8 Modern Day Bollywood Movies That Redefined Friendship In India

Hindi film industry has always been very expressive about friendship. Going by the emotional submission one gives in a relation like friendship in India, we know how filmmakers can bring them up on screen. From Satyan Bose’s Dosti in the 60’s to Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay in the 70’s, the expression in shedding out your version may have differed, what remained constant was how this special bond has always remained as a pure feeling. 

As the progression of cinematic values changed with the contemporary times, the method of telling a story around friendship also changed. It was Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai in 2001 that completely broke the shackles and came out in its own form to suggest how an entire film could be made, based on friendship and its meaning. Needless to say, the formula clicked and it clicked bigtime!

Here we are making our top picks of films of the modern days that gave a unique style to storytelling around friendship:

Dil Chahta Hai

Possibly the best film written and made around friendship that was vocal in so many ways despite being utterly subtle and subdued. Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai came out 15 long years ago but appears to have been the most real and modern day film even for the current generation.

Munna Bhai MBBS & Lage Raho Munna Bhai

While he may largely appeared to be Munna’s sidekick or the right hand in more layman terminology, but the bond Circuit shared with Munna was a purer form of friendship. Both films of the series were a significant mark made by Raju Hirani around how friendship doesn’t always need to happen between equals. Remember that scene from Lage Raho where Munna apologizes to Circuit after slapping him?  That’s the kind of bond we are talking about!

Rang De Basanti

Yet another strong expression around friendship that taught us how life becomes incomplete without friends! Rang De Basanti was a coming of age drama that ultimately dealt with a larger issue, its core in the narration was the friendship that built everything. The film looked real and became a style statement for college gangs chilling out like the gang does in the movie.

Rock On

Based on broken relationships that reunite to fulfill lost dreams, Rock On was another well-made film on friendship. The story of four friends who fall out but reunite to make music 10 years later, was quite driving. It drew an angle around how personal changes in life cannot affect the bond friends shared at one point of time.

3 Idiots

While it talked about flawed education system, the style around it gave us one of the best films made in friendship. Unarguably the most loved film of the decade, 3 Idiots was an honest and heartfelt narration that not only showcased all the college fun friends have, but also spoke how friendship goes much beyond than that.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

In this Zoya Akhtar’s reprised version of Dil Chahta Hai, we saw how issues that sometimes crumble up a bond could be addressed and made alright. While the friends here go on road trip in Spain, the essence it spread around was purely magical. While it tickled our funny bones, it also very subtly discussed the real life issues.

Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani

Calling itself a celebration of life, this film by Ayan Mukherji was a feel good display of a friend gang. Passing over fun, tussles, reunion and self-discovery, the film was quite a fresh take on the modern day generation that thinks too much.

Kai Po Che

Beautifully detailed and written around one of the most complex chapters of modern India, Kai Po Che didn’t hesitate to be dark and edgy at times. However, its sublime way of telling a message in the most hard hitting style was something that lifted its overall appeal. Three friends with three different ideas of life and behavior setting out to fulfill each of their dreams was very wonderfully written and performed.

Bollywood and friendships will go hand in hand always. As we in India cannot think of an idea surviving without our friends, our filmmakers too will keep on churning out ideas around this unconditional bond that only sheds out more love and more fun!