That thing called love continues to be a major driving force in Bollywood where love yarns - freshly packaged to suit the tastes and sensibilities of the new generation - are rolled out every month. Ways and methods of expressing love and wooing the sweetheart have undergone a drastic change. It is no longer about running around trees. The essence of love, however, retains its original flavour.
Archetypal lovers - who bloomed in the industry over the decades - have created a niche. As a result, directors continue to flesh out characters based on these common and popular types, adding a new dimension wherever possible. Here’s a compilation of the sort of lovers endearing the masses at the marquee every week.
Resurrected lover
He met with a fatal accident. His car fell into a deep gorge. Combing operations yielded no result. Presumed dead. His lover - or wife - wept inconsolably in front of his garlanded photograph. Her family could not bear her heartache and suggested finding a new partner because one cannot live alone forever. As she recovered from the traumatic experience and her life limped back to normal, she came across a decent guy who showed interest in her.
But she was steadfast in her decision and therefore spurned his advances. Gradually, she liked his company and shared her harrowing past, with both the families ready to forge an alliance. All hell broke loose on the day of marriage. The guy presumed dead arrived on the scene. The girl is in a dilemma. To marry or not to marry. The second entrant understood their profound love and united the two. Bollywood’s fascination for resurrection has been captured on the silver screen in many films. Chandni explored this predicament. Vinod Khanna had to back out in order to unite Rishi Kapoor and Sridevi.
Sacrificing lover
If you truly love someone, you should be ready to sacrifice. The good girl was willing to sacrifice her love in case her family demanded so. Or, if the guy was attracted to another friend of hers, she was more than willing to withdraw. Silently sacrifice her feelings, leave the place and settle elsewhere to begin life afresh. If the guy found that the girl - his good friend - loved another guy, he was ready to conceal his feelings. He did something positive so that she ultimately won her love. Like Ranbir Kapoor tried his best in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.
Jilted lover
Terrible character to conceive. Tipsy. Violent. Angry. Abusive. The world his enemy. All women devils. Unworthy of love. A rejected lover reacted in various ways. Lost faith in love. Unable to forget his love. Unwilling to realise that she did not love him. Could not accept that he was not worthy of her love. Sad songs on his parched lips. This depressed wreck tried slashing his veins. The setback took a toll on his mental condition. Ended up in an asylum in extreme cases. Unrequited love quite a delight to watch and empathize. The female character either swallowed the rejection or tried her best to make sure that her love interest lost his love and ultimately came to her bosom for solace. Since all is fair in love and war, do not shy away from going the whole hog to destroy what could not be yours.
Career-minded lover
Youngsters fell in love while studying in college. Financially dependent on their families. Quite an insult to spend Dad’s hard-earned money to buy flowers and chocolates for girlfriend. Time to be self-reliant. No relationship going to work without big bucks. Lovers got this strong message. Delivered first in the late eighties in flicks like Maine Pyar Kiya and Aashiqui. Realised the need to build a promising career first. Understand the importance and value of money. Mere declarations of love futile. Working couple able to survive on their own even if the families throw them out. Mature lovers think this way. Inspire others in society to fall in love responsibly. Parents loved this idea and approved of affairs where the young ones focused on building their career before settling down. Super-duper hit with youngsters as well.
Obedient lover
Sensible guy who never talked of elopement. Disliked by her family. Never mind. Change their outlook, win their love, melt their hearts. Not an easy job. The confident guy stayed put. Interacted and showed all his virtues. Never the one to take undue advantage, he paid respect to all elders. Definitely not the one to run away from the harsh reality or take any shortcut that would undermine the honour of her clan. He worked pretty hard to acquire their blessings. The process was gradual and elaborate, with many obstacles to overcome. The mustachioed father finally relented and let him marry his daughter. Convinced that there cannot be a man to love her more than this guy, not another guy to take better care of her. Shah Rukh Khan in DDLJ did just that. And won kudos. The rest is history.
Rebellious lover
Obstinate young turks. Non-conformist to the hilt. Ready to leave everything for the sake of love. Families did not agree to the match for differences. They did not deem anything important to hinder their union. Religion no bar, caste no bar, community no bar. They ran away from home, hopped onto a truck loaded with hay, sang a love song and finally arrived in the countryside to breathe free. Good times came to a premature end as their families traced them with the help of henchmen. If the world denied them the space to build their love nest, jump off a cliff, jump into a river, drink poison. Revolt against the system, against the family, against the society always a raging hit in films. Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla did that in QSQT. A landmark film remembered because of their intense but tragic love.
Obsessive lover
Obsession was a negative trait associated with the antagonist. The hero was not the one to stalk the heroine, only the villain did so. This arrangement was reversed when Shah Rukh won millions of hearts with his stammering Kiiirrran in Darr. The hero, Sunny Deol failed to create much impact. Possessive lover was fine but here was obsession bordering on madness that found a strange connect with the masses. Quite a mystery why the emotionally disturbed character got approval. Heralded a new category of lover - one who went to any length to win his love even if he lost in the end. Not only love but life as well.
Lethal lover
Love can kill. Push her off the balcony. All for vengeance. With a cause to justify his sinister act, he went about doing the job without remorse. Killing a lover to settle old scores or use any such justification for the heinous act. Absolutely no compunctions. Behind those innocent looks and a smiling face lurked a cold-blooded killer. Once again the anti-hero amazed the audiences. Won instant endorsement. Baazigar made Shah Rukh Khan immensely popular, something which the character of a conventional hero would not enable him to achieve.
Passionate lover
Celebrate intimacy and love. Romp in bed, smother her with kisses. The passionate hunk made no difference between love and sex. To hell with the idea that love is pure and sex is vulgar. On the contrary, it is a celebration of love. Spice it up. The horny lover satisfied her urges and is loved all the more because he demonstrated, grabbed and held her tight. Ignited her passion. Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia in Saagar. Vinod Khanna with Madhuri Dixit in Dayavan. Anil Kapoor with Madhuri Dixit in Parinda. Bipasha Basu in Jism. Mallika Sherawat in Murder.
As times evolve, there is looking forward to more interesting types of lovers being introduced to enrich the existing list of lovers who have made a big impact in Bollywood. Think hard to generate a few myth-busting and unconventional ones.
