Top 5 Classic Emotional Movies of Bollywood

Someone once said – “Make your character suffer and it will earn you all the bits”. Bollywood has followed the same principle and there is no doubt that it gave the best results; not every story needs to have a happy ending. There was something about those old school romantic Bollywood movies, they had a feeling about them which could take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions; be it happiness or sadness. Albeit the majority of the movies made in Bollywood are entertainers, there have been a number of emotional movies that have become cult favorites amongst the cinephiles. Few filmmakers in India have been able to achieve grand success with sad endings in Bollywood films.

Since the black and white era, there have been movies that captured human emotions brilliantly. A number of romantic Bollywood movies with sad endings went on to become excessively popular with the masses because of the circumstantial events portrayed that are relatable in everyday life. In many movies with sad endings, audiences sympathize or empathize with the characters and were appreciated for their brutally honest account of emotional turmoil. So, here’s me sadly presenting this list of Bollywood movies with tragic endings.

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Devdas (2002)

Starring – Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit
Director – Sanjay Leela Bhansali

When the biggest stars in the Bollywood collaborate with one of the most talented directors of Bollywood? This is ought to happen. Bhansali is known for his larger than life frames which he depicts in the most exuberant of style. The script is tragic, and the agony that the protagonist played by the one and only King Khan go through after he is not allowed to marry his childhood love is heart-wrenching. He comes from London after completion of his studies. However, he is not allowed to marry his longtime childhood love, Paro which is played by Aishwarya Rai. The story gets intense when he turns into full-time drunkard after the separation. The story then follows the path of self-destruction of Devdas and intense mourning about his lost love.

Mother India (1957)

Starring – Nargis, Sunil Dutt
Director – Mehboob Khan

Mother India has to be one of the most tragic-stricken movies ever made in Bollywood. It is a beautiful film made with a pinch of reality. The movie reflects on problems faced by the country like poverty, peasant’s conditions, grief, the importance of literacy. To match the depth of the script, all the actors in the movie delivered par excellence performance. Nargis, playing the lead character of Radha gave one of the finest performance by any Indian actress till date. The plot revolves around Radha and her family’s quest to fight it out against the social prejudice to earn enough to meet ends meet. However, there are many obstacles that make life tough for the protagonist and her family.

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3. Mera Naam Joker (1970)

Starring – Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar
Director – Raj Kapoor

This 1970 drama film was directed and produced by Raj Kapoor Ji and is one of the lengthiest films of Indian Cinema. It is a story about a circus clown called Raju who faced numerous hurdles throughout his childhood, but, being a clown he has to make his audience laugh at the cost of his sorrows. This movie recounts the journey from his childhood to the day of his last performance. Released almost 50 years ago, this film was way ahead of it’s time and was not accepted by the audience, but it went on to become a masterpiece of the 70s. We still sing the “Jeena Yaha Marna Yaha” song because of how this movie had touched our lives.

2. Sadma (1983)

Starring – Sridevi, Kamal Haasan
Director – Balu Mahendra

One of the most beautiful films of Sridevi, Sadma, is a story of a girl Reshmi who meets with an accident and suffers from amnesia. An idealistic young man, Somu, rescues her, from a brothel and takes charge of her life. Eventually, the amnesia gets cured and the memories of Somu fade from Reshmi’s mind. Through their time together, we understand the meaning of the song “Ae zindagi gale lagaa le” which is definitely the cherry on the cake. Kamal Haasan in the last scene just kills it with his fantastic acting where he will make you weep buckets. The ending is so horrifically depressing and will haunt you for days.

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1. Anand (1971)

Starring – Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan
Director – Hrishikesh Mukherjee

A masterpiece by Hrishikesh Mukherjee ji with Gulzar ji doing what he’s best at as he penned the dialogues for the film. It is one film that every Indian film enthusiast should watch. It is inspiring to the core and will move your heart considerably. The movie stars Rajesh Khanna as the title character, who is suffering from a rare type of cancer. He has a cheerful and bubbly personality and wants everyone around him to be happy. Amitabh Bachchan plays Bhaskar, who is treating Anand and is frustrated at not being able to cure every disease. Bhaskar, with completely contrasting personality, finds a best friend in him.

“Babumoshai….. Zindagi Lambi Nahi, Badi Honi Chahiye”

The rest of the story is a tale of how a person can lead a happy life instead of fretting that he doesn’t have much time to live. After a point, you will start feeling like you’re a part of the movie and will immerse in the emotions depicted by the actors. Anand will surely leave you in tears by the climax and is still loved by film enthusiasts even after five decades of its release.

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