Who says romance is only for the young? Romance has no age… So whether you are in your 20s or 50s, love is not going anywhere. But when it comes to Romance and Love Stories in Bollywood Movies, almost all of them seem to be quite ageist in their attitude. But this trend is slowly changing with more Bollywood romantic movies exploring mature romance for grown-ups. But still, there’s a shortage of mature love stories for grown-ups in Bollywood.
Bollywood has had a few romantic offerings to capture a mature audience, and most of them have done it so quite beautifully. Here’s a list of Bollywood romantic movies for mature audiences to add to a family-friendly date night.
Badhaai Ho
One of the most recent Bollywood films to sensitively and beautifully explore romance amongst old couples is Ayushmann Khuranna and Sanya Malhotra starrer ‘Badhaai Ho’.
This fun family saga has at its centre a middle-aged couple and parents of two adult sons who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. ‘Badhaai Ho’ explores middle-aged romance as the couple, played by Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao, stand by each other as all hell breaks loose.
Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain
Here’s another beautiful and sensitive film that explores changing relationship dynamics between a middle-aged couple, Yashwant (Sanjay Mishra) and his wife Kiran (Ekavali Khanna).
‘Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain’ makes you realise that every once in a while you need to show your affection and love for your partner, no matter how old you get.
Khatta Meetha
Basu Chatterjee’s 1978 film is one of the best romantic movies catering to a grown-up audience. It is a beautiful story of two widowers finding love at a mature age. Homi (Ashok Kumar), who has four sons, and Nargis (Pearl Padamsee), who has a grown-up daughter and two sons, decide to get married as they realise their need for emotional support as they grow old.
It’s a movie filled with comedy, emotions, torrent love stories, and more. And it is especially for those who love old-school Bollywood movies of 70s and 80s.
Baghban
Another Bollywood film that beautifully showcases that love is not bound by age is ‘Baghban’. It shows the bond shared by Raj Malhotra (Amitabh Bachchan) and his wife Pooja (Hema Malini), and how the elderly couple is treated by their four sons and their wives after their retirement.
In midst of all the hardships that they face while being separated by their kids, what shines through is the love that they share for each other.
Cheeni Kum
This is definitely something beautiful for a mature audience, where a 64-year-old bachelor chef, played by Amitabh Bachchan, falls in love with a 34-year-old woman, played by Tabu.
Cheeni Kum is a love story about two people who are at extremes in terms of age, personalities, and attitudes.
Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi
A charming and crazy love story of two 40-year-old Parsis, starring Farah Khan and Boman Irani as titular Shirin and Farhad.
The light-headed rom-com seems like an ode to a simple bygone era, but with mature lead actors providing a welcome break from typical Bollywood films.
Listen…. Amaya
A heartwarming film that marked the return of one of the most popular lead pairs of Bollywood, Farooq Shaikh and Deepti Naval. It is a story of two widowers, who become friends and soon find their bond growing.
The film sensitively handles the subject as it shows how Amaya, Leela’s (Deepti Naval) daughter, comes to terms with her mother’s growing relationship with Jayant (Farooq Shaikh).
Life in a Metro
Amongst the many stories that are intertwined in Anurag Basu’s ‘Life in a… Metro’, one is of a 70-year-old man Amol (Dharmendra) who comes back to India after 40 years to find his first love, Shivani (Nafisa Ali).
The film shows them re-igniting their bond as well as living their love story once again.
The Lunchbox
This Ritesh Batra’s film deals with the idea of two people, who have never seen each other yet fall in love with amazing depth and maturity. Featuring Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur, this is a story of an unusual relationship that blooms between a lonely widower and an unhappy housewife through letters.
So, who says love has an age? Add these Bollywood romantic movies on your list for your next date night.