Spice up V-Day with romantic Bollywood movies

India Gazette (IANS) Thursday 9th February, 2012

Valentine's Day is here and many would swear there's nothing like grabbing a couch with your partner and watching one of your favourite romantic tales from Bollywood to celebrate the day. For added pleasure, you could keep a bucket of popcorn handy!

IANS has shortlisted some films you could pick from to enjoy the special day Feb 14:

"Jab We Met" (2007): Full of life and zest, "Jab We Met" was a blissful tale. It tracks the entertaining journey of two complete strangers who fall in love. The on-screen chemistry of Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapur pepped-up the narrative and is billed as one of the best romantic comedies so far.

"Cheeni Kum" (2007): Absolutely unconventional in its theme, "Cheeni Kum" is a sweet romance that blooms between a 64-year-old chef and a 34-year-old woman. Despite a huge age gap, their attitudes meet and eventually they fall in love. The superb performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu made the saga convincing and it can be watched any time.

"Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na" (2008): A complete contrast to "Cheeni Kum", the Imran Khan-Genelia D'Souza-starrer "Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na" is a puppy love story about confused youngsters who couldn't differentiate between love and friendship. Thanks to the fresh treatment and energetic performances, the film turned out to be a crowd puller. The youth-centric film's music was like a cherry on the cake.

"Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" (2008): Small town romance has its own distinct flavour and that is what Aditya Chopra tried to capture in the film through Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma. A middle-aged, mild-mannered guy is head over heels in love with his pretty wife, but she is in love with someone else. He decides to win her love by transforming into a loud and fun-loving young guy from a boring 'babu'. "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" spreads a message that being ordinary makes no difference if the love is true. Music was the icing on the cake, especially tracks like "Tujh mein rab dikhta hai" and "Haule haule".

"Love Aaj Kal" (2009): A modern-day love tale, the film has two love stories from two different generations running side by side. It underlines that love has the same essence, irrespective of age and time. Thanks to the storyline, the youth connected with the movie, which had Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone as a warring couple. The soulful music and songs like "Aaj din chadheya" and "Yeh dooriyan" added flavour to the romance.

"Dhobi Ghat" (2010): More than a movie, it is seen as a fantastic work of art. Different from the regular romantic fare, the film brought a lot of diversity and innovative ideas into Indian cinema. Critics loved it, so did the audiences. Starring actors like Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra and Kriti Malhotra, it is a mature and sensitive tale that appealed to a niche audience.

"Band Baaja Baaraat" (2010): Everything about the film was over the top and loud, with loads of colour. A career-oriented Delhi girl meets an unpolished guy. They first become business partners and then the inevitable happens - they fall in love. The fun-filled, natural performances of Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Singh complimented the movie described as a sensible new age romantic comedy.

"Tanu Weds Manu" (2011): Love at first sight is what happens in the film when R. Madhavan's character Manu, an NRI, meets Tanu, a loud and confused girl. After a lot of dillydallying, Tanu realises the true meaning of love and reciprocates. The intensity in Madhavan's acting and his suffering while seeing Tanu drift away from him tug at the heartstrings. It boasts of good music too, including some fast dance tracks.

Rockstar (2011): Ranbir Kapoor-starrer "Rockstar" is one of the best musical love stories in recent times to touch the hearts of movie fans in India and abroad. The storyline and acting enthralled the audiences. The film is about a jaat boy and his journey of becoming a rockstar. It's interesting to see how love played a major role in his success.

(Himangi Tripathi can be contacted at h.tripathi@ians.in)