Love In Bollywood Through 80s

Love has been a recurring theme in Bollywood since the inception of Indian cinema. It has been expressed in various forms, both on screen and off screen. There have been numerous movies made on unrequited love, forbidden love, love stories with tragic endings and such, but each era has one theme of love that rises above all others forms of love. After a while, that era becomes synonymous with said theme. One such example of this synonymy is the 80s.The 80s era is famous for its stories depicting love after marriage. Majority of the stories in this era began with the beginning of the characters' married life. BollyCurry takes a look at such movies, and the common sub theme running in them.

Once upon a time, in India, a man and woman got married without even looking at each other's face, forget about meeting each other or falling in love. That time was called the time before the 90s. The advent of the 90s might have brought love before marriage theme into common man's life but till the 80s, marriage was synonymous with arranged marriage. In fact, the 80s was known for such story lines. Amongst others, Woh Saat Din (1983) and Abodh (1984) are the most famous examples of such movies. Both films had two strangers coming together in the bond of marriage and slowly falling in love with each other. This sweet journey was filled with awkward moments, simple songs and poignant scenes.

 

If arranged marriages were on one side of the 80s coin, then the other side was occupied by extra marital affairs. These affairs occurred because either the characters were unhappy with their current life, ala Silsila (1981), or the characters simply step out of their bonds and later regret it like in the movie Ek Hi Bhool (1981). Then, there is Masoom (1983), a movie based on an illegitimate son born out of wedlock and his integration into his father's first family. Stories like these are found all over the 80s era with reconciliation between the main characters happening at the end of the story.

 

When a character has lost any hope to find happiness, then a new character that brings light into his/her life waltzes in. This concept became quite popular during the 80s. Whether it was a widow remarrying in Prem Rog (1982), or a divorcee finding new love in Nikaah (1982), protagonists got their happy ending even after losing their first love or divorcing them. Another such example is Baseraa (1981), where a couple finds love again after they lose their spouses. Naseeb Apna Apna (1986) yet again explores the concept, where a man in an unhappy marriage finds solace in his second wife.

 

Overall, the 80s had a vast variety of movies, but it was obvious that the audience loved finding love after marriage and the film industry gladly catered to them. Some other sub themes that you could find during the 80s time frame are marital woes of a husband and wife duo. Itni Si Baat (1981) and Kissi Se Na Kehna (1983) are two examples. Another concept famous in the 80s was Saas Bahu Saga found in movies like Sau Din Saas Ke (1980), Bade Ghar Ki Beti (1989) and Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988). These are but a few examples; if you dig deeper into the movies from this particular era, you will find many more similar movies where the story begins after marriage.

 

 

Writer: Kalpana K.C.

Editors: Juju K. and Mohini N.

Graphics: Nidhi D.