Ten Bollywood films with sad endings

Devdas

The classic story of Devdas is known to all. Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan) and Parvati (Aishwarya Rai) are childhood friends and neighbours who grow love for each other without even realising. Devdas travels out of country to study and returns to marry his childhood love Parvati, but his own family doesn’t agree to this marriage as they’re a richer and more prosperous family than that of Paro. This drives him to be an alcoholic and he tries to escape his pain and starts going to a brothel. There he meets chadramukhi (Madhuri Dixit) who falls in love with him. Parvati gets married to a rich older man. Devdas dies of being alcoholic and goes to Parvati’s place to see her one last time but Parvati is abandoned from seeing him. Outside her house, under a tree, he takes his last breathe with Parvati’s name. A failed lover is often called “Devdaas”. However, this Sanjay Leela Bhansali film is beyond the usual concepts of love and depicts an eternal portrait of affection.

Fanaa

This film starring Aamir Khan and Kajol ends on a tragic end as Kajol kills Aamir Khan (her on screen partner) on coming to know that he’s a terrorist. Aamir plays Rehan Quadri, a tourist guide from Delhi, who meets Zooni Ali Beg (Kajol), a blind Kashmiri girl. They gradually fall in love. Meanwhile there’s a terrorist bombing where Rehan reportedly dies. But later it is revealed that he ain’t dead, rather he’s a Pakistani insurgent who is responsible for the bombing. Fanah had received mixed reviews from the critics and viewers. Though, it was banned in Gujarat as Gujaratis opposed this film due to Aamir khan criticising the Government of Gujarat on screen.

Ghajini

A psychological thriller by A.R Murugadoss. Sunita (Jiah Khan) is a medical student who’s studying the functions of a human brain. She comes across the case of Sanjay Singhania (Aamir Khan) who’s suffering from Anterograde Amnesia. She’ denied access to the case as it is under investigation; she investigates herself that Sanjay loses his memory every 15 minutes; he uses photos, note books etc to remind himself incidents. Sunita finds out that Sanjay was in love with Kalpana (Asin) who once rescued 25 girls who were being trafficked by Ghajini (Pradeep Rawat), a locally influential person. Ghajini stabs Kalpana death, and Sanjay catches the final sight of Kalpana’s death. Ghajini stabs Sanjay and runs away which causes Sanjay to lose his memory. Sunita, on knowing everything, finds Sanjay and tells him everything. Sanjay, angst, cheeses Ghajini again, but loses his memory again. Ghajini takes this chance and flees. Sanjay spends rest of his life working in an orphanage, holding on to Kalpana’s memory.

Kal Ho Naa Ho

This Nikhil Advani film tales the tail of a girl who is quite cynical in nature and limits herself to home and her MBA course. One day Naina (Preity Zinta) stumbles upon Aman (Shah Rukh Khan) as he shifts next to her house. Naina finds love amidst her monochromic life with the arrival of her new neighbour; however she’s unaware of the fact that Aman is suffering from a fatal cardiac disease and won’t survive for long. To save Naina from the heart break once he passes away, he introduces her to Rohit (Saif Ali Khan) who loves Naina deeply. Naina at the end marries Rohit and Aman loses the battle of life. Kal Ho Naa Ho was one of the biggest hits of that year, earning 86.08 crores.

Rockstar

Janardhan Jakhar from Delhi wants to make it big as a musician but realises that a heart break is necessary as pain makes the best of an artist. Meanwhile he meets Heer (Nargis Fakhri) and decides to propose her as he’s sure to be turned down. But contrary to his expectation, they turn friends and develop feelings for each other. However, Heer gets married to a Kashmiri man and moves to Prague. But she’s unable to cope with it and falls sick. The film ends with Heer dying and Janardan turning a famous rock star. He finally attains a heart break but not the way he wanted to. This Imtiaz Ali film was broadly appreciated, specially because of Ranbir Kapoor’s performance.

Omkara

This film was written and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. Omkara Shukla (Ajay Devgn) runs a gang which commits political crimes. Omkara abducts Dolly (Kareena Kapoor) from her wedding with Rajju (Deepak Dobriyal). They both get married but later Omkara suspects Dolly and murders her. Omakara is a negative but impactful film which received appreciation for its’ music composition as well.

Tere Naam

A tragic love story where Radhe (Salman Khan) is a rowdy violent guy who’s also into college politics. He falls in love with Neeraja (Bhoomika Chawla). However, Neeraja isn’t in love with him; thus he kidnaps her and forces her to love him back. When she finally loves him back, he’s attacked by a group of goons and loses memory. He’s rescued by people of an ashram and is given a shelter there. Neeraja finds him there and seeing him in that condition, frustrated and heart broken, she commits suicide. Radio finally gains his memory back only to see that the love of his life has dies. This drives him mad. The ending of the film is dark, but deep. this Satish Kaushik film did a business of 124 crores in the box office.

Raanjhanaa

The tale of giving away and letting go, Raanjhanaa will sadden you. Kundan from Varanasi falls in love with a local Muslim girl Zoya, who initially doesn’t like him back but slowly is convinced with the consistency of Kunda’s affection towards her. However she moves to Delhi for higher studies and hooks up with Akram Zaidi (Abhay Deol) who’s a student leader in the university. On coming back home, she barely recognises Kundan, and denies to show any love for him. Later Kundan promises Zoya to help convince her family about her wedding with Akram. Just before the wedding it comes out that Akram is actually a Seikh. He’s brutally beaten by Zoya’s relatives; he succumbs to injury and dies. The selfless acts of love shown in the film will fill your heart. Dhanush’s first big break in bollywood; and he left all speechless.

Goliyon Ki Ras Leela-Ram leela

Another saddening love story by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Raanjar is a Gujarati village where Rajadi and Saneri are two cats that are in conflict with each other for last 500 years. Megji (Abhimanyu Singh), a Rajadi head, plans to kill Bhavani (Gulshan Devaiah)) who is a Sanera, after Bhavani tries to kill Meghji’s son. Bhavani is about to be killed when Ram (Ranveer Singh), Meghji's younger brother, saves him, only to be targeted by Meghji again. During Holi,Ram enters the house of the Saneras and flirts with Leela (Deepika Padukone) while her mother, Dhankor Baa (Supriya Pathak Kappor), the Sanera head is planning to marry her off to an NRI. Ram elopes with Leela but finally they’re caught. Knowing that they can’t be one, they choose to die together. The film is inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo Juliet”; of course with a tragic end. How various external influences can not only ruin but also end hearty relationships and even human lives, is artistically articulated in the film.

Rang De Basanti

Story of a young British film maker who finds a diary of her grandfather and following that, reaches India to make a film on Indian independence. She comes to know about five figures of Indi’s struggle for independence; Chahdra Sekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Ashfaqulla Khan and Ram Prasad Bismil. She casts Aamir Khan, Siddharth Narayan, Kunal Kapoor and Sharman Joshi. They all are Sonia’s friends and Sonia (Soha Ali Khan) is her friend in the University of Delhi. sonia’s finance , who was a pilot, dies in a jet clash. The Government blames the pilot’s error for the clash and closes the case. However, Sonia and her friends don’t buy this explanation as they know he was an efficient pilot. They choose to investigate with the issue and find out that a corrupt minister was behind this who as well happens to be Siddharth’s (Karan in the film) dad. They decide to do what freedom fighters would’ve done; to stand up for justice. Sadly, they’re considered terrorists and all of them are shot dead. With layers full of humane appeal and love-friendship-patriotism, the sad ending doesn’t spoil the film; rather compliments it.