OPINION: Bollywood is taking golden era rom-com route for revival and we're here for it

Pink Villa

2 days ago

For years now, Bollywood has been dominated by high-octane action thrillers, superhero fantasies, and over-the-top spectacles. While these larger-than-life films have their place, they often leave a void for audiences who long for the simplicity, depth, and emotional richness of classic romantic tales. But 2025 seems to be rewriting the script. With a fresh slate of love stories on the horizon, Bollywood appears to be rediscovering its romantic roots, and audiences couldn't be more excited.
The upcoming film Saiyaara, featuring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, is one of the most promising projects spearheading this shift. With a youthful cast and a reportedly heartfelt storyline, Saiyaara promises the kind of sincere, sweeping romance that once defined Bollywood in the era of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
Ahaan, making his debut, brings a sense of freshness, while the chemistry with Padda is already generating buzz for its relatability and emotional depth.
Dhanush and Kriti Sanon's Tere Ishk Mein, directed by Aanand L. Rai, also offers a potent reminder of the emotional intensity that love stories can carry.
The film is said to be packed with raw passion, heartbreak, and vulnerability, all essential ingredients of the golden-era romances that Bollywood fans still hold dear. With Dhanush's intense screen presence and Kriti's charm, this film seems poised to tug at the heartstrings.
Another highly anticipated film is Chand Mera Dil, starring Ananya Panday and Lakshya Lalwani. The title alone evokes nostalgia, hinting at a story rooted in old-school romantic ideal, moonlit confessions, longing glances, and the kind of innocence Bollywood used to revel in. Lakshya, too, is shaping up to be a promising romantic hero, bringing subtlety and softness back into the mix.
Then there's Anurag Basu's Metro... In Dino, an ensemble film that promises to explore love in the modern era but through an emotional, grounded lens. As a spiritual successor to Life in a... Metro, this film seems poised to offer stories of complex relationships, heartbreak, and hope, proving that love in its many forms still deserves center stage.
Param Sundari, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor, and Kartik Aaryan's reported film with Telugu star Sreeleela are further indications that filmmakers are once again investing in love stories that are both rooted and refreshing.
These films appear less interested in bombastic action sequences and more focused on chemistry, emotion, and story, the very essence of romantic cinema.
This resurgence marks a welcome shift from formulaic action-heavy narratives back to storytelling that values emotional resonance. Audiences are craving vulnerability, realism, and the timeless appeal of falling in love, not superheroes, but human beings navigating life and connection.
In embracing the original charm of romance, the music, the heartbreak, the longing, Bollywood is not just reviving a genre, it's rekindling a cultural heartbeat. And in doing so, it reminds us that amid the chaos of modern cinema, the magic of love stories still holds the power to move us all.
In conclusion, I feel that by shifting away from the spectacle and returning to authentic, relatable love stories, filmmakers are reconnecting with audiences on a deeper level. As these upcoming films hit the screens, they carry the potential to revive the magic of classic Bollywood romance, proving that sometimes, the simplest stories of love and connection are the most powerful of all.