Ten Bollywood romantic tragedies before Laila Majnu
Often going back to Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet for inspiration, Hindi films have been consistent in their depiction of tragic love. A look at 10 Bollywood romantic tragedies made before Imtiaz Ali's Laila Majnu
Imtiaz Ali’s Laila Majnu that released last Friday is the latest Bollywood romantic tragedy about two star-crossed lovers. Often going back to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet for inspiration, Hindi films have been consistent in their depiction of tragic love. A look at ten of them.
Mughal-e-Azam (1960)- The epic historical drama directed by K.Asif follows the love affair between Mughal prince Salim and a court dancer. The Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala-starrer made Rs. 5.5 crore at the box office.
Heer Raanjha (1970)- The romantic film starring Raaj Kumar and Priya Rajvansh is based on the epic Punjabi legend of the same name. Directed by Chetan Anand, the movie is unique for playing out entirely in verse.
Laila Majnu (1976)- The older film on the legendary romantic tale was directed by HS Rawail and featured Rishi Kapoor and Ranjeeta in lead roles. It made Rs. 4.2 crore in box office collections.
Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981)- The K.Balachander directed film depicts the love story between a Tamilian and north Indian. The Kamal Haasan and Rati Agnihotri-starrer made Rs. 5 crore in box office collections.
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)- The romantic film directed by debutant Mansoor Khan featured Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla in lead roles. The musical set against the backdrop of two warring Rajput families had made Rs. 5 crore in box office collections.
Devdas (2002)- The romantic drama directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali is one of the many adaptations of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel about the self-destructive alcoholic. The Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan film earned Rs. 41 crore at the box office.
Ishaqzaade (2012)- Director Habib Faisal’s romantic thriller was set in contemporary Uttar Pradesh and was centered around two political rival families. The Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra-starrer made Rs. 46 crore at the box office.
Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela (2013)- Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s tragic romance was set in a fictional town of Gujarat and narrated the tale of two warring factions. The Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone-starrer earned Rs. 112 crore at the box office.
Issaq (2013)- Director Manish Tiwary’s adaptation of the romantic epic was set amidst the sand mafia of modern-day Benaras. Starring Prateik Babbar and Amyra Dastur, it made Rs. 3 crore in box office collections.
Sanam Teri Kasam (2016)- A modern rendition of Eric Segal’s novel Love Story, the film starring starring Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane was directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru. It made Rs. 8 crore at the box office.
All figures have been sourced from movie website Box Office India.
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