"Why is this love only coloured in blood?"
Difficult marriages can be a sensitive, gritty topic in Bollywood films.
These do not necessarily have to culminate in divorce.
They can encompass challenging circumstances driven by external and internal forces.
Over the decades, Indian cinema has proven its worth in the hard-hitting storytelling these onscreen bonds show.
Several films show these marriages poignantly and unashamedly.
But which of these movies are among those that get it right?
Join DESIblitz as we embark on a cinematic journey, presenting 10 Bollywood films that tackle difficult marriages.
Silsila (1981)
Director: Yash Chopra
Stars: Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Rekha, Sanjeev Kumar
Yash Chopra’s classic Silsila is one of the most popular romances in Indian cinema.
The film tells the story of Amit Malhotra (Amitabh Bachchan) who marries Shobha Malhotra (Jaya Bachchan).
Shobha is the fiancee of Amit’s brother Shekhar Malhotra (Shashi Kapoor). Unfortunately, Shekhar passes away leaving a pregnant Shobha destitute.
Despite being in love with Chandni (Rekha), Amit feels obligated to marry Shobha.
Heartbroken, Chandni enters a loveless marriage to Dr VK Anand (Sanjeev Kumar).
However, Chandni steps back into Amit’s life after Shobha suffers a miscarriage.
Rekindling their romance, Amit and Chandni begin an affair and cheat on their respective spouses.
Silsila was one of the first Bollywood films that outwardly portrayed extramarital love. Due to this, the film flopped when it was released.
Delving into its failure, Yash Ji’s wife, Pamela Chopra said: “The marriage is a very, very sacred institution in India.
“When the director created sympathy for the two lovers willing to go outside their marriage and continue their love affair, he didn’t carry the audience with him.”
As the audience grew more liberal, however, Silsila gained a cult following over the years and is now regarded as a classic.
Souten (1983)
Director: Saawan Kumar Tak
Stars: Rajesh Khanna, Tina Munim, Padmini Kolhapure
This unique film capitalises on a plot that intertwines bigamy with discrimination.
In Souten, the audience meets Shyam Mohit (Rajesh Khanna) who marries a rich heiress, Rukmini ‘Rukku’ Mohit (Tina Munim).
However, due to her high-class background, Rukku despises people of a lower caste.
Therefore, she cannot stand Shyam’s accountant Gopal (Shreeram Lagoo) and his daughter Radha (Padmini Kolhapure).
Rukku’s rudeness towards Gopal and Radha drives a wedge between her and Shyam.
Matters are complicated further when Rukku undergoes surgery to prevent her from having children without Shyam knowing.
The distance between him and Rukku drives Shyam closer to Radha. This leads Rukku to suspect that her husband is cheating on her.
Rukku’s manipulative aunt and uncle convince her that Shyam has married Radha and has therefore committed bigamy.
Furious, Rukku takes Shyam to court.
Souten is laden with power and emotion. Wonderful acting from Rajesh, Tina, and Padmini strengthens the film, a must-see for classic Bollywood fans.
Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995)
Director: Mansoor Khan
Stars: Aamir Khan, Manisha Koirala, Adil Rizvi
Adapted from Kramer vs Kramer (1979), Mansoor Khan’s Akele Hum Akele Tum contains one of the most difficult marriages seen on celluloid.
The film narrates the story of Rohit Kumar (Aamir Khan), an aspiring singer and composer.
He marries Kiran Kumar (Manisha Koirala) and they have a son named Sunil ‘Sonu’ Kumar (Adil Rizvi).
However, Rohit fails to recognise Kiran’s ambitions and wants her to be a homemaker.
This causes a frustrated Kiran to leave Rohit to follow her dreams.
Rohit later feels inferior when Kiran becomes a huge success while he still struggles tirelessly to make it big.
The only thing that keeps Rohit going is his relationship with Sonu and the pair develop a deep, loving bond in Kiran’s absence.
