Valentine’s Day may not be the best time to bring this up, but reader, it’s hard to think of a moment from a recent Bollywood rom-com that feels as unforgettable as the screen romances of the late Nineties and early 2000s. Maybe it’s the nostalgia, reignited by the re-release of beloved classics like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Jab We Met (2007) in theatres as part of PVR’s Valentine’s Film Festival this week. Or maybe the Hindi film industry just delivered better love stories in the past. There’s something about these old films that have stood the test of time, becoming the refuge we turn to when we need a little escapist comfort. What is it that made the romance in these films so simple, potent and timeless?
“Love is friendship,” proclaims Karan Johar’s directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), marking a sharp turn into modernity for mainstream Hindi cinema. Starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, Johar presented a couple who start off as high school buddies. It’s only in the film’s third act that a romantic charge zips through the film, in a gazebo sequence that would go on to redefine the idea of seduction for at least two generations of Bollywood lovers.
In a secluded corner, far away from the children who anchor Rahul (Khan) and Anjali (Kajol) in their present-day realities — he’s a widower and single father; she’s engaged to be married — the two friends take shelter from a sudden downpour. As Anjali attempts to dry her hair, Rahul gets down on one knee and asks her for a dance. Amused, Anjali whispers, “No music.” Smiling, Rahul plays air piano and the strains of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’s theme song fills both the gazebo and the viewers’ hearts. It’s a delightful nod to Hindi cinema’s decades-long tradition of song-and-dance sequences that throw realism to the wind, celebrating instead a willingness to imagine a world in which awkward silences can be filled with music that makes you feel all the feels.
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s the electric sensuality of Rahul pulling Anjali close, leaving the whisper of a caress on her neck, casting smouldering glances at her while holding that wet, red sari in his hand. Desire burns frankly in his eyes and as he looks straight into camera, turning the audience into a stand-in for Anjali, the moment is more romantic than all the passionate lip-locks we’ve seen in the past few years.
Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met (2007) is a little less chaste, but it’s another one of those films that brought to life a crackling chemistry using music and the rapport shared by Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan. The film is filled with charming little moments of banter that show the audience how well Geet (Kareena) and Aditya (Shahid) vibe with each other. For much of the film, Geet is with another man, but in the early sections, this doesn’t stop her from gently flirting with Aditya. There is a moment in the song “Yeh Ishq Hai” when Geet dances with the locals during their road-trip to Manali. Aditya just looks at her, charmed by her vivacity and consumed by his longing for her. Music also elevated the climax of the film, when a euphoric, orchestral symphony accompanied Geet’s confession to Aditya. “I’m going to listen to my heart now,” she said to him, and the music soared. The toe-curling, butterflies-in-your-stomach kiss that followed was an exciting novelty at the time, but it still has the power to make you sigh dreamily.
Kisses have become a fixture in Hindi films today, but few can match the intensity of Shruti (Anushka Sharma) and Bittoo’s (Ranveer Singh) monumental first kiss in Band Baaja Baaraat (2010). It happens at the end of a long night of celebrations. The two of them are alone and tipsy in their tiny Delhi office. As part of a slurry but determined effort to keep the party going, the two of them dance with abandon as “Bachna Ae Haseeno” plays in the background, fighting exhaustion and ultimately slumping against each other. Bittoo wraps his arms around Shruti in an affectionate hug. The camera lingers on them, holding its breath as it records how the mood shifts, veering away from camaraderie and towards passion. A tender piano note rings out the moment their lips finally touch. As the kiss builds in intensity, so does the score and we get one of the most romantic one-night stands ever.
Each of the three films reflects the prevailing ideals of the time in which it was made, while still feeling refreshingly original. The characters in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai are weighed down by societal pressures and traditional notions of marriage, but in that moment — the rain creating a dreamlike liminal space in which it’s just the two of them in the world – their love feels transgressive. Geet and Aditya play out the conventional opposites-attract rom-com trope, but the film shows them genuinely enjoying each other’s company. Even when Aditya thinks his love for her has no chance of being reciprocated, he constantly looks out for Geet, expecting nothing in return. “I really like you,” he confesses. “But that’s my problem. You don’t have to worry about it.” By the time Band Baaja Baaraat came out, the depiction of pre-marital sex was still an unusual choice for a mainstream Hindi film, but the film passed no moral judgement on either Shruti or Bittoo.
As a viewer, these films left us with dreams and that tingly feeling of vicarious pleasure. What better world to escape into than one in which love is the most powerful force, where you are seen and loved for exactly who you are? It’s no wonder that these old romances continue to resonate with Indian audiences. Let’s hope Bollywood can take a cue from its own past, and give us more sweeping, buoyant love stories to add to this glorious tradition.