Filmmakers pick love stories to watch on V-Day

Wall E

Forrest Gump

Roopa Rao

Subhash Ghai

Taal

As part of the Valentine’s Day special, it’s time to watch some of the best love stories. Deccan Herald's Showtime asked well-known filmmakers to name their favourite romantic dramas.

Hemanth Rao ('Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu'a and 'Kavaludaari')

When you talk about films in the romantic space, I am a big fan of 'In The Mood for Love' (2000) from Wong Kar-wai. It's a very poetic and moody film. It was very refreshing when I watched it. I had not seen a love story made with that amount of poetic feel in it. This is one of my all time favourites.

I love Mani Ratnam's debut 'Pallavi Anu Pallavi' (1983). This is a film that comes to my mind impulsively when you talk about love stories. The film has a solid story. Large part of the film was shot in Mysore, especially the first half, where Anil Kapoor falls in love. That portion is very familiar because I grew up in Mysore. The way the story unfolds, and how the conflict arises are fascinating. I saw it at a very impressionable age so it was very special.

Romance is one of my favourite genres. It's also a genre that throws up bad films as well. It happens because love stories are generalised. I love to watch films that are character-based and focus on individuality. Love stories should open a very intimate window into the couple's chemistry and romance. Those are the kind love stories that I have always liked. To name a few, there is 'Casablanca' (1942), then there is this French film called 'Artist' (2013) which won the Oscars a few years back. I also loved 'Premam' (2015), Ek Duuje Keliye' (1981), and a lot of Mani sir's films.

Roopa Rao ('Gantumoote')

'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004) is the best ever romantic cinema I have watched. It’s romance in its true sense. After you erase a person of your head, you meet the same person again and you both hit it off so well and the whole cycle continues. So the connection between them is so much deeper. Also, to see Jim Carrey in that kind of a role was a different feeling altogether. We were so used to see him in films like ‘Mask’ (1994). Then there is Kate Winslet. I think this is the best odd pairing that I have seen. They shared a great chemistry. It’s different from the usual boy-meets-girl stories that moves on to family issues. The struggle here is internal.

In Kannada, ‘Beladingale Bale’ (1995) tops the chart. The couple (Anant Nag and Suman Nagarkar) don’t see each other at all yet they help each other evolve. It was a very beautifully-handled film on love. He is a very matured person while she is there for him just the way he wants. Because nobody around him understands him as well as she does.

Pawan Kumar ('Lucia' & 'U-Turn')

'Forrest Gump’ (1994) stands out for me when you talk about love stories. After watching the film many times over the years, I understand that there are many layers to it. Yet, the love between Gump (Tom Hanks) and Jenny Curran (Robin Wright) is so innocent and pure. ‘Wall E’ is another movie that comes to my mind. Two robots expressing their love is lovely to watch. Among Indian films, a love story that is close to my heart is ‘Sadma’ (1983), starring Kamal Haasan and Sridevi.

Shubhash Ghai (Veteran Bollywood filmmaker)

For me, Valentine’s Day signifies the bond of love between anyone—family, friends and beloved. Osho, the great scholar, once said, “Don’t fall in love, but rise in love”. And that was the inspiration for my favourite love story—my own film ‘Taal’ (1999). Love is not selfish or negative in any way. I wrote the script on this theme and justified Osho’s invaluable lesson. The way Akshaye Khanna, a young man who is originally immature, gets his girl, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, is totally spiritual in essence. The last scene of the film says it all!