Problems arise when Kiran returns and demands custody of Sonu, leading to a messy court case.
Akele Hum Akele Tum has emotion and heart at its core. With heart-wrenching performances and a winning soundtrack, it is a rich mosaic of familial hardship.
Raja Hindustani (1996)
Director: Dharmesh Darshan
Stars: Aamir Khan, Karisma Kapoor
Continuing with the superstar Aamir Khan, we come to Dharmesh Darshan’s epic romance.
Raja Hindustani sees Aamir play the titular taxi driver who falls in love with the rich and affluent Aarti Seghal (Karisma Kapoor).
Aarti also returns Raja’s affection and marries him without her family’s approval.
The couple live a happy life until Aarti’s family invites them to a party in Mumbai.
At the party, Aarti’s devious stepmother Shalu Seghal (Archana Puran Singh) and uncle Swaraj (Pramod Moutho) succeed in separating Aarti and Raja.
They convince Raja to believe that Aarti is ashamed of him because of his lower status as a taxi driver.
Shalu and Swaraj try and engineer a divorce, but both Raja and Aarti refuse to sign the papers.
Raja Hindustani became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 1996.
For their performances, Aamir and Karisma both won Filmfare awards in 1997.
Raja Hindustani also boasts of a genius soundtrack that includes evergreen chartbusters including ‘Pardesi’ and ‘Aaye Ho Meri Zindagi Mein‘.
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Stars: Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Sanjay Leela Bhansali made his directorial debut with Khamoshi: The Musical (1996).
However, it was Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam which put him firmly in the league of acclaimed Bollywood directors.
In this romance, the lovers Sameer Rossellini (Salman Khan) and Nandini Darbar (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) are cruelly separated.
Nandini unhappily marries Advocate Vanraj (Ajay Devgn).
But shortly after the wedding, Vanraj discovers Nandini’s love for Sameer who is in Italy.
Unwilling to make his marriage more difficult, Vanraj takes Nandini to Italy to reunite her with Sameer.
During their search, the pair encounter numerous difficulties such as language barriers and a violent mugging.
The real star of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is Bhansali, who cemented his image as a screen magician with his opulent cinema.
KK’s rendition of ‘Tadap Tadap’ also illustrates the difficulty in marriage and love beautifully.
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
Director: Karan Johar
Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Kirron Kher
Returning to the theme of extramarital love, Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is important and progressive viewing.
The embittered former soccer player Dev Saran (Shah Rukh Khan) falls out of love with his wife Rhea Saran (Preity Zinta).
He finds comfort in Maya Talwar (Rani Mukerji) who is also unhappy in her marriage to Rishi Talwar (Abhishek Bachchan).
Dev and Maya soon start an affair but they struggle with the pain they are inadvertently causing their spouses.
Nevertheless, they give in to their love and cement their bond in a hotel room.
Karan remembers the disgusted reaction he received from the audience when the film was released.
He said: “That scene came where Shah Rukh and Rani check into a hotel room. There was a very traditional couple sitting in front of me.
“So when that scene started, the wife turned and looked at her husband. He told her that it was a dream sequence.
“She seemed to get pacified by that but when they realised it was not a dream sequence, they took their family and walked out.”
It may have received polarising reactions in 2006, but Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is now classified as one of Karan’s best movies.
Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Ila Arun
When one discusses difficult marriages, infidelity or abuse may be among the common causes of conflict.
But what about a marriage of alliance? Ashutosh Gowariker’s period epic Jodhaa Akbar underscores that with gentile romance and realism.
The historical saga showcases the marriage of Emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) and Princess Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan).
Jodhaa is forced to marry Akbar to establish peace between their kingdoms.
Heartbroken at marrying someone whom she does not love, Jodhaa does not allow Akbar to touch her after their wedding.
Akbar is a dutiful monarch and he respects Jodhaa’s boundaries, even accepting the three conditions she lays before him.
