You do not know romance until you have indulged in the 90’s movies. The 90’s was the era of hopeless romance. While SRK and Kajol ruled the silver screen in Bollywood, the mega duo of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts encompassed viewers with minimalist, unrealistic saga of hopeless romance in America. The 90’s had something for everybody. 90’s movies offered chick-flicks, rom-coms – the years came up with romantic movies like never before. In a decade full of mushy, heart-warming romance tales, these are the absolute best choices from around the globe.
1. Runaway Bride:
Nearly a decade after Hollywood’s golden couple, Gere and Roberts, made their debut; here comes another movie directed by Garry Marshall. This movie is all about a lot of ill-fated weddings, Roberts’ character Maggie has a habit of fleeing from the altar every time she decides to tie the knot. Gere and Roberts’ chemistry is nothing like that in Pretty Woman, but the gaiety with which the characters are played to perfection makes it a movie you wanna watch over and over again. It is a fine tribute to those classic 1930s screwball romantic comedies.
2. Hum Dildey Chuke Sanam:
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at her absolute best, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam offers a sort of poignancy to romantic story telling. Unlike the other movies of the 90’s, the ending is quite surprising. This movie brings together Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for the first time onscreen and the romance nears palpability. Ajay Devgan plays the character surprisingly well. Bhansali’s set like always is grand. The songs are still hummed to, almost two decades later. All in all, a solid romantic movie hard to miss.
3. Pretty Woman:
If you haven’t absolutely adored Richard Gere-Julia Roberts’ tale of life-changing romance, you have missed out on a lot. True, this movie has underlying dark tones, but can you ever forget the full-mouthed laugh Roberts’ Vivian breaks into when the jewellery box snaps shut on her fingers? Richard Gere – a rich man enthralled by Vivian’s charisma falls desperately in love with the prostitute. This is your go-to movie to brighten up any dull day.
4. Dil Toh Pagal Hain:
One of the absolute favourites of the Indian crowd, Dil Toh Pagal Hain introduced western choreography, thanks to Shiamak Davar. This movie brings together SRK with Madhuri Dixit and their passionate love affair with Karishma Kapoor (and her heart-failing over-acting) as the other woman in the love triangle. Yash Chopra proves that even at the age of 65, he was a scintillating romantic at heart.
5. In the Mood for Love:
This one does not exactly fall in the 90’s but man-oh-man, you cannot talk about romantic movies and not mention Wong Kar-Wai’s legendary In the Mood for Love. This movie is an emotion that cannot be bled onto paper with words. The director follows the lead actors Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung as they glide through the space, the iconic title track in the background. Su and Chow are married – each to their respective husband and wife. They find out their travelling spouses are having an affair. They open up to one another but refuse to be promiscuous like their spouses. Just as they were nudged towards one another in the city of Hong Kong, they were distanced and thrown apart as well. It is not the usual tale of romance. Cinematography enthrals you and you float through each scene in as smooth as silk.
6. Raja Hindustani:
Anyone up for a clichéd plot of a man born and brought up in penury falling in love with the princess from the city? Basically, this movie employs the plot that would ultimately be used many times in the coming decade – poor man falling in love with a rich man’s daughter. The movie is a classic Bollywood romantic movie. Manish Malhotra is the fairy Godmother to Kapoor’s pauper-ish looks. Malhotra magically transforms Kapoor into looking so much better than she did in the previous movies. The most memorable thing about this 90’s movie is the lip lock scene between Kapoor and Aamir Khan. If you’re a fan of Mills & Boon type love stories, this is the Bollywood movie to catch right away.
7. Notting Hill:
Classic romantic dialogues ruled 90’s. Notting Hill, cannot be excluded from the list of the most watched romantic movies of all times. Julia Roberts gave few of the most iconic roles in various romantic movies. Here too, Roberts romances with another mega star Hugh Grant in a classic tale. Roberts’ character is an American actress who falls in love with Hugh Grant’s character. An unusual romance between an actress and a British bookseller. What’s more memorable about the movie is Roberts’ iconic line of all time – “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” That’s rom-com glory right there!
8. The Girl on the Bridge:
This French romantic tale of a boy who convinces a suicidal girl to not kill herself and join the circus instead. This European movie has all the necessities of a romantic movie. A meet-cute, sizzling chemistry between the characters of Paradis and Auteuil and unfulfilled erotic tension. The aura is done to perfection with a black and white cinematography.
9. Kuch Kuch Hota Hain:
If you’re talking about 90’s Bollywood scenes, you have to mention Kuch Kuch Hota Hain. Bringing together SRK and Kajol (yet another time after DDLJ) as college-going best buddies in the first half of the movie. From the scene when Anjali leaves to her very sexy dance in the rain with SRK a few years later, this movie epitomises romance at its peak. Recent speculations have criticised SRK’s Rahul as a conceited prick but all set aside, this movie is worth the watch.
