When we think of 90s Bollywood, we think of chiffon sarees and salwars, hero and heroine dancing around in exotic locales, the magnetic charm of SRK and Kajol, Madhuri Dixit and her exquisite beauty, the soothing and melodious tunes of Nadeem-Shravan and Jatin-Lalit and the heartwarming voices of singers like Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan and Kavita Krishnamurthy. It was undoubtedly a decade which celebrated romance like no other and Bollywood came up with some of its best love stories ever. Koimoi reader – Debarupa writes to us 10 Best Romantic Bollywood Movies of 90s she loves. Here you go:
Although, it was a time when a smooch on-screen would raise eyebrows and bold themes like ‘live-in relationships’ were not exploited as such, there is no denying the fact that these movies have a certain amount of purity and innocence that make us fall for them again and again.
Here is a list of ten of the best romantic movies of the 90s that every rom-com flick lover should never dare to miss in his/her lifetime-
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Just as the tagline of the movie goes “Come fall in love”, DDLJ makes you fall in love with it every single time you watch it. When the boyishly charming Raj meets the headstrong girl-next-door Simran in the picturesque scenery of Europe, the greatest love story of Bollywood happens. The hero here, although a NRI is rooted in Indian values and in spite of his lady love’s marriage already fixed with a guy from India, doesn’t elope with her but resolves to take the ‘Dulhania’ with the consent of her family. The electrifying chemistry of SRK and Kajol, songs that became love anthems and brilliant direction by Aditya Chopra put DDLJ right at the top of the list of the best romantic movies of all times.
Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!
Although, Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! is largely considered to be an epic family drama, it is also a refreshingly sweet love story between Salman’s adorable Prem and Madhuri’s effervescent Nisha. Prem and Nisha fall in love secretly amidst a throng of relatives all around. Prem’s innate goodness, Nisha’s sparkling beauty and their exchange of sweet banter instantly make you fall for their understated love story. Salman and Madhuri shone in their respective roles and made Hum Aapke Hain Kaun one of the biggest blockbusters of Indian Cinema.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
When SRK’s Rahul says “Pyaar dosti hai.. Agar woh meri sabse achchi dost nhi ban skti toh main usse pyaar kar hi nhi skta”, it not only makes Kajol’s Anjali but also us believe that ‘love is indeed friendship’. It also makes us realize the significance of the quote “If you love someone, set them free, if they come back they are yours; if they don’t, they never were”. From Anjali’s heart-break to the sensual rain dance to the climax scene where Rahul finally expresses his love for Anjali, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai touches your hearts and makes you go for your tissues more than once. Rani Mukherjee as Tina looked stunning in her small but vital role. The melodious songs by Jatin- Lalit added to the freshness and romance of the movie.
Lamhe
How can this list be complete without the mention of a movie by Yash Chopra, the King of Romance himself? A pure classic, Lamhe tells the story of Virendra Pratap Singh played by Anil Kapoor whose feelings for a woman called Pallavi, played by Sridevi were unreciprocated and many years after her death, he eventually falls in love with her daughter, Pooja played by Sridevi again. Considered to be ahead of its time, the film didn’t go well with the local audience, however it did marvelous business in the overseas. Sridevi looked every bit of the diva she was and played both the roles to perfection. Over the years, the film has achieved a cult status and is highly considered to be Yash Chopra’s best work.
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam brought the then off-screen couple, Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai on-screen together for the first time and this one movie was enough to make them one of the most loved on-screen pairs of the 90s. A poignant love story of a woman torn between love and her duties, this movie captures Aishwarya Rai at her best. She looks like a dream, and is convincing in every single scene. The song “Manmohini” does full justice to her beauty. Ajay Devgn’s Balraj is the silent, romantic hero who will make you believe in the selflessness of love.
Dil To Pagal Hai
If his son, Aditya Chopra created history with DDLJ, Yash Chopra proved with Dil To Pagal Hai that even at the age of 65, he was still a die-hard romantic at heart. The scintillating passion between SRK’s Rahul and Madhuri’s Pooja made many girls go weak in their knees. Karisma Kapoor forms the third angle in this love triangle and gave one of the best performances of her career. Possibly one of the most stylish looking films of the 90s, this movie took western choreography to a new level altogether, thanks to Shiamak Davar.
Rangeela
Just as the name suggests, Rangeela was indeed one of the most colourful movies of the 90s. Munna, a poor guy played by Aamir Khan is head-over-heels in love with his best friend, Mili played by Urmila Matondkar but fails to convey his love to her because he feels he is not good enough with her moving swiftly towards her dream of becoming a superstar in Bollywood. The understated agony of Munna being unable to express his feelings makes you feel for him and you fervently pray for the two of them to end up together in the end. No one but Aamir could have played the role of Munna better. Urmila Matondkar became one of the biggest sex symbols of 90s with this movie. Jackie Shroff as the brooding superstar of Bollywood did a good job. A.R. Rahman’s songs topped the charts and added to the movie’s success.
Aashiqui
Aashiqui took the nation by storm when it was released in 1990. A simple love story of a young boy and girl, played by debutants Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal, this movie owes it success to extraordinary music by Nadeem-Shravan rendered by the beautiful voices of Kumar Saanu and Anuradha Paudwal. Every song of Aashiqui is a gem, from “Dhir Dhire Meri Zindagi me Aana” to “Jaane Jigar Jaaneman” to “Ab Tere Bin”. It proved that an average romantic movie can become a blockbuster if it had music that could mesmerize the audience. Aashiqui highlighted the significance of having great songs in a Bollywood romantic movie.
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
Probably one of SRK’s least known films among the masses, however, SRK himself has gone on record saying that Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is one of his most favourite films. SRK is portrayed as a loser here whose love for the girl, Anna played by Suchitra Krishnamurthy is one-sided. He is a failure in studies as well but one thing which makes him stand apart is his exceptional talent in music. SRK plays this role with a lot of ease without any affectation. His genuine attempts to win Anna’s heart make his character extremely endearing to the audience.
Raja Hindustani
Although the movie was one of the biggest blockbusters of the 90s, it has often been criticized for a clichéd plot of a poor guy falling in love with a rich man’s daughter. But, what makes Raja Hindustani one of the greatest romantic hits of 90s is the superb performances by the lead pair of Aamir Khan and Karisma Kapoor. After transforming Urmila Matondkar’s look in Rangeela, Manish Malhotra again did magic with Karisma Kapoor in Raja Hindustani. She looked like a fairy-tale princess in this movie which was nothing short of a fairy-tale itself. The ‘smooching scene’ is one of the longest lip-lock moments in Bollywood history and one of the few on-screen smooches of the 90s. The music by Nadeem-Shravan was a chartbuster and it was the biggest selling album of that year.
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