Lists
14 Best Bollywood Romantic Movies of All Time
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Jab We Met, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Barfi!, The Lunchbox and more: Hindi love stories that still make us feel something.
DailyMovieHub TeamEditorial team3 min read
Nobody does romance quite like Bollywood: train stations, rain songs, family drama and big declarations of love. This list covers the classics and the quieter, more modern love stories too.
1. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)
★ 8.53h 10mComedy · Drama · RomanceHindi
Directed by Aditya Chopra · Starring Kajol, Shah Rukh Khan
Raj and Simran meet on a trip across Europe, fall in love, and then Raj has to win over her strict father in Punjab. DDLJ ran in one Mumbai cinema, Maratha Mandir, for decades, and it defined Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as the ultimate on-screen couple.
Watch it if you have somehow never seen it. You probably know the songs already.
2. Jab We Met (2007)
★ 7.32h 18mDrama · Comedy · RomanceHindi
Directed by Imtiaz Ali · Starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan
A heartbroken businessman meets a chatty, fearless girl on a train, and both their lives change. Kareena Kapoor's Geet is one of the most loved characters in Hindi film. Imtiaz Ali at his best.
3. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)
★ 7.53h 5mRomance · Drama · ComedyHindi
Directed by Karan Johar · Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol
College friends Rahul and Anjali, a love triangle, and years later a little girl trying to bring them back together. Karan Johar's first film is pure nostalgia for a whole generation.
4. Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
★ 7.53h 7mComedy · Drama · RomanceHindi
Directed by Nikkhil Advani · Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta
In New York, a cheerful stranger helps a serious young woman learn to enjoy life, while hiding a secret of his own. Funny for an hour, then it breaks your heart.
5. Veer-Zaara (2004)
★ 7.53h 12mDrama · RomanceHindi
Directed by Yash Chopra · Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta
An Indian Air Force pilot and a Pakistani woman fall in love across a border that keeps them apart for decades. Yash Chopra's grand, old-fashioned romance.
6. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)
★ 7.32h 40mRomance · ComedyHindi
Directed by Ayan Mukerji · Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone
A group of friends on a mountain trek, and two people who meet again years later at a wedding. A fun, glossy film about friendship, travel and growing up.
7. Barfi! (2012)
★ 7.62h 31mDrama · Romance · ComedyHindi
Directed by Anurag Basu · Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra Jonas
In Darjeeling, a deaf and mute young man falls in love twice, in very different ways. Anurag Basu's film is sweet, inventive and almost silent-movie in spirit.
8. Rockstar (2011)
★ 7.32h 39mDrama · Music · RomanceHindi
Directed by Imtiaz Ali · Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri
A college boy who wants to be a rock star finds his music only through heartbreak. Ranbir Kapoor and A. R. Rahman's soundtrack make it an intense, emotional ride.
9. Aashiqui 2 (2013)
★ 6.82h 12mDrama · RomanceHindi
Directed by Mohit Suri · Starring Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor
A famous singer on the way down discovers a young woman with a great voice and helps her rise. A tragic love story with songs that were everywhere.
10. Lootera (2013)
★ 7.02h 16mDrama · RomanceHindi
Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane · Starring Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha
In 1950s Bengal, a young woman falls for a charming stranger who isn't who he says he is. Inspired by O. Henry's story *The Last Leaf*, it is quiet, beautiful and sad.
11. The Lunchbox (2013)
★ 7.41h 44mDrama · RomanceHindi
Directed by Ritesh Batra · Starring Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur
A lunchbox delivered to the wrong man in Mumbai starts a correspondence between a lonely widower and an unhappy housewife. Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur in a gentle, grown-up love story.
Watch it if you prefer subtle romance to big songs.
12. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)
★ 7.12h 47mComedy · Drama · RomanceHindi
Directed by Aditya Chopra · Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma
A shy, ordinary man reinvents himself as a flashy stranger to win his own wife's heart. Anushka Sharma's debut, with Shah Rukh Khan playing both sides of the same man.
13. Love Aaj Kal (2009)
★ 6.32h 8mComedy · Drama · RomanceHindi
Directed by Imtiaz Ali · Starring Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone
A modern couple who break up for their careers, and an older love story told alongside it. Imtiaz Ali asks whether love has really changed over the years.
14. Sita Ramam (2022)
★ 7.82h 38mHistory · Romance · DramaTelugu
Directed by Hanu Raghavapudi · Starring Dulquer Salmaan, Mrunal Thakur
A Telugu film, also available in Hindi, about a soldier in the 1960s who starts receiving letters from a woman named Sita. Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur lead one of the most beautiful recent love stories in Indian cinema.
How we picked
We mixed the big classics with quieter, modern romances, choosing films people still recommend and rewatch.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most romantic Bollywood movie? DDLJ is the classic answer; Jab We Met is the modern favourite.
Which romantic films are good for couples? Jab We Met, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and The Lunchbox.
Where can I watch them? Check each card for current streaming options in your country.
Ratings, runtimes and streaming availability come from TMDB and JustWatch and update automatically. Availability differs by country.