Keeping in mind that romantic tragedies have been an intrinsic part of the Hindi Film Industry since its inception, we bring you 8 Tragic Love Stories of Bollywood that are sure to move you to the core. These aren’t ranked as each is unique in its plot and yet are united in the pain that love brings forth.

We have to admit that Bollywood has a strong relationship with Tragic Love stories. The way tragedy is depicted in Hindi movies has a certain tangible quality to it that the movies in this list are sure to give you a taste of. So here we go.

8 Tragic Love Stories of Bollywood

Devdas

Based on Bengali writer Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel of the same name, this Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial is a cornerstone of romantic tragedies in Hindi cinema. The stellar cast includes Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (then Aishwarya Rai), Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher and Smita Jaykar.

Devdas tells the story of Dev aka Devdas Mukherjee (Khan) who takes an alcohol-inspired refuge at Chandramukhi’s who is a courtesan after his marriage with his childhood love Paro aka Parvati Chaudhary (Rai) is denied by his own family owing to Paro’s lower-class status. The movie is perfect in every way from the depiction of the plot to the acting to the huge gorgeous sets to the music that has stood the test of time. Frankly speaking, it is a worthy adaptation of a revered novel in the way it showcases intimacy and grandeur, both of which are significant aspects of the plot. The movie is available on JioCinema.

Lootera

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Lootera is inspired by O. Henry’s short story The Last Leaf. It has Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles. Ranveer plays the role of Varun, a conman who pretends to be an archaeologist and establishes a relationship with Pakhi (Sonakshi), the granddaughter of a Bengali zamindar, only to escape with the zamindar’s ancient artefacts a night before their wedding.

The film received critical acclaim for the performances of Ranveer and Sonakshi both of whom proved that they are actors of substance. Special appreciation for Vikramaditya Motwane who made it clear that he is one of the best filmmakers of our time despite not making that many movies. Its songs, composed by Amit Trivedi, too were huge hits and still are. The movie is available on Amazon Prime Video.

Sanam Teri Kasam

It may not be the popular opinion but Sanam Teri Kasam is a nice movie, especially as a tragic love story. Starring Harshvardhan Rane as Inder Lal and Mawra Hocane as Saru, it tells the tale of an unlikely relationship that blooms into love that transcends death. Directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, the movie is inspired by Eric Segal’s novel Love Story.

While the movie didn’t make it big at the box office, its songs are among the best quintessential romantic Bollywood songs ever. Both Harshvardhan and Mawra did a commendable job of pulling off the chemistry between the two main characters as well as their romance. It is available on JioCinema.

Masaan

Many find Vicky Kaushal’s debut film Masaan, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, to be one of the finest Bollywood films ever made. It is based in Varanasi and depicts the life of four characters and through them showcases the suffering and pain that is human life. The rest of the cast includes biggies like Richa Chadda, Shweta Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra and Pankaj Tripathi.

Every character was spot-on and merged seamlessly with the plot. The songs, especially “Tu Kisi Rail Si” sung by Swanand Kirkireand written by Varun Grover (based on a Dushyant Kumar poem), are still very popular. With his first film, Vicky Kaushal proved that he is in for the long run in the Hindi film industry. The film is available for free on YouTube as well as on Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar and Netflix.

Hamari Adhuri Kahani

Directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Mahesh Bhatt, the film tells the story of Vasudha (Vidya Balan) who falls in love with Aarav Ruparel (Emraan Hashmi). This comes five years after Vasudha’s husband Hari (Rajkummar Rao) went missing. But when he returns, 5 years later, things are bound to get chaotic.

An underrated film with underrated music, it is a must-have in any Tragic Love Stories of Bollywood list. The three leads, Emraan, Vidhya and Rajkummar nail their respective roles and we have to hand it to Mohit Suri for being able to pull it out of them without making it seem over dramatic. We loved the chemistry between Aarav and Vasudha, didn’t we?

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Guzaarish

In what can be said to be Hrithik Roshan’s career-best performance, he plays the role of Ethan, a paralyzed magician who wants to die and has thus filed for euthanasia i.e. mercy killing. How his nurse Sofia D’Souza (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) helps him cope with his frustration and reminds him of the beauty of life and its magic, is what the film is about. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has directed it and left no stone unturned to churn out Ethan’s emotions out of Roshan. A treat to the eyes. The full movie is available on YouTube.

Aashiqui 2          

Rahul Jaykar (Aditya Roy Kapur) loses his popularity as a singer and loses himself to alcohol. Thankfully, he comes across a girl, Aarohi Keshav Shirke (Shraddha Kapoor), who is a small-time singer with a beautiful voice that he believes will take the world by storm. Aashiqui 2, another work of Mohit Suri, explores their relationship that takes an unexpected turn after Aarohi becomes a famous singer.

The movie took the world by storm when it was released, especially with its songs, most of which were sung by singer Arijit Singh who got his big break with it. Aditya and Shraddha did a good job with their respective parts and their chemistry was clearly visible.

Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela

The third Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial in this list, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela or just Ram Leela, stars Ranveer Singh as Ram and Deepika Padukone as Leela. It is a colourful and visually stunning rendition of Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet and the story takes place in the fictional village of Ranjhaar in Gujarat.

This hit film re-established Bhansali as a pro as far as large-scale and even larger set pieces are concerned and sparked the long-running partnership between him, Ranveer, and Deepika. The trio went on to do two more films together, namely Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat. The sizzling chemistry between Ranveer and Deepika is bound to turn almost anyone on. Hopefully, more movies from the trio are on the way. Ram Leela is available on JioCinema.

Which of these 8 Tragic Love Stories of Bollywood have you seen? Let us know in the comments section below.

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