Netflix’s collection of romantic movies will leave you spoilt for choice. From the very absurd millennial drama The End of the Fucking World where two anti-socials fall in love to Notebook, the famous tearjerker that is cited in every list of modern romances on the internet, the streaming giant has it all covered.
Here is a motley must-watch list of romantic dramas that feature on Netflix India:
1. Blue Jay
Two former sweethearts run into each other in a sleepy small-town where they first met and spent time together. Many years have passed since they last met. The film, shot on black and white, uses conversations to drive the narrative. Starring Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass as Amanda and Jim, Blue Jay is one of the most enchanting romantic films on Netflix India.
2. Our Souls At Night
Two lonely neighbors, now in their 70s, decide to spend their nights together. The film, directed by Ritesh Batra who made the very likeable Lunch Box, is set in an American small-town where gossips spread like the wind. The elderly couple now find themselves in a social fix, having to define their relationship.
3. Love Per Square Foot
One of the first Netflix originals from India, this rom-com directed by Anand Tiwari is about two young Mumbaikars who dream to own an independent space in the overcrowded metro city. Sanjay and Karina meet at a party and discover that they work in the same building. When they realize how similar their ambitions are, they decide to buy an apartment together. First comes the house, then the complicated phase of love and marriage.
4. Her
Spike Jonze’s 2013 American sci-fi romantic drama is a soulful film about a man who finds love in a computer operating system with artificial intelligence. The film sensitively portrays the tragedy of loneliness that has spread over modern humanity, where people look for love in every unlikely corner.
5. Flavours of Youth
The new anime anthology that teams Japanese studio CoMix Wave Films with Chinese studio Haoliners is made up of three shorts, all about romancing different aspects of life. The visuals have a dreamlike quality.
6. Tamasha
Imitiaz Ali’s film is shot in an exotic French island and photogenic locations in Delhi. The film, starring Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor, is an modern day love story – complicated, and as the film’s several fans would say, the struggles of the characters are ‘fiercely real’. The film also features brilliant music composed by AR Rahman.
7. On Body And Soul
Two people who work at a high-end slaughter house find themselves tied together by a common dream at night. This Hungarian drama directed by Ildiko Enyedi is a delicate and dreamy portrait of romance.
8. Maheshinte Prathikaram
Directed by Dileesh Pothan and starring Fahadh Faasil in the titular role, Maheshinte Prathikaram narrates a quirky coming of age tale of a young man. It is set in an idyllic village where everything is photogenic in its own right. The film has an intelligent plot and great performances. Its music, composed by Bijibal, is mellifluous.
9. Sleepless In Seattle
This 1993 film, directed by Nora Ephron, is one of Netflix India’s collection of popular Hollywood titles. It is a light-hearted comedy centered around a widower tending to a broken heart. He moves to Seattle, a new city, to turn over a new leaf, and finds love again.
10. Piku
A successful architect living in New Delhi has to embark upon a trip to Kolkata with her ailing hypochondriac father in a taxi car. The film, directed by Shoojit Sircar and starring Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan, Piku is a slice-of-life drama that etches out the blooming of a beautiful romance between Piku (Padukone) and Irrfan Khan on the sidelines of the father-daughter relationship.
11. Silverlinings Playbook
Two people (Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper) who are yet to recover from a painful past, begin a new journey to life together, as partners in a dancing contest. The film that earned Jennifer Lawrence an Oscar, is a heartwarming tale of love.
12. Annayum Rasoolum
Rajeev Ravi’s film is centered around a star-crossed couple, wading through lower middle class life in Kochi metropolis. Anna (Andrea Jeremiah) and Rasool (Fahadh Faasil) belong to two different religions. When they fall in love and elope to a far away place to start life together, the societal forces go against them and rip them apart. The film etches out the gentle and complex details of love realistically.
13. OK Kanmani
Mani Ratnam’s millennial romantic drama is rife with colours, sprightly music and two good-looking leads – Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen – who share fantastic onscreen chemistry. Adhi and Thara, two young people with a successful career live in Mumbai. After two dates, they move in together, although they aren’t sure if they want marriage and a future together.
14. Eternal Sunshine Of Spotless Minds
Two former lovers try to erase their memories in order to cope with the pain of heartbreak. Directed by Michael Gondry and written by maverick screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, this sci-fi love story is regarded as one of the most brilliant Hollywood romantic dramas to be ever made.
15. Ali’s Wedding
Touted as Australia’s first Muslim rom-com, this comedy directed by Jeffrey Walker is centered on a man, Ali, who is soon to be married in an arranged marriage set-up but falls in love with an Australian-Lebanese woman.
