In this weekend’s blog, I am on Bollywood. In Hindi films, it seems that romance has run its course. All possible angles have been tried out and tested. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, battle society or family, and live or die together in the end. Boy and girl fall in love, but they are not sure if they want to take this relationship forward and thus battle with their internal demons rather than external forces. Love triangles, tragedies, one-sided love, long-distance relationships, mature women inspiring man-child to find himself-Bollywood has done that. However, every now and then one comes across a film that breaks long-held stereotypes of Bollywood romance and challenges our own understanding of love.
Here are a few such OFFBEAT ROMANTIC FILMS:
1 Once Again
This 2018 film directed by Kanwal Sethi, is about two middle-aged people who give love a second chance. Amar (Neeraj Kabi) is an aging superstar who battles loneliness-being divorced and sharing his daughter’s custody with his ex-wife. Tara (Shefali Shah) is w widow who runs a small restaurant in Mumbai, with the help of her son who is about to get married. It is one of the rare films that address the desire for intimacy among two middle-aged couples. One can watch this film for the stunning chemistry between Shefali Shah and Neeraj Kabi.
2 Listen.. Amaya
This film is also about two adults who find love late in life. The film is more about the need for companionship among older people than desire- a theme that does not often come to mind when we think of Bollywood depiction of love. Leela (Deepti Naval) is a financially independent single mother, when she gets closer to a photographer Jayant (Farooq Shaikh), her daughter Amaya (Swara Bhaskar) grows insecure and develops contempt towards her mother for trying to replace her father. The film attempts to normalize finding love in the later part of your life.
3 Wake Up Sid
This is the first film to trap Ranbir Kapoor in the character of a man-child on the path of self-discovery. It is one of the few films where we see romance bloom between a young man and a relatively older woman. We often see in Hindi films that men play knights in shining armor who rescues their princesses from tricky situations. This film reverses the trend, here Ayesha (Konkona Sen Sharma) comes to Sid’s rescue when he feels lost. She schools Sid for his irresponsible attitude, motivates him to find a job, and teaches him the value of financial independence, which was earlier lost on the poor rich kid.
4 Vicky Donor
Ayushmann Khurrana’s debut film does more than break the taboo around sperm donation. When Ashima (Yami Gautam) tells Vicky that she is a divorcee, his feelings toward her do not change. He does warn her to not tell about the divorce to his mother when she meets her. The conversation in a Punjabi family on bringing in a divorced daughter-in-law does not sugarcoat the stigma that many women in Ashima’s position face in India. Vicky’s mother takes a not-so-subtle jibe at Ashima’s father who wants a simple marriage, by telling him “ Hamare Bete Ki To Pehli Shadi Hai”. Eventually, Vicky and Ashima have their way and get married.
5 Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu
One of the best takes on one-sided love, this film featuring Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan, rejects the idea of men losing their minds when rejected in love. Falling in love with Riana (Kareena) leads Rahul (Imran) on a path of self-discovery, but instead of pinning and singing sad songs, Rahul learns to be happy with his feelings. He does not stalk his lady love, drunk call her, or cry inconsolably. Instead, Rahul accepts the situation and is happy being friends with Riana, quietly hoping that her feeling would change for him.
Waiting for your views on this blog
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
20th January 2023