Valentine's Week Special: Bollywood films that understood heartbreak better than love
Collectively, these films serve as an important reminder that some of Bollywood cinema's greatest emotional truths are those of love gone wrong, as opposed to love gone right.
We are used to Bollywood doing spectacular romances, beautiful music and triumphant conclusions. But some of the most memorable Bollywood films are those which flag fixedly, uncomfortably, at sadness, grief and emotional destruction rather than celebration. These are not films that treat heartbreak as a temporary state on a road to happiness. These are films that allow grief to be central, to examine how love can break, fade away, or even kill long after the romance has passed. In silence, disconnection and emotional struggle, these stories create characters defined not by what they acquire but by what they lose. And they speak of a more realistic, nuanced and true understanding of what comes after love.
Hence, let's have a look at 7 films which speak of heartbreak in the language a cinephile understands.
Omkara (2006)
This adaptation of Othello presents heartbreak as betrayal and mistrust. Love collapses under manipulation, leaving devastation in its wake. This film by Vishal Bharadwaj features Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Ajay Devgn in lead roles.
Ghajini (2008)
Ghajini, fueled by memories of loss and acts of revenge, was ultimately about unprocessed grief. Sanjay's grief powered every violent act, making love an unfinished entity. But Aamir Khan and Asin's film gave us one of the biggest heartbreaks of Kalpana not knowing about Sanjay's identity.
Rockstar (2011)
Love is ephemeral in Rockstar, but pain is enduring. Ranbir Kapoor as Jordan's heartbreak influences his identity and his work, even after romance is gone. But to witness Jordon losing Heer (Nargis Fakhri), after having her again was a heartbreak we were not ready.
Lootera (2013)
Depicting heartbreak through separation and sacrifice, Lootera is a story rooted in quiet restraint. It portrays heartbreak with subdued narration. Ranveer Singh in splendid in Vikramaditya Motwane's film that also features Sonakshi Sinha.
Aashiqui 2 (2013)
More tragedy than romance, the Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor's film shows how love is eclipsed by addiction and self-destruction, turning heartbreak into its emotional core.
Sanam Teri Kasam (2016)
What may have started out as a sweet love story gradually metamorphoses into a heartbreaking tragedy. It is a tragedy that focuses on heartbreak as a state of being, rather than a phase. The movie features Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane.
Laila Majnu (2018)
This new version of Laila Majnu celebrates madness and longing. There is heartbreak as a lifestyle, an all-consuming state that chases lovers into a kind of reality. Triptii Dimri and Avinash Tiwari's film deals with grief like never before.
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