Love in changing times is not linear. Candy floss romances might still be a favourite of small town’s dreamy teenagers, but layered romances with their share of odds and eccentricities have become the flavour of changing urban India. Indians are unapologetic about their feelings and think imperfections can be alluring. There’s a realisation that mistakes in relationships do happen. And interestingly changing love and longing is finding a new voice in the form of interesting narratives on celluloid. Commitment is no longer seen in the prism of rigidity. For many too, love is also now to think out of the box.
Teflon romances set in urban India are the flavour of Bollywood. In the last few months, Shakun Batra’s Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Ashwini Chaudhury’s Jodi Breakers, Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor, Sanjay Gadhvi’s Ajjab Gajab Love, Preity Zinta’s Ishkq in Paris, Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, Kunal Kohli’s Teri Meri Kahaani, Homi Adjania’s Cocktail and Bela Sehgal’s Shirin Farhad ki Toh Nikal Padi are exploring the highs and lows of love in today’s world. Filmmaker Karan Johar recently commented, “Today if you show the hero waiting on a bicycle for his girl to come out from school and just exchange glances, the masses will laugh at us. Romance is no longer about boy meets girl stories.” From DDLJ and KKHH to a Cocktail, urban romance has been redefined in Hindi films many times over. Romance is now departing from the usual set formulas and trying new parameters on 35 mm. The days of stereotyped romances are over. If EMAET looked at friendship and love and the mistake of getting married quickly, Shrin Farhad ki Toh Nikal Padi showed love can happen even when your are past your prime. The canvas has become broader keeping in sync with changing relationships in urban India. And filmmakers have realised that every romance doesn’t need to be perfect.pFilmmaker Shakun Batra says, “I deliberately kept the two individuals as friends in EMAET because these days when a boy meets a girl, they may not be perfect for each other and everything does not have to work out perfectly. It is high time we stopped stereotyping romances in films.” As young Indians become more vocal about their sexual preferences and don’t mind relationships without strings, intimate scenes, adult content and smooches become integral in a Bollywood film.”Ayushmann Khurrana says, “Romance has found a new definition in Bollywood since QSQT hit the screens. People must relate to the characters they see on screen.” Bipasha Basu also feels that just like there are no set rules in a relationship, a Bollywood romance is not “about the hero/heroine dancing around trees anymore.” They say art mirrors society. So, in that light changing contours of relationships have found their way to the silver screen. As a slice of real life and reel life coming together.
