Bollywood has given audiences some of India's most memorable love stories, from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Jab We Met to Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. But as viewing habits change and younger audiences explore stories from around the world, an important question is emerging: are traditional Bollywood romances still speaking the language of today's generation?
Filmmaker Shakun Batra recently shared his thoughts on why some Indian romantic films are failing to connect with younger viewers. In an interview with HT City, Batra suggested that the way Bollywood often portrays love may be part of the problem. His point was simple: meeting your soulmate does not automatically make life perfect, because real relationships are much more complicated..
The Problem With Perfect Love Stories
For years, many mainstream romantic films followed a familiar formula. Two people meet, fall in love, face a few obstacles and eventually find their way to a happy ending. This formula has produced several beloved films, and audiences still enjoy romance. But today's viewers also encounter stories that explore heartbreak, emotional confusion, difficult choices and relationships that do not always end happily..
Real relationships involve communication, personal boundaries, career pressures, family expectations and differences in priorities. When a film skips these complications and presents love as the solution to every problem, some viewers may find it difficult to relate to the characters..The issue is not that happy endings are outdated. It is whether the journey towards that ending feels believable.
Gen Z Wants Characters They Can Recognise
Young audiences now have access to films and series from India, Korea, Europe and the United States. They can compare different approaches to romance, friendships, dating and emotional relationships without waiting for a television broadcast or theatrical release.
This does not mean every young viewer prefers realistic dramas or rejects traditional Bollywood romance. Nostalgic love stories continue to attract fans. However, the wider choice of entertainment gives audiences more ways to find stories that reflect their own experiences..A character who struggles with insecurity, makes mistakes, changes their mind or chooses independence can feel just as compelling as a character who fights the world for love..For filmmakers, the challenge is to make these characters emotionally convincing rather than simply adding modern dialogue or social media references.
Is Bollywood Repeating the Same Formula?
One criticism often directed at mainstream entertainment is that filmmakers can become too dependent on formulas that have worked previously. A successful romantic film may inspire similar characters, familiar conflicts and predictable endings.
Commercial cinema naturally involves risk. Producers invest money in projects and want films to reach large audiences. Familiar storytelling can therefore appear safer than experimenting with unusual characters or complicated subjects..But audiences do not always respond according to a fixed formula. A conventional love story can still succeed if the performances, writing and emotional journey feel fresh. Equally, a film that tries to appear modern can struggle if its characters lack depth..The real challenge is not to abandon romance. It is to find new ways of telling it.
What Shakun Batra's Viewpoint Adds to the Debate
Batra's comments also raise a broader question about creative freedom. He has argued that filmmakers should tell stories that come from their own experiences and feelings instead of simply trying to predict what audiences want..That approach carries risks. A personal story may not connect with every viewer, and a film can be honest without automatically being successful. Yet storytelling can become repetitive if every creative decision is based only on what is already popular..The most interesting films often combine a personal point of view with characters and situations that audiences can understand. They do not need to tell viewers what love should look like; they need to make viewers care about the people experiencing it.
Can Bollywood Make Romance Feel New Again?
Bollywood does not need to choose between old-fashioned romance and modern relationship dramas. There is room for grand love stories, light-hearted romantic comedies and films that explore the difficult parts of being with another person.
What matters is the writing. Characters should have lives beyond their romantic relationships, conflicts should feel meaningful, and emotional changes should happen for believable reasons..A love story can be dramatic without being unrealistic. It can have a happy ending without suggesting that every problem disappears once two people fall in love.
