P.s, this list is going to have a lot of Bollywood films because no matter how much ‘real and artistic’ cinema you watch, if you’re a desi, Bollywood was your first introduction to love.
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
https://youtu.be/RXs27wYBvqU
The scene where Ashwariya Rai and Salman Khan meet for the first time is enough reason to watch this film. It’s one of the most beautiful meet-cutes ever. The back-and-forth witty banter, the chandelier, the eye contact. This scene is romance at its best. For all of those who’ve not seen this film already, though that does seem highly unlikely, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam follows the story of a man who in order to reunite his wife with her first love embarks on a journey to Italy.
Veer Zara
https://youtu.be/OSaVImLnnsw
This Sharukh Khan and Preity Zinta starrer is that one film that will give all the couples who can’t get together for multiple reasons- especially because of their families- a bit of hope. Though I wouldn’t count on becoming too optimistic because Veer and Zara were characters in a Yash Raj film with a soundtrack beautifully sung by the best singers of Bollywood. But what is romance if not fantastical? So, watch this film and get hit right in the feels when Tere Liye comes on.
Kabhi Han Kabhi Na
https://youtu.be/XvsJd6tEyBE
My introduction to Sharukh Khan was Kuch Kuch Hota, Dil Tau Pagal Hai, and Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jaye Ge. These films are what made him the reigning king of romance in Bollywood. His characters in all of them were charming, confident and everything you expect from the hero of a romantic film but the one character that has always stayed with me is his character from Kabhi Han Kabhi Na. He isn’t the hero but the loser in this film. The only purpose in his life is to marry the love of his life, Anna. But just being in love isn’t enough. He may love her unconditionally but at the end of the day, he’s a failure. He fails at his education, fails his parents and SPOILER ALERT doesn’t get the girl. But that wasn’t exactly the point of the film too. I won’t give any more spoilers for you need to watch this underrated gem.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
https://youtu.be/7uY1JbWZKPA
This is slowly turning into the best movies of Sharukh Khan list but it wouldn’t be complete without this Karan Johar directorial – at least for me. I know it’s a family movie but just for today forget the parents, the drama, the parampara’s, and focus on just Rahul and Anjali. Apki halwai ki dukan toh main harap ker rahon ga was the peak of flirting and no one has ever come up with a better pickup line since.
The Lunchbox
https://youtu.be/sK3R0rvnlPs
If mainstream Bollywood cinema is not your cup of tea, this movie definitely will be. It’s one of those unusual love stories clad in reality and a bit of hope. The Lunchbox follows Irfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur playing the characters of Sajjan and Ila, respectively, who strike up a friendship when Sajjan by mistake receives the lunchbox meant for Ila’s husband. More than love this movie is about being lonely in an urban city and finally finding someone who takes time out of their busy life and actually listens to you. The movie doesn’t exactly end on a happy note nor does it end on a sad one, but it does leave you thinking. You’re bound to think about this film for days after you’ve watched it. If I was to pick one film you should definitely watch off of this list, it would be this one.
Masaan
https://youtu.be/SKJfBo3xMW0
Now that we are already talking about great Hindi movies, here’s another one. Masaan follows the story of two characters, one who is struggling to battle the stigma of pre-marital sexual relations and the second who finds the love of his life who unfortunately belongs to an upper caste. Just like The Lunchbox, Masaan is not exactly about love alone. It won’t give you false hope of happy ever after’s, but it will give you a perspective. Masaan reminds you that in a lonely and greedy world, sometimes all you need is just some solace that you can only find in a passive company. What makes this film so beautiful is that it does give you hope but it never tries to hide the sorrow that follows.
In The Mood For Love
https://youtu.be/dWVDZ98AFhI
If we’re talking about the sorrow that love brings, there’s no other film that depicts it better than Wong-Kai Zar’s In The Mood For Love. I don’t want to give anything about this film away because, to sum up, what this movie is about in just some sentences seems impossible. On the surface, it’s about a man and a woman who move into apartments next to each other with their respective spouses. They’re married and lonely but yet time stops when they pass each other in a street or a cramped corridor. But the movie isn’t about them, it’s about their spouses. It’s about when they find they’ve been betrayed and find company for their misery in each other but can’t act on their growing love for each other because they’re not the ones cheating.
The Before Trilogy (Just not the last one)
https://youtu.be/6MUcuqbGTxc
Two attractive individuals on a train in Vienna- what is there not to love about these films. Before Sunrise, the first installment in this trilogy follows Jesse (Ethan Hawke) who strikes up a conversation with a French girl named Celine (Julie Delpy). There’s an instant spark and they spend the night walking and talking in Vienna. Just as they realize that the connection between them might just be love, the film comes to end. The sequel Before Sunset shows them meeting once again nine years later. They’re different people now but the spark is still there. Though the last film in this trilogy is in no way bad or not worth watching but I’ve already given you sad love stories, you can skip this one. The first two movies are about how love makes you reckless and though they don’t show you what these reckless actions have consequences, what’s wrong in enjoying just one day believing that love will conquer all.