Love has a way of appearing in the oddest of moments and the unlikeliest of places even as we whiz along life’s highway. Lots of open space, sunshine and rain, the thrill of being on the move and falling in love before you even know it — Bollywood has merged romance and the call of the road quite successfully in many a films.
We pick five romance-on-the-road movies for you to binge on during the Durga Puja holidays.
Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017)
Tanuja Chandra’s 2017 romantic comedy stars Irrfan Khan and Parvathy Thiruvothu in the lead roles. The film follows Yogi (Irrfan) and Jaya (Parvathy), two very different personalities, who meet through a dating app and embark on a cross-country journey to relive their past. You’ll roam around the country with the duo as they move from the ghats of Haridwar to the mountains of Gangtok. Along the way, Jaya and Yogi overcome their inhibitions, get over their past heartbreaks and come closer to begin a meaningful relationship.
Watch it on: Netflix and Zee5
Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017)
Starring Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, Imtiaz Ali’s Jab Harry Met Sejal has a Gujarati woman (Anushka) going on an unplanned road trip to find her engagement ring which she lost while travelling in Europe. She enlists the help of her flirty tour guide (Shah Rukh) but ends up falling in love with him. Despite a sloppy storyline, Shah Rukh and Anushka had enough chemistry going to make it a joyride. The picturesque central European landscapes and the soulful music added to the appeal.
Watch it on: Netflix
Piku (2015)
Shoojit Sirkar’s 2015 comedy-drama follows a father-daughter duo (Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone) who make a long road trip from Delhi to Kolkata via Varanasi, with the car owner (Irrfan Khan) at the wheel. While the father and his daughter Piku’s bickering becomes the high point of the journey, there’s also a slow romance that develops between Piku and the car owner. The duo maintain a sense of formality on the surface all along but come even closer as they end up exploring old Kolkata together.
Watch it on: Sony LIV
Chennai Express (2013)
Rohit Shetty’s 2013 romantic action comedy Chennai Express stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. The story follows Rahul (Shah Rukh) as he sets out on a bachelor trip to Goa. On the way, he meets Meenamma (Deepika), a runaway bride, and helps her to board a train, incurring the wrath of the girl’s family. With heavy action sequences, situational comedy and picturesque sceneries, the film is a thorough entertainer that makes the most of the beautiful southern landscape.
Watch it on: Netflix
Jab We Met (2007)
This Kareena Kapoor-Shahid Kapoor-starrer sets the gold standard for Bollywood road romance movies. To escape his miserable life, heartbroken Aditya (played by Shahid), the son of a business tycoon, gets on a train and bumps into Geet (played by Kareen), a vivacious Punjabi girl, and finds himself drawn into her chaotic world. The journey from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus to Bhatinda via the bylanes of Ratlam and then to the snow-capped mountains of Manali is a visual treat. Jab We Met is a film bursting with lovely little moments that capture what falling in love with a stranger is all about.
Watch it on: Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
