Three Romantic Films Everyone Should Watch Before They Die

Three Romantic Films Everyone Should Watch Before They Die.

I am in deep thought right now, sitting in front of my laptop, and trying to come up with three of the most romantic movies that I have ever watched. I was always supposed to be a dreamer and most of my friends considered me an incurable romantic. Be that as it may, the aim of this post is not to do a character analysis of what I am like, but to line up three romantic movies that I would personally recommend people to watch before they ‘kick the bucket’. So here goes.

Mughal-e-Azam:

Image Courtesy: Mughal-e-Azam. (2023, February 12). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal-e-Azam

This movie was directed by K Asif and was released in 1960. The story is based on the love between Prince Salim and Anar-kali who are besotted with each other. The star cast includes the majestic Prithviraj Kapoor who dons the role of emperor Akbar. Dilip Kumar plays the role of Prince Salim who is Akbar’s son. Durga Khote plays Prince Salim’s mother.  The effervescent, bubbly, and classically beautiful Madhubala plays the role of Anar-Kali. The essential story is simple. Emperor Akbar opposes the love between Salim and Anar-Kali and the story unfolds with a proper battle between father and son included. The soundtrack is composed by the eminent music director Naushad and the lyrics are by Shakeel Badayuni. All these people were masters of their craft in their heydays.

I will just describe a few romantic scenes from this movie so that the current generation can understand why I recommend this movie so highly. There is a song in this movie that is famous by a segment of its lyrics: ‘ Pyar kiya tho darna kya.’ This song is picturised on Madhubala as she dances in what is known as the Sheesh Mahal or a Palace with mirrors. The lyrics of this song are fantastic, and Madhubala’s dancing is superlative. There is one point in the song where she reveals her love for Prince Salim to Emperor Akbar. The words are ‘Chup na sakega ishq hamara, Charon tharaf hai unka Nazara’. The anger on Prithviraj Kapoor’s face as he hears these words, hits one right between the eyes. As he is seething with blazing fury, one can see the dancing image of Madhubala reflected by the mirrors of the sheesh mahal.

There is another scene in which Akbar gives Anar-kali an hour to spend with Salim after which she would be deported from the kingdom. In this scene, Salim has Anar-Kali lying down with her face on his lap and he caresses it with a white feather. This scene is said to be one of the most romantic scenes ever filmed.

Titanic:

Image Courtesy: Titanic. (2023, February 12). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_(1997_film)

This movie is from Hollywood and deals with a besotted couple, Rose DeWitt Butaker who belongs to high society, and Jack Dawson who is poor and lives day to day. Rose is already engaged to a business magnate by the name of Caledon Hockley. The role of Jack is played by Leonardo DiCaprio. This story unravels itself in the cruiser Titanic which sets sail from the Irish coast and travels to the USA. The ship hits an iceberg en route and sinks. This is a true tragedy recorded in the annals of shipwrecks though Rose, Jack, and several other characters are fictitious.

The title song is sung by the famous Celine Dion, and I never tire of hearing that number. Rose as one can imagine is bewitchingly beautiful and Jack is a handsome young man. I watched this movie in 2D when I was 31 and again the day before yesterday when I am 56. In other words, James Cameron, the director decided to remaster the movie and present it in 3D on its 25^th anniversary. But believe me, I loved every minute of the movie both times.

There is very little difference between the first and second versions except for a few surprises thrown in which were thoroughly enjoyable. I recommend this movie to all and sundry. The settings, the acting, the scenes of the Titanic sinking, and everything else about this movie is so realistic that it takes one’s breath away. It will be running in the theatres for another week or so. My recommendation to everyone is to go and watch it with your girlfriend/boyfriend or wife/husband.

The Notebook:

Image Courtesy: The Notebook. (2023, February 2). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Notebook

Now, this choice might appear surprising to some people. But the main reason I love this movie so much is that it intertwines the intense love between a couple with a mental ailment like Alzheimer’s disease. I will briefly give an outline of the story. In an old people’s retirement home, a man named Noah Calhoun reads out a story from a diary to his wife Allison Hamilton who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. The story unfolds as the man reads from the Notebook and the ending is beautiful and par excellence. The young Noah Calhoun is played by Ryan Gosling and the old Noah Calhoun is played by James Garner. Similarly, the young Allison Hamilton is played by Rachael McAdams and the older Allison Hamilton is played by Gena Rowlands. The movie was directed by Nick Cassavetes and based on the Novel titled Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.

Those are the three romantic movies I would recommend and I hope you enjoy the movies. Happy watching!

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