However, a deceitful ploy widens the void between the couple. Will they overcome their differences and turn their marriage into something more genuine?
Known for his grandeur and attention to detail, Ashutosh creates a scintillating world of kingship, moral dilemmas and battle.
Jodhaa Akbar could have easily turned into a history lesson for the audience.
Instead, what we get is one of the most magnificent and engrossing cinematic experiences in Bollywood.
My Name is Khan (2010)
Director: Karan Johar
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol
Karan Johar creates a masterful social drama in the form of My Name is Khan.
Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) – a man with Asperger’s Syndrome – meets the beautiful Mandira (Kajol) in San Francisco.
Despite their religious differences, Rizwan and Mandira fall in love and marry.
They live a prosperous life until the 9/11 attacks trigger a barrage of hate towards Muslim communities in America.
When tragedy strikes within the family, Mandira and Rizwan are forced to pay an immeasurable price.
This culminates in Rizwan undertaking a mission to meet the President of the US while also starting a revolution for peace and humanity.
My Name is Khan is adorned with historic performances from Shah Rukh and Kajol. It is quite unlike Karan’s previous romances.
Notably, the film does not have a single lip-sync song or a romantic song that is specifically sung onscreen by his celebrated lead couple.
That doesn’t make the film have anything lacking. It is one of the best films and its limitless praise and countless awards are a testament to that.
Thappad (2020)
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Stars: Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati
Anubhav Sinha’s Thappad could be argued as essential viewing, particularly for the younger generations that see the film.
In the film, Amrita ‘Amu’ Sabharwal (Taapsee Pannu) is a devoted wife to Vikram Sabharwal (Pavail Gulati).
During a party, however, the illusion of her perfect marriage breaks when Vikram publicly slaps her.
This makes Amu realise how she ignored the minor signs of disrespect and she concludes that if Vikram truly loved and respected her, he would never have raised his hand to her.
Everyone around her tells Amu to “forget it and move on” but Amu stands resolute in her quest for a fair divorce.
She reasons that Vikram simply has no right to hit her.
Amu’s pregnancy makes matters worse and she is left with no choice but to threaten a domestic violence charge against Vikram unless he agrees to a civil divorce.
When Vikram finally apologises, he accepts his mistake and promises Amu to change into a better person.
However, they still divorce, underlining the perseverance of Amu.
The impact of Thappad was underscored when the police of Rajasthan attached its domestic violence helpline to the film’s poster.
Taapsee is a force to reckon with in Thappad which proves her to be one of the finest actresses of her time.
Animal (2023)
Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Stars: Anil Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal is often touted as a father-son drama.
However, alongside this conflict lies an equally disturbing relationship.
That is the marriage of Ranvijay Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) and Geetanjali Iyengar Singh (Rashmika Mandanna).
They start as a happily married couple but Ranvijay’s obsession with protecting his father Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor) drives them apart.
Eventually, Ranvijay takes a devastating step in his mission to protect Balbir – one that threatens to destroy his marriage to Geetanjali forever.
The gut-wrenching aspect is that despite their hatred, Ranvijay and Geetanjali never stop loving each other deeply.
In the chartbuster ‘Satranga‘, with their marriage utterly broken, Ranvijay and Geetanjali kiss.
Over this scene, the lyrics go: “This love intoxicates every vein in my body.
“Then why is this love only coloured in blood?”
Animal depicts fraught and fragile relationships including one of the most difficult marriages between an onscreen couple.
Difficult marriages can be heartbreaking and sombre to watch.
Depending on the film’s story, however, they are unavoidable and unmissable.
In the hands of capable filmmakers and talented actors, these marriages create everlasting portrayals of sacrifice and longing.
These films will leave you teary-eyed, inspired, and thoughtful.
So, go ahead and rather than ignore these difficult marriages in Bollywood films, prepare to embrace them.
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