Not So Happily Ever Afters

Comments [ 19 ] By Gurprit K. | 13 July 2014 | 10:42pm

Spoiler Alert: Please be warned that this article reveals the story and ending of many movies.

"Aur agar theek na ho toh woh The End nahin. Picture abhi baaki hai, mere dost." (Om Shanti Om, 2007)

Ever since the inception of Bollywood, we can safely say that majority of the time, this concept rules the roost. You may ask what are we talking about? Happy ever afters, of course! Yes, since long, happy endings have ruled cinematic experiences. Whether it be Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) or Aankhen (1968) or Main Tera Hero (2014), it seems that Bollywood prefer stories that have a hero, a heroine and a good villain who is triumphed over by the much in-love couple.

In fact there was a time when only happy endings prevailed Bollywood! During the 1970s, over 90% of the movies had this formulated ending. For example, one of the top movies of the 70s was Pakeezah (1972) in which Meena Kumari's character finally finds love and marries Raj Kumar's character in the end. Another example is Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), which was about three brothers who are separated in their childhood and finally meet just before the climax to defeat their father's enemies and save their loved ones.

However, all is not so fluffy in B-Town. Some movies have managed to break this stereotype and finish on a more tragic note. One movie that comes to mind is the classic Anand (1971), which ended with the death of Rajesh Khanna's character. In recent times, this ending has been witnessed more often. Read below to find a list of a few movies following this trend.

The hugely successful Aashiqui 2 (2013) showcased the love story of Rahul Jaykar (Aditya Roy Kapur), an alcohol addict and a superb singer with a failing career, and Aarohi Shirke (Shraddha Kapoor), an upcoming singer. When Rahul feels that he is getting in the way of Aarohi's career due to his alcoholism, he takes the decision of ending his life and jumps off a bridge killing himself. Dejected, Aarohi refuses to continue her career until persuaded otherwise. The heart-breaking sequence takes place at the end when Aarohi signs her name as Aarohi Rahul Jaykar, a dream which could never be fulfilled.

Dhoom 3 (2013) is a story about the twins, Samar and Sahir, (played by Aamir Khan) who grow up to hate the Western Bank of Chicago when the head refuses to lend money to Iqbal Khan (Jackie Shroff), their father, who then commits suicide. They go on to rob several branches of the bank, ruining it in the process and in the end leap off a bridge together to avoid being arrested and separated. A truly sad ending, yet one that was necessary.

2014 so far has seen many different types of movies as Bollywood's happily ever after is finally a thing of the past, though not completely gone. First up is the Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra starrer Gunday (2014), which follows the path of Bikram (Singh) and Bala (Kapoor) who grow up to become coal smugglers. Both fall in love with cabaret dancer Nandita (Chopra) and while running from the police, end up fighting over her. In the end, both are killed by ACP Sarkar (Irrfan Khan) and Nandita, who was really an undercover police officer.

Highway (2014) was highly praised for its unique star cast and storytelling. Veera Tripathi (Alia Bhatt) is kidnapped by Mahabir Bhati (Randeep Hooda) and is then taken on a road trip over much of northern India to avoid the cops. In the process, the two fall in love where Veera reveals her troubled childhood to Mahabir. However, when all seems to be well for the two lovers, the police arrive and kill Mahabir, supposedly saving Veera. In the end, Veera is shown to be living on a hill station with Mahabir's memories.

The recently released Ek Villain (2014) also makes the list for its unique story and ending. Aisha (Shraddha Kapoor) falls in love with Guru (Sidharth Malhotra) who reforms his ways and settles down with her. But soon their happy life is interrupted when Aisha is killed by a hooded man, who is later revealed to be Rakesh (Riteish Deshmukh), a married man with a child who has a psychotic killer side. The ending, as expected, is not very happy though hopeful. Aisha is dead, but Guru adopts Rakesh's child after he is killed and sets about fulfilling all of Aisha's wishes.

Bollywood has always believed in happy endings, but as times change, so does Bollywood. Today the film industry has started delivering stories that are far from the cliched happy ending movies. We hope to see this trend continue and that moviegoers appreciate this new trend as much as we are!

Writer: Shreya S.

Editors: Vaishnavi.V and Jenifer Y.

Graphics: Virina R.

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