11 Films That Beautifully Explored The Many Kinds Of Love & Not Just ‘Ishq Wala Love’

Written by Chaitra Krishnan, MA (Journalism & Mass Communication)  • 

When you think about Bollywood and romance, movies like Dilwale Dulhaniya Lejayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dhadkan, and Kaho Na Pyar Hai come into your mind, right? It’s always about mushy, cheese-dripping romance that somehow survives a hurdle and emerges victorious. Just like the fairy tales we grew up reading, most of these movies have a “happily-ever-after” ending as well. But, is love just about romance? And even if it is, is it truly what our mainstream movie industry has always shown us?

Thanks to the many realistic movie-makers these days, we get to have a taste of true love in many forms. This love isn’t confined between a couple and goes into the depths of various other relationships. With creativity at its peak, we know that these are the movies that sing the sagas of pure love without getting adultered by the typical masala potions. If you want to experience love that’s not just “Ishq wala love” or doesn’t involve any “hook-up” songs, here are the movies you shouldn’t miss.

1. Life In A Metro

Image: Instagram @shruti_writes

This is a movie that narrates the stories of many couples in a very realistic way. It portrays the soft as well as the brutal side of love, lust, and all the other emotions that tag along with them. The story of Shivani and Amol, two elderly people who once were a couple is the one that is the most beautiful among these. Life broke them apart, but by the time there are in the dawn of their lives, they get together in old age, hoping to have a life that they always wanted to.

2. Wake Up Sid

Image: Instagram

Sid and Aisha in Ayan Mukherjee’s Wake Up Sid prove to us that there isn’t an ideal heroine or hero character. Love can happen among the most unexpected people and it can still be beautiful. Sid teaches a matured Aisha to enjoy life while she’s busy chasing her dreams. On the other hand, a directionless Sid discovers his passion and goals in life with Aisha’s help. Isn’t helping each other grow the best thing about true love?

3. Dear Zindagi

Image: Instagram

In this exceptionally well-directed movie by Gauri Shinde, Kaira falls in love with herself. Even while enjoying success at a very young age, Kaira is always bothered by the people she lets into her personal life. Jug, a psychologist helps her discover the reason for this and helps her understand life better. The movie shows us how important it is to take care of our mental health and what magic it can do to our lives by bringing in happiness and positivity.

4. October

Image: Instagram @ambivert_dreamer_212

Dan and Shiuli who are colleagues get closer to each other when Shiuli meets with a painful accident. Dan’s continuous efforts to take care of her even when everyone else moved on with time, proves how strong, selfless, and consistent true love is. He loved her, but was he in love with her? We’re not sure. But we are sure that he loved her enough to never give up on her.

5. Tamasha

Image: Instagram

Ved, who has always been living the life of someone else, discovers his true self in this movie. There’s a Ved in each one of us and his journey towards self-love and acceptance is a must-watch.

6. Badhaai Ho

Image: Instagram @ayushmooon

Many children find it difficult to accept that their parents are a romantic couple and they are in this world today because of their love. This is true especially in countries like India where most parents shy away from showing love and affection towards each other in front of their children. As they grow old, even their own relatives feel that it’s a sin and a shameful thing to get pregnant or have a baby. This movie beautifully portrays the love between an elderly couple and wipes off the stereotypes regarding the issue.

7. Highway

Image: Instagram

Veera gets kidnapped but she falls in love with her kidnapper and enjoys her life in the mountains where she’s happy. She isn’t scared of the person who abducted her because she could be herself around him unlike how she had to pretend when she was with her family. She felt safer with her kidnapper than at home where she was sexually assaulted by her uncle during childhood.  This movie is a gem!

8. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga

Image: Instagram @fitlookmagazine

Love is love no matter what the gender, age, race, ethnicity, country, religion, or the million other criteria that people use to divide each other with. Sweety, a homosexual girl tries to come out to her traditional Punjabi family in this movie. It is a breath of fresh air that is much needed for the Indian society who finds it really difficult to accept the diverse gender spectrum.

9. Secret Superstar

Image: Instagram @mspanda25

Secret Superstar narrates the story of a young girl from an orthodox Muslim family who dreams of making it big in the music industry. But she couldn’t have done it without her mother who protects her from an abusive father and takes the brunt of everything. The movie gives us a taste of some beautiful mother-daughter moments that depict the truest form of love.

10. Lipstick Under My Burkha

Image: Instagram

The movie delivers unconventional content regarding women empowerment. Four women who are neighbors/ acquaintances develop a very special bond as they are denied the freedom to explore their own lives and emotions. This film is a must-watch if you want to get a realistic picture of how most women are treated in our country.

11. The Lunchbox

Image: Instagram

An unusual friendship develops between Ila and Saajan after Ila’s tiffin reaches Saajan by mistake one day. They exchange their messages through letters inside the tiffin box and develop a liking towards each other even without having seen each other ever. Again, this movie is a must-watch if you like unconventional love stories.

Since love is a very subjective topic, we’re glad that the movie makers are trying to explore different facets of it. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll have more such movies in our to-watch-list. Have you seen any of these movies already? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below.

 

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