One of the most popular genres in Bollywood - the nickname given to big budget Hindi cinema - is romance. Since the 1960s, musical romance was the backbone of this industry and continues to be a huge part. We've compiled the best Bollywood romance movies for you to enjoy filled with drama, forbidden love, angst, and unfairly catchy musical numbers. We've also included some unmissable adjacent films like Telegu films and independent Hindi films.
While these may be romance movies first and foremost, great Bollywood blockbusters are often “masala films” - films that employ a blend of action, comedy, romance, drama, melodrama, and musical to make one spicy mix. Recurring faces are also common on this list with Shah Rukh Khan establishing himself as the premiere romantic lead in the 2000s while Deepika Padukone dominates the 2010s.
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The endearing Kal Ho Naa Ho boasts a star-studded cast from the past including Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Preity Zinta. The film is set in New York City where Naina Catherine Kapur is a sour MBA student. When the whimsical Aman Mathur moves in next door, she learns to loosen up. Kal Ho Naa Ho translates to “tomorrow may never come” and the film stays true to this motto - reminding us to live in the moment and enjoy life's little ups and downs.
Raj and Simran fall in love during a European vacation with friends. Raj tries to win over Simran's family but her father has promised her hand to another family. The film gained widespread success due to how it smartly balance family values with following one's own desires. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is even included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, as one of only three Hindi films.
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Sid is an extremely lazy college student in his early twenties. He doesn't excel in school and feels behind the rest of his peers. After forming a friendship with aspiring writer Aisha, he is forced to grow up and realize his own potential. The film serves as a touching, natural romance as well as a coming-of-age movie, with critics praising breakout star Ranbir Kapoor.
Naina Talwar and Kabir Thapar meet during a trekking trip. She falls for him but she refuses to express it. They drift apart before reuniting at a friend's wedding where feelings grow once again. Naina's introverted nature and focus on her medical career versus Bunny's career as a videographer makes this a fun lighthearted push-and-pull to watch.
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Considered one of the greatest romantic films in Indian film history, the title Veer-Zaara comes from the names of the two star-crossed lovers in the film. Veer is an Indian Air Force officer while Zaara is the daughter of a Pakistani politician. Beyond being a great romance, the film serves as important representation of positive Indian-Pakistani relations in cinema, partially achieved through the shared heritage of the Punjabis.
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Aditya Kashyap is a heartbroken businessman who meets the chatty Geet Dhillon on a train. She convinces him to come to her home and plans to fix him up with her sister. Interestingly, the two leads were a real-life couple at the time but split during the time of filming. Jab We Met remains one of the most popular romantic films in Bollywood with lots of praise in particular for Kareena Kapoor's performance as Geet.
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Sita Ramam
2022Sita Ramam takes place in 1964. Lieutenant Ram begins receiving anonymous love letters from Sita Mahalakshmi while stationed in Kashmir. He falls in love and makes it his mission to find the sender of these letters. Using the backdrop of wartime, Sita Ramam tells a delicate and visually beautiful love story laced with socio-political themes.
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Not many people set out to willingly get their heart broken but when Janardhan Jakhar a.k.a. JJ learns about a “heartbreaking machine” of a woman, he makes a beeline right for her. JJ was told that to become a great rockstar, he must experience a life-altering heartbreak. In a self-fulfilling prophecy, JJ does fall for her and it changes his life forever.
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Barfi!
2012Starring Ranbir Kapoor as the eponymous lead, alongside Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz in lead roles, Barfi! is about a deaf-mute boy who develops a friendship with two young girls while also being chased by a police officer for his minor crimes. The film was a box office smash, becoming one of the biggest Bollywood earners of 2012. The film was even selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film nomination for the 85th Academy Awards.
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Directed by the acclaimed Yash Chopra, Dil To Pagal Hai follows the love lives of the members of a musical troupe. Two dancers in the group get entangled in a love triangle with their choreographer. Dil To Pagal Hai stands out for its charismatic acting and well-told story, sure, but its lush soundtrack also became the best-selling Bollywood soundtrack of the year with 12.5 million album sales.
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Filmed in India, Mauritius and Scotland, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was Karan Johar's directorial debut. Outside India, the film was the highest-grossing Hindi film ever until its record was broken by Karan Johar's next directorial, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… in 2001. The story features a classic love triangle when a pair of young friends are disrupted by the arrival of a potential love interest. What follows is a melodramatic and touching story that takes place over decades.
