Edited by Priyal Mittal
If you grew up watching Bollywood the chances are that your idea of love is heavily influenced by grand gestures, soul stirring music and men who can communicate with their eyes better than most people do with words. And at the center of it all? Shah Rukh Khan – our very own King of Romance. The man who made millions believe that love is meant to be dramatic, poetic and sometimes, just a little bit unrealistic.
The Grand Gestures Are a Must
SRK has taught us that love is nothing without a dramatic declaration. Whether it’s running through mustard fields in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge or stopping a wedding at the last moment in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Bollywood love thrives on high stakes. Suddenly, texting ‘wyd?’ doesn’t seem like enough effort. Where’s my rain soaked confession of undying love?
Love Comes with a Killer Background Score
In Bollywood, falling in love isn’t just an emotional experience – it’s a full production. SRK made sure of that. From Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam to Gerua, every moment of romance has a perfect melody attached to it. Now, when someone so much as smiles at us across the room, we half expect violins to start playing.
Pyaar Dosti Hai (Love is Friendship)
Thanks to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, we were all convinced that if we didn’t have a best friend named Rahul, we were doing something wrong. The ‘best friends to lovers’ trope was practically invented by Bollywood, and let’s be honest – how many of us secretly hoped our childhood best friend would turn around one day and realize we were The One? (Spoiler: Real life Rahuls usually stay clueless)
Running Towards Your Love is a Rite of Passage
If your love story doesn’t involve at least one scene of someone dramatically running (preferably at an airport, train station or wedding venue), are you even in love? We grew up believing that no matter how impossible the odds, true love will always find a way – usually in slow motion.
If It’s Real, It’ll Happen Against All Odds
Perhaps the biggest lesson Bollywood has taught us is that love isn’t easy – it’s tested by distance, misunderstandings, evil villains (sometimes disguised as in-laws) and dramatic twists. But if it’s real, it always finds a way. While real life doesn’t always follow the same script, a little bit of SRK-style optimism never hurt anyone.
Bollywood Love vs. Reality
Of course, real relationships don’t come with perfectly timed music, endless patience or grand speeches at train stations. Sometimes love is messy, sometimes it’s quiet and sometimes the most romantic thing someone can do is remember how you like your coffee. But a part of us will always hold on to the magic of Bollywood love – the belief that romance should be felt in every little moment.
So yes, maybe Bollywood ruined our expectations a little. But would we have it any other way? Probably not. Because deep down, we’re all just waiting for our own Shah Rukh Khan moment. And when it happens? Well, cue the background music.
P.S. If you find someone who’s willing to do the SRK arm stretch for you unironically, marry them.