Valentine’s Day Special: Directors, Stars Select Their Favourite Romantic Films

Amitabh Bachchan: “My favourite romantic film is Guru Dutt’s Kagaz Ke Phool for no particular reason.”

Rakeysh Mehra : “Raj Kapoor’s Bobby and Guru Dutt’s Pyasa are the two romantic films that shaped and moulded my view of love and life. Actually , I first saw Bobby at the Regal theatre in Connaught Place in Delhi in 1973 when I was 10  with my family.Movie-going was always a big event for the family.  My father was great fan of Raj  Kapoor.And Raj Saab was launching his son in Bobby.So it was a specially important film for our family. I must have seen Bobby at least ten times when it first had its golden-jubilee run.Each time, it was in the theatre and not on the small screen. I remember falling in love with the film and with Dimple Kapadia. That was a child’s amazement at a film that shaped his romantic perceptions. Then later when I grew up I saw Bobby with the eyes of  a filmmaker. And  then I saw what great filmmaking skills had gone into it. Somewhere deep down  Bobby remains entrenched in my heart. And then as filmmaker nobody can beat Raj Kapoor Saab. The whole treatment of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet was totally RK.And Dimple Kapadia completely changed our lives.She changed the way we looked at a Hindi film heroine. She defined the very concept of a ‘breath of  fresh air.’ She was so comfortable with her sexuality. We had never seen anything like her.And what songs by Laxmikant-Pyarelal! Lataji at 40 sang like a 16-year old for Dimple. Music today in our films has become a tool for marketing and not a  tool for creative expression.The only better interpretation of Romeo & Juliet  than Bobbyis Titanic. The sacrifice of love at the end worked for me. The forced happy ending in Bobby spoilt it for me. For me the film ends when Rishi and Dimple jumps into the river……The treatment of love and romance in Guru Dutt’s Pyasa greatly influenced my style of  filmmaking. In that one song Aaj sajan mohe ang lagalo janamsaphal ho jaye the way in which Waheeda Rehmanjilooked at Guru Dutt…I don’t think there can be any better definition of love….Or the expression of ecstasy and exultation when Waheedaji sees Guru Dutt alive in the Jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahan hai…no one can equal that expression of romantic joy.And when she sings Jaane kya tune kahi she is singing the lines of a poet she doesn’t know personally.She is celebrating the idea of the man,and not the man himself. Every moment of Pyasa breathes romance for me.”

Kunal Kohli:  “Yash Chopra’s Kabhi Kabhie. Loved the screenplay, the love that spanned generations, the intensity of the emotions, dialogues, performances, some  the best romantic scenes in Indian cinema are in  Kabhi Kabhie. The scene between Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan talking about Raakhee and AmitabhBachchan being in love during college is a  masterpiece. And the scene when Rishi Kapoor confronts NeetuSingh and tells her he is her weakness…..simply magical! Really miss, Yashji.”

Ashutosh Gowariker: Ah… “Bobby” for its endearing characters, especially the two fathers played by Premnath and Pran, the high romance quotient between Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia, superb cameos by Durga Khote and Prem Chopra. Perfect representation of the rich-poor divide, and a narrative that holds together even today, “Bobby” is a major classic for me.

Konkona Sen sharma: “Happy Together”, “Too Young To Die”, “Jules Et Jim” and “Smiles Of A Summer Night”… There must be many more.

Nikhil Advani: “Guide” – truly tragic! (Jean-Luc) Godard’s “A Bout de Souffle” – a superb story about unrequited love… Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” – funny, mad, eccentric… I think Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan in “Sholay” were silently and intensely romantic…. “When Harry Met Sally” – modern and urbane take on love… “Ye Tu Mama Tambien” – great road movie with hidden love story.

Madhur Bhandarkar: “Ek Duuje Ke Liye” – the bold theme of a romance across regional barriers is just the kind of thing I’d like to attempt. K. Balachander’sdirection and Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s music were amazing. Then there was Kamal Haasan, in his Hindi debut. He made a perfect pair with Rati Agnihotri.

Bipasha Basu: “Ghost”… I like the theme of eternal love beyond the living, Arthur Hiller’s “Love Story” showcases the strength of love and “DDLJ”, because it is just simply so romantic and makes you feel happy and good about falling in love.

Raveena Tandon: I loved the taming-of-the-shrew angle in “Betaab”… then my dad’s (Ravi Tandon) film “KhelKhel Mein”, which was full of youthful energy and super-music… “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak”, “Aandhi” and “Hero” for their haunting music. And “Ek Duuje Ke Liye” in which I could feel the couple’s pain.

Prabhudheva: For me, the most romantic film is “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge“. My favourite love song is “Jeena laga hoon” from “Ramaiya Vastavaiya”.

Parineeti Chopra: My favourite romantic film is “DilwaleDulhania Le Jayenge“, and my favourite song would be “Dekho na” from “Fanaa”.

Ayushmann Khurrana: “My favourite romantic films are “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” and “Kuch Kuch HotaHai”. Both because of the king of romance, Shah RukhKhan. My favourite romantic songs are “Dil ka bhanwarkare pukar” from “Tere Ghar Ke Samne”, the songs of “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak”, “Tujhe dekha to yeh jaanasanam” from “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, the “Aashiqui 2″ songs…And I love my own songs for my beloved wife, though she prefers retro.

Sooraj Pancholi: My favourite romantic song is “Tum hi ho” from “Aashiqui 2″ and my favourite romantic film is “Aashiqui 2″. My favourite romantic Hollywood films are “P.S. I Love You” and “The Notebook”.

Taapsee Pannu: To me, “Twilight” with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson is the ultimate love story. My favourite romantic song is “When you say nothing at all” by Ronan Keating.

Rajkummar Rao: My favourite romantic film is “Falling In Love” featuring Robert de Niro and Meryl Streep from Hollywood. In Hindi, it is “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”. My favourite romantic song is “O saathi re tere bina bhikya jeena” from “Muqaddar Ka Sikandar”.

Amit Sadh: My favourite romantic films are “P.S. I Love You”, “Cloud Atlas”, “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” and “Roja”. My favourite romantic songs are the title song from “Bas Ek Pal” and “Meethi boliyan” from “Kai Po Che”, and my favourite international romantic songs are “Mine would be you” by Blake Shelton and “Highwaydon’t care” by Tim McGraw.