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In The Lunchbox, a young wife eagerly tries to earn her husband's affection by making him delicious home cooked meals. One of these lunches finds its way to Saajan Fernandes, a widower. They strike up a friendship through the back and forth of letters and lunches, which eventually escalates to something more. The Lunchbox delivers a tender story of love and loneliness with a light hand and will linger in your mind long after the film is over.
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Devdas Mukherjee returns home to India from law school in England eager to marry his childhood best friend. His family, however, does not find the pairing suitable, breaking his heart. He spirals into alcoholism and finds comfort with a courtesan. The budget for Devdas was significant, spent on elaborate costuming and grandiose filmmaking. The resulting melodrama is a lasting romantic epic.
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Masaan
2015Masaan tells parallel stories of two people in Varanasi, India. One is a trainer at a coaching computer center while the other is a civil engineering student at a polytechnic college who also works for his family's cremation services. They each face immense hardship and unfortunate turns in their lives, with the two stories eventually entwining. Unlike many of the films on this list, Masaan turns up the realism dial to tell stories of pain, salvation, and love.
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Khoobsurat
2014Bollywood takes on the Disney fairytale in Khoobsurat. Mili is a physiotherapist tasked with helping rehabilitate King Shekhar Singh Rathore, who is paralyzed from the waist down. While in the company of the royal family, she falls for the handsome prince. Whimsical and sweet, Khoobsurat is a satisfying comfort watch.
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Ram-Leela
2013Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Two clans have been at odds with each other for the past 500 years. The Rajadis and Saneras may hate each other but Ram and Leela will not let that stop them from seeing each other. They try to elope but face barriers in the form of meddling family members, eventually throwing the whole village into war.
- 17A house surgeon goes into a self-destructive spiral after his girlfriend is forced to marry another man.
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Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na is a film-long flashback. Four friends gather and tell the story of two others that they know; a peaceful laid back man and a fiery impulsive woman. They talk about how the pair were friends, then more, while weaving in details of betrayal, heartbreak, and adventures. The film received widespread critical acclaim upon release.
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Highway
2014One fateful day, Veera Tripathi is abducted from a gas station while her fiancé sits frozen in fear. The abductors move Veera through different cities in an attempt to evade capture, and in a turn of events Veera begins to enjoy this new life on the run. She oddly finds freedom in her captivity, considering it a step up from the mundanity she left behind. Don't call it Stockholm Sydrome - Highway is so much more than that.
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Jodhaa Akbar is a period romance set in the 16th century and depicts the romance between the Muslim Emperor Akbar of the Mughal Empire and the Hindu Princess Jodhaa Bai of Amber. They married for political reasons and are reluctant to open up to each other due to their differing backgrounds. Backed by an impeccable score by A. R. Rahman, Jodhaa Akbar is a visual treat and sweeping romantic epic.
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Viren and Aditi are introduced to each other by their families but Viren is set on marrying his girlfriend of three years. The pair later meet by coincidence and hit it off. Portraying the difficulty of fighting their own feelings as well as over-involved family, Socha Na Tha is a celebration of love in its most honest form.
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Epic historical drama Mughal-e-Azam follows the love story between Mughal Prince Salim and Anarkali, a court dancer. Of course, this relationship is forbidden and causes strife between father and son. The 1960 film earned acclaim for its grandeur and attention to detail along with the earnest performances from its cast and is considered a milestone in Indian filmmaking.
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. tells the story of six different couples as they all take the four-day journey to the beach state of Goa. There's a lot to keep track of as each couple has their own problems and quirks and each's relationship changes over the course of the trip. There's moments of genuine emotion mixed with levity and laughs, all making for light enjoyable fare.
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Based on O. Henry's 1907 short story The Last Leaf, Lootera is about a young conman posing as an archaeologist. The man claims to want to study the land surrounding the temple that a landlord owns and begins to spend time with the landlord's daughter. The two start to develop feelings for each other as they spend more time together. A cinematic gem with a killer soundtrack, Lootera is a heartwarming story for the true romantics.
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Manmarziyaan
2018Young Rumi is in love with carefree Vicky, a DJ. Even though the pair seem happy together, Vicky never works up the nerve to ask Rumi's family for her hand in marriage. She then has to decide between marrying the eligible and responsible banker Robbie, who loves her, or to follow her heart and believe that Vicky is right for her. A complicated and rewarding story, Manmarziyaan is a modern and authentic take on romance in India.
