We have all grown up watching Bollywood movies and we have learned about our ideas of love and romance from those movies. I mean, we all remember: “Hum ek baar jeete hai, ek baar marte hai, shaadi bhi ek baar hoti hai … aur pyar ek baar hi hota hai,” dialogue by heart. We all took inspiration from those movies about what a perfect relationship should be like. Our idea and thoughts about love are still a reflection of the conditioning we received from watching them.
However, the movies we grew up watching were not really progressive and reinforced pre-defined gender roles and stereotypes. So, here is the list of five Bollywood movies that despite being problematic, we still love.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
The film included Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, one of Bollywood’s most legendary on-screen couples, Rani Mukerji’s amazing performance, Karan Johar’s magnificent visuals, Salman Khan’s guest appearance, the typical Indian mother like Fareeda Jalal and some very memorable characters like Anjali, among other things. The songs from the film are still very much fresh in our minds as they simply refuse to age. If you ask someone to share their favourite dialogues from the movie, they will reply without skipping a beat. Though it’s hard to choose one, as there are many iconic dialogues in the movie.
“Pyar dosti hai … agar woh meri sab se achchi dost nahin ban sakti, to main usse kabhi pyar kar hi nahi sakta … kyun ki dosti bina toh pyar hota hi nahin … simple, pyar dosti hai.”
“Kuch kuch hota hai Rahul, tum nahi samjhoge.”
Hum Aapke Hain Kaun
Without a doubt, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun will always be a romantic comedy that 90’s kids will associate with our childhood and Sooraj Barjatya, who has always endorsed love in his films. The chemistry between Nisha (Madhuri Dixit) and Prem (Salman Khan) was loved by many. Their love boomed in a family setup and like every clichéd love story, they saw some obstacles but lived happily ever after. From entertaining dance numbers like Didi Tera Devar Deewana and Joote Do Paise Lo to sad ones like Mujhse Juda Hokar, the movie had songs for every mood.
Dil To Pagal Hai
Dil To Pagal Hai made us all think that someone, somewhere, is made for us. It was a film full of dancing, drama, romance, and some of the most iconic songs that we still sing today. Shah Rukh Khan was India’s favourite loverboy at the time, who made us fall in love with him again with his character. The movie was relatable for many people as it discussed the character of Nisha (Karishma Kapoor) whose love isn’t reciprocated, and Nisha too wonders if she’s so bad that her friend is not loving her back. The scene that was loved by many was how his friend Rahul apologised to her for not loving her back and did everything to comfort her. It’s quite rare to see one-sided love treated with such delicacy, which is the reason this movie is still fresh in our memories.
Dil Se
The movie was full of endearingly romantic moments. The movie taught 90’s kids to confess their feelings before it’s too late and when it comes to matters of the heart, one should not wait for the moment. The film does not follow the conventional “guy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after” plot. This was a film about battle, trauma, loss, and sadness. While it is a serious political drama, there are also wonderful moments that celebrate love. Amar and Meghna’s romance has a poetic beauty to it, like a divine connection that brings their love to life. If we talk about Dil Se and do not mention the beautiful songs, that would be unfair. The song Dil Se depicts the true meaning of love and the lovely melody by A R Rehman stole everyone’s hearts and it is still engraved in our hearts.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
It’s the best modern love story that India has to offer. DDLJ is the longest-running film in Indian cinema history, and it made SRK and Kajol the most popular on-screen couple in Hindi cinema. Raj and Simran became #CoupleGoals for 90’s kids even before social media. The film has managed to touch millions of hearts because of its unforgettable characters, intriguing narrative, and legendary music. The movie had some problematic scenes, like Raj making advances towards Simran when she was clearly not interested. However, the ending scene with Simran sprinting towards Raj in a moving train brings a grin to many people’s faces.
