. The surprise pack, though was Kiron Kher, as Aishwarya's mother. Ash and Shahrukh went on to win most of the awards last year.
Mughal-e-Azam:
 Heralded as the best romantic film ever made in Bollywood, Muhgal-e-Azam changed the common man's perceptions of Hindi cinema. The epic 'prem kahani' of Salim and Anarkali was bold, besides being appealing visually and emotionally. Mughal-e-Azam dealt with topics such as class, religion, love, parental disfavour and, above all, eternal love. Starring thespian Dileep Kumar as Salim, enchanting Madhu Bala as Anarkali in the lead roles, it was a solid three hours of visual treat. Pritviraj Kapoor did the role of Mughal emperor Akbar. Naushad's music povided the extra edge to the movie. 'Pyar kiya to darna kya' and 'Mohabbat ki jhooti kahani' still captivate us. The movie won the Filmfare award for best film in 1960.
Ek Duje Ke Liye:
 With the release of Kamalhassan's Bollywood debut 'Ek Duje Ke Liye' in 1981, a new genre of tearjerker movies was born. In one scene, the heroine's mom burns her lover's photograph and her daughter goes to the extent of adding the ashes in a coffee mug and gulping it. Ugh! Something which Bollywood has never seen! But the ill-fated romance of Kamal and Rati Agnihotri witnessed a tragic end. Rewriting the norms of ordinary cinema, the hero and heroine succumbed to death in the climax. A challenge to the whole society who defied their romance. A mega grosser, the movie had heart-warming tunes like...'Tere mere beech mein' and 'Hum bane tum bane' that cling onto our lips, even amidst today's raunchy remixes. Director K Balachander and Kamal did few more films in Hindi, but none as trendsetting as EDKL.
Aradhana:
 Bollywood saw the birth of a soft romantic hero with `Aradhana`. Rajesh Khanna catapulted to the superstar league with this romantic movie. This film also marked Khanna's long fruitful association with Sharmila Tagore. The movie opens against a backdrop of a hilly terrain with Army officer Amar singing 'Mere Sapno Ki Rani' atop an open jeep, while Vandana (Sharmila Tagore) sneaks a peek at him from a mini train. A brief romance. A secret wedding. Khanna's tragic death. A turn of events...Khanna appears again as the son of Sharmila Tagore, but he's adopted by another young couple. Sharmila plays Naani to him. In the end Khanna realises that Sharmila is his true mom and gives her the well-deserved place. The movie was a remarkable feel-good romance, and had melodious music.
Kabhi Kabhie:
 `Kabhi Kabhie` is a film about a love story that spans generations. Its the story of a young poet Amit (Amitabh) and beautiful Pooja (Rakhee Gulzar). They visualise a perfect future together, but destiny has other plans. They are not united. Spanning over to the next generation, the second half of `Kabhie Kabhie` tells the love story of Rishi Kapoor (Pooja's son) and Neetu Singh (Amit's wife's daughter). The movie was an art film in a commercial garb. It had all the necessary elements of a Bollywood flick except action - romance, songs, lovely locations, and to top it, Yash Chopra managed to extract excellent performances from all lead players.
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak:
 Mansoor Khan's directorial venture gifted Indian film industry with many talents. Aamir Khan who went on to become the nation's heartthrob, the bubbly Juhi Chawla, who even now stands out among the new crop of Bollywood actresses, Udit Narayan, who rendered 'Papa kehte hai' to perfection, and last but not the least, Mansoor Khan himself. Khan succeeds in depicting a range of human emotions - happiness, love, devotion, anger, duplicity, jealousy and sorrow - in this simple, but excellently etched out film. QSQT proved that romantic films need not always be dumb. Mansoor Khan went on to direct many successful movies including 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar', 'Akele Hum Akele Tum' and 'Josh'.
Maine Pyar Kiya:
 'Maine Pyar Kiya', written and directed by debutant Sooraj Bartajya rewrote the hostory of Indian cinema. Starring Salman Khan and Bhagyashree, MPK was a breezy romance. The movie told the story of two young hearts smitten with love. Prem's mother has already accepted Suman (Bhagyashree) as her prospective daughter-in-law. But fate had something else in store. Their love falls a victim to social prejudice. MPK had haunting music, penned by Asad Bhopali and Dev Kohli. The movie won six Filmfare awards in 1989. The movie was remade in English as 'When love calls'. It also had a Spanish version.
Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin:
 It happened one night in Bollywood! Mahesh Bhatt's remake of the Hollywood classic was cute and sweet, to put it simple. The poor boy Aamir meets a rich runaway girl Pooja by chance. They bump into each other everytime, by chance again. A budding romance, and a quick separation. Anupam as the madcap father was at his wittiest best in the movie. This romantic comedy was noted for its stars, music and presentation. Pooja was the freshness of the movie while Aamir delivered a splendid performance.
Hum Aapke Hai Kaun:
 The biggest hit of 1994 ran for 52 weeks. 'Hum Aapke Hai Kaun' had Salman and Madhuri at their best. HAHK started a new genre in Bollywood that was to be called soft romantic movies. This family melodrama had endearing songs, like 'Mayine mayine', 'Didi tera devar diwana' etc. The first half of the movie had Prem (Salman) and Nisha (Madhuri) falling in love and the film captured even minute details of their affair to perfection. The second half had some drama..some tears, but no gore for sure. The choreography was first-class in songs like 'Wah Wah Ramji' and 'Joote Dedo Paise Le Lo'. On the whole, HAHK was a trend-setter in Indian cinema.
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge:
 This Yash Chopra film had a good story. It had good comedy, too. For the first time NRIs got to watch a movie that caters to their interests. DDLJ can be considered one of the first crossover films. In DDLJ, Yash Chopra narrated the story of two NRIs, Raj and Simran. The movie emphasised on Indian family values (Remember, Raj's affection for his father, Kajol's family ties) which was an eye-opener to the NRI audience. Kajol entered the big league with this movie which is one of the longest running Indian films. Rich in beautiful locations and soulful songs, DDLJ would still be a crowd puller if screened in the theatres! The movie is a complete family entertainer and a very memorable one at that.
Bollywood continues to churn out romances...but none has been able to recreate the DDLJ magic or any of the films mentioned above. Time is changing, and a new breed of NRI films are born. We have 'Mr & Mrs Iyer', 'Guru' and 'American Chai'. We also have a fresh tale of love and relationships, 'Jhankaar Beats' to talk about. And not to forget, even the scary films like 'Raaz' and 'Bhoot' did have a love angle attached to it. And the verdict is clear....romance rules in Bollywood!
|
