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‘Rockstar’, ‘Ghajini’ and ‘Rang De Basanti’: Films that leave us smiling and crying at the same time

TOI Entertainment Desk
| ETimes.in | Last updated on - Sep 27, 2025, 17:00 IST
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1/5

‘Rockstar’

In ‘Rockstar,’ Jordan (Ranbir Kapoor) and Heer (Nargis Fakhri) are madly in love with each other, but passion is rarely completed with everyday pleasures as ambition and inner struggles ruin their love. Even though Jordan is musically talented to the point that it should save them, it does not, and Heer's abandoning the things they promised causes him emotional turmoil. The movie shows that love stories can be intense, but simply reveal the truth all love stories must face, that sometimes love breaks our hearts.

2/5

‘Ghajini’

'Ghajini' depicts the journey of Sanjay (Aamir Khan), who struggles with short-term memory loss while trying to avenge his girlfriend Kalpana's (Asin) death. Sanjay's quest for revenge highlights the strength of love, but the tragic ending reminds viewers that sometimes fate can influence the strongest love. The film intertwines romance, action, and loss in a heartbreaking narrative.

3/5

‘Rang De Basanti’

In 'Rang De Basanti', a group of friends without worries has become a band of revolutionaries due to a situation that is tragic. The friends come to memorialize a lost childhood friend but still deal with personal losses as they go along, resulting in a bittersweet connection that has been created. The film, ultimately successfully and beautifully, connects youthful idealism to the costs of social change; it represents the experience of making youthful promises to stand up against injustice and then deals with the costs to the youth personally in terms of lost opportunities.

4/5

‘Devdas’

The heartbreaking love story of Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan) and Paro (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) is the definition of Bollywood tragedy in "Devdas". An oppressive socio code of conduct, a misunderstanding and personal failings precluded them from being together. The narrative ends with Devdas dying alone leaving the audience would a bittersweet acceptance of the sad reality that some loves and some promises will never be honored.

5/5

‘Aashiqui 2’

In 'Aashiqui 2', Rahul (Aditya Roy Kapur) and Aarohi (Shraddha Kapoor) are continually playing out their passionate love story while slowly being consumed wholly by Rahul's self-destructive alcoholism. The sacrificial conclusion, which is Rahul sacrifices his own life for the sake of Aarohi's career and future, is played out in a dominant narrative of sadness that closes out in a sad and bittersweet note. The love story, while containing a bittersweet ending and experience, is genuine in the emotional ties love creates with each person's personal flaws and decisions that lead to those outcomes, that moves the story along while still having the expected effects on the audience.

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