Dil se, again, for Bollywood?

As action films lose steam, Hindi cinema may be reviving its most reliable crowd-puller, writes Pranati A S

Is Bollywood experiencing a resurgence in romantic dramas? Some of the more interesting films lined up are emotional love stories and musical dramas like ‘Ek Din’, ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’, ‘Chand Mera Dil’, and ‘Love & War’. Equally notable is the return of sequels to hit romances from over a decade ago — ‘Cocktail 2’, ‘Aashiqui 3’, and ‘Awarapan 2’.

The Hindi film industry, long synonymous with romance, saw a sharp tilt towards high-octane action dramas after the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic also tweaked viewing patterns, with the OTT boom taking over romance and smaller films. Theatres rooted for spectacles that could be marketed as “must-watch on the big screen”. This gave rise to films like ‘Pathaan’, ‘Jawan’, ‘Gadar 2’, ‘Tiger 3’, and ‘Animal’ — all released in 2023. Notably, these projects had likely been in production for some time and were perhaps conceptualised in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic.

But soon we saw a dip in the success rate of action dramas. The illusion that any action will work was shattered — with movies like ‘War 2’, ‘Sikandar’, ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’, ‘Sky Force’, ‘Deva’, and ‘Fighter’, underperforming significantly.

When action narratives increasingly feel formulaic and lack novelty, audiences predictably itch to return to genres that consistently resonate: romance and horror. These genres do not necessarily demand massive budgets or bankable star pairings; ultimately, it is the story that drives success. This partly explains the performance of films like ‘Saiyaara’ and ‘Stree 2’.

Romance, in particular, appears to be a safer bet in today’s unpredictable box office climate. With a spate of promising love stories on the horizon, the question arises: are we heading back to Bollywood’s glory days?  

The films lined up appear to be rooted in deeply emotional worlds. Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’, for example, is a love story set against the backdrop of the Partition. The film aims to draw on themes like separation and memory. And Imtiaz has never failed to move us with his love stories, especially those that were heavy on longing and desire — ‘Tamasha’, ‘Love Aaj Kal’, ‘Rockstar’ and ‘Laila Majnu’, which, incidentally, found love when it was re-released last year.

Among the many movies released during the pandemic, ‘Gehraiyaan’ stood out for its exploration of modern urban relationships. ‘Cocktail 2’, with a bold love triangle, appears to return to similar terrain — emotional fragility and moral ambiguity.

‘Chand Mera Dil’ and ‘Ek Din’ seem poised to offer lighter, more breezy viewing experiences. Meanwhile, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Love & War’ could emerge as the showpiece — a signature musical romance, provided Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor have worked on their on-screen chemistry.

‘Awarapan 2’ aims to bring back Emraan Hashmi in his trademark romantic form. One can only hope it retains the emotional intensity and memorable music that defined the 2007 original.

In times of uncertainty, love stories offer a sense of hope. They allow audiences to sit in a dark room and process vulnerability, longing, loss, and the possibility of connection. For years, Bollywood has excelled at evoking these emotions.

However, as Jayant Kaikini writes in ‘Touring Talkies’, cinema is a wonderful medium of exaggeration because, at the end of the day, cinema offers escape from the monotony of daily life. He writes, ‘And love in cinema, essentially, thrives on that exaggeration. But if this exaggeration does not resonate with the pulse of the story, it will all go sour like spoilt milk’.