Whether heart-rending or giddy-with-joy, these Bollywood movies are well beyond the trite movies about friendship, and a true story of what a friend was meant to be.
Friendship has been one of the most recurrent issues in Bollywood, which is usually depicted on a large scale with a lot of emotion and memorable dialogues. Throughout the years, the art of filmmakers has tapped the potential of storytelling to unravel the numerous aspects of friendship-like how it started when we are very young until we are in college life; how friendship reaches the point when a person is prepared to make a sacrifice, and even unusual friendships that become an indispensable bond.
Although there are films that conform to formulaic feel-good movies, there are a few outstanding movies that do not conform to the superficial storytelling. These films depict friendship in its raw, earthy, and very emotional sense, a reminder that friendship is both fun and frolic, but it is also about loyalty, personal development, struggle, repentance, and loyalty to a life-long friendship.
If we were to take a look at a list of Bollywood movies that have redefined what friendship is all about in a beautiful way, then the following list will endear your heart to them.
1. Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Director: Farhan Akhtar
Dil Chahta Hai by Farhan Akhtar not only became a show-stopper, but it also reconsidered the way Indian movies depicted male friendship. The movie revolves around three friends, Akash, Sameer, and Siddharth, who go through the ups and downs of life, love, and loyalty. The film, with the background of Mumbai and Goa, is an ideal story of the ever-changing aspect of friendship when friends grow up and begin to initiate new paths.
The differences and ego clashes are more realistic in this film, which makes it superior. It has no fear to display that friends can disintegrate, and yet the two elements of genuine friendship are substantial enough to mend wounds with time. Dil Chahta Hai is one of those movies that still tests as a gold standard in terms of friendship-based narration.
2. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
Director : Zoya Akhtar
It is not brand new that forms part of award award-winning Akhtar family, and Zindgi Na Milegi Dobara is not another movie about vacationers on a road trip with pals. It is about emotional catharsis, overcoming fear, and the discovery of self through the people you know and who know you best. In the movie, Kabir, Imran, and Arjun take a bachelor trip to Spain and, by experiencing the highs and lows (on and off the dance floor), they further strengthen their friendship.
The movie changes the meaning of friendship, as it depicts the fact that friends can turn out to be a reflection of the soul. It is all about opening your soul, accepting and supporting someone in the eyes of whom you want them to become. Brilliant poetry written on screen, the breathtaking visuals, and the touching lines, the film proved to be a friendship anthem of a whole generation.
3. Rang De Basanti (2006)
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Not many movies have been able to amalgamate the concepts of patriotism and friendship as effectively as Rang De Basanti. It is a light-framed story of carefree college friends that turns out to be a gripping story of enlightenment and sacrifice. The personality evolution of the group, the transition of naughty boys to purposeful changemakers, is the most iconic point of the film.
Friendship in this case is not just about how to laugh together, but to stand up together in favor of some cause and to put everything one has to defend truth and justice. It is severe, hurting, and at the same time so uplifting. The development of the characters symbolizes the attitude that a friendship can bring shared development and the purpose of the collective existence, instead of living individually.
4. Queen (2014)
Director: Vikas Bahl
Although Queen is basically a story of finding oneself, it also brings out the beauty of how people you do not know can turn out to be your friends who have transformed your life. Being a shy girl who was dumped at the altar, Rani chooses to travel alone to her honeymoon. She encounters various individuals on her journey and, in the process, establishes herself in a touching relationship with a clade of globalized flat-mates.
The movie rebels against the notion that friendship can be formed only through a long-term relationship. Rather, it tells of the power of even temporary contact when real to leave an imprint. The experiences of Rani demonstrate that friendship has no culture, language, or time limits because it is the acceptance, moments, and emotional support.
5. Wake Up Sid (2009)
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Wake Up Sid is a tale of two strangers who are unlikely best friends because one, Sid, is a careless and indulgent person who meets the other, Aisha, who is out to achieve something in life. The innocent relationship becomes a powerfully life-changing one. Aisha provides Sid with a new start and a sense of responsibility, and Sid helps Aisha lighten up and live in the moment by expressing and doing simple things that make life interesting.
The movie is also a special one in that it demonstrates that some of the most effective friendship relationships can be based on the most unlikely relationships. It even touches on the feeling of emotional intimacy that does not necessarily have to end in romance, but rather, in many cases, is the innocence of platonic contact that can change us.
6. Rock On!! (2008)
Producer: Abhishek Kapoor
Rock On!! is a movie inspired by music, nostalgia, and a situation that does not give closure to emotions, and this feeling manifests itself when a couple of really good friends grow apart because of time and life changes. It is about a rock band that had parted previously and reunites due the emotional reasons. The film examines through its story regrets, forgiveness, and the deep power of shared passion.
The story demonstrates that best friends can have the worst turbulence in their relationship, but that they can be easily reconciled when there is a solid ground. It is a celebration of the friendship made of mutual understanding and dreams accomplished, as well as after many years of silence, and we remain in communication.
7. Kai Po Che! (2013)
Director Abhishek Kapoor
Inspired by novelist Chetan Bhagat, this movie narrates the heartbreaking story of 3 friends, namely Ishaan, Omi, and Govind, who begin to run a cricket school together. With a backdrop of real-life incidents such as the Gujarat earthquake and the Gujarat riots, Kai Po Che! is a movie that depicts how even the strongest of relationships can be challenged and torn apart by the intervention of external forces.
This movie also describes a new concept of friendship, where betrayal and ideological dissimilarities prove to be costly. It is a sad, yet at the same time, beautiful vision of love, trust, and the changes in conflict that can never be reversed. The tale reminds us that friendship is as pure as it can be, but not above the realities and dynamics of the world we live in.
8. Chhichhore (2019)
Director: Nitesh Tiwari
An uplifting movie with a great message, Chhichhore is about the challenges that college friends face as they join hands after a long gap in times of a personal crisis by one of their friends. In flashbacks, we are shown their time at the hostel, where they spend their days mischievously playing around, competing, and sharing their dreams. By now, they are grown-ups, and they end up fighting in the corner of a friend in need just to show that true friendship never dies.
The movie revisits the meaning of friendship with a new emphasis on failure, support, and mental health. It is a celebration of flaws and unconditional friendship of your friends when everything did not turn out as supposed to be.
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