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BizAsia Special: Bollywood’s transitioning love stories

There are many people who are eagerly waiting for ��Baar Baar Dekho�۪ to release. The film stars Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra as the main leads and trailers suggest the story is something different from what audiences have seen before with both characters embarking on a love story which lasts for years.

BizAsia will look at five films where, over time, the characters age and their lives and relationships change.

Karan & Rhea in ��Hum Tum�۪ (2004)

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Saif Ali Khan plays the role of Karan a cartoonist by profession and a Romeo by heart. He has a laid back sort of attitude and believes that girls are like buses because if one goes there is no need to worry as another one will come. He first catches a glimpse of Rhea (Rani Mukerji) at an airport and then starts to befriend her on the flight. However things end on a sour note when he kisses her and she retaliates by slapping him. They meet some months later in New York then a few years later at Rhea�۪s wedding. Now another few years have passed and Karan is in Paris looking for a story for his comic and by chance he meets Rhea on the train.

With time they become the best of friends and Rhea realises that perhaps their relationship is more than friendship. Unfortunately Karan isn�۪t aware that he is in love until Rhea walks out of his life. After searching for Rhea around the world he loses hope and decides to write a book using his cartoon characters Hum and Tum which does extremely well. As Karan is leaving a press conference he meets Rhea who has read his book. They both express their love for one another and the end of the film they are seen at the hospital happily watching their new born child.

Veer & Zaara in ��Veer- Zaara�۪ (2004)

Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta in 'Veer-Zaara'

A Pakistani girl named Zaara (Preity Zinta) comes to India to fulfil her governess�۪s last wish which was for her ashes to be taken to India. When the bus she is travelling in has an accident it is then Squadron leader Veer (Shah Rukh Khan) enters the scene. Their first two meetings are brief but it is within those meetings that Veer decides he will help Zaara to do what she needs to do. Along the way he shows her around India and even takes her to his village where she meets his aunty and uncle who treat her like family. During this short period of time Veer has started to fall in love with Zaara and even his uncle can sense this, he advises Veer to be honest and tell her.

As Zaara is leaving for Pakistan it is there that Veer learns that she is already engaged. In a subtle manner in front of her fianc̩ Raza (Manoj Bajpayee) he expresses his feelings and says that on the other side of the border there is a man who would be willing to do anything for her. Zaara returns to Pakistan but seems to be haunted by these words, she senses Veer everywhere only to realise she loves him. She reveals her feelings to her best friend who somehow manages to contact Veer. Knowing she feels the same way about him Veer resigns from his job and leaves for Pakistan not knowing what lies ahead. Zaara�۪s family finds out about Veer which results in her father having a heart attack. Her mother meets Veer and pleads him to please walk away as it is a matter of their honour. He agrees and decides to leave for India however things take a drastic turn when Raza decides to get his own back on Veer, he accuses him of being an Indian spy and warns him that if he disagrees that he will divorce Zaara. For his love he decides to stay quiet and remains imprisoned for over 20 years in prison.

Thanks to the help of a young lawyer named Saamiya (Rani Mukerji) he is given a chance and with her efforts eventually is reunited with the love of his life. Veer and Zaara finally are able to live together happily in their old age and they are seen returning to India where they live in the village.

Samar & Meera in ��Jab Tak Hai Jaan�۪ (2012)

SRK-Katrina in 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan'
SRK-Katrina in ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’

It was fate that brought them together but it was faith that separated them. Meera (Katrina Kaif) lives in London and has been going to the church ever since she was a young girl and seems to almost have a deal with god. Whenever she wishes for something she decides she�۪ll give up one thing she loves in order to please god. When Samar (Shah Rukh Khan) has an accident and looks as though he won�۪t make it, in a moment of fear she pleads to god to save his life and in return she will never see him again. He survives and as promised she breaks all ties with him. This deal of hers angers Samar as he is in love with Meera and doesn�۪t want to separate from her at any cost. Once Meera has made up her mind she can�۪t go back, it is then that Samar decides to challenge the almighty. If Meera can leave him for the sake of his life due to a deal she made with god then he will do whatever he can to prove that she was wrong to make that decision.

Many years have passed and now the fun loving Samar has transformed into the serious Major Samar Anand who works in the bomb disposal unit in the Indian Army. Defusing bombs and risking his life every day he becomes known as ��the man who cannot die�۪ as he has a record of defusing bombs and that too without any sort of protective uniform. When Akira (Anushka Sharma) is given a chance to make a documentary about the Indian army she begins to get closer and closer to Samar eventually falling in love with him. However Samar does have a soft corner for her and to help with her documentary work he comes to London but ends up having an accident while trying to save Akira. He loses part of his memory and seems to only remember the past not Akira, the army or his break up with Meera. Akira manages to track Meera down and asks her to help Samar as he is constantly asking for her. She agrees to help and after sometime Samar regains his memory, angry with Meera he once again leaves her life and returns to India. Realising the mistake she made she follows Samar to India to be with the man she loves and Samar finally has his happy ending.

Veer Singh & Harleen Kaur in ��Love Aaj Kal�۪ (2009)

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Saif Ali Khan was seen doing a double role in this film. Jai (Khan) is young and has a very modern approach, he likes to have fun but has very serious goals. His dream is to go to San Francisco and work at the Golden Gate. He also has a girlfriend named Meera (Deepika Padukone) by his side who is very understanding. When she has to leave for India for her career and he for San Francisco they decide it is better to break up as a long distance relationship wouldn�۪t work. By co incidence he meets Veer Singh (Rishi Kapoor) who tells Jai that he was exactly like him when he was younger. He constantly tries to tell him not to let Meera go but Jai being Jai thinks it is for the best. Veer decides to tell Jai about his own past.

When Veer has a flashback a young Veer can be seen who has fallen for a college girl named Harleen (Giselli Monteiro). The girl is conscious at first and tells Veer (Khan) that if her family finds out that a guy is following her around she would be humiliated. Gradually Harleen also falls in love with Veer but when her family finds out they are very against their relationship and beat Veer when he says he wants to marry her. Harleen�۪s marriage has been arranged and on the day of her wedding Veer manages to sneak into their house. There he speaks to her mother and says that she will only be happy with him. Hearing this she lets Veer take Harleen and they get married.

Veer comes back to the present where he can be seen with his wife Harleen (later played by Neetu Singh) where they are living happily together.

Also after some time Jai realises that he is in love with Meera and decides to leave his job and goes to India to be with his love.

Ajay & Piya in ��U Me Aur Hum�۪ (2008)

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Set at the present moment a man and his family are on a cruise and there his son has seen a girl he likes. The man tries to convince him to speak to the girl but he says that he will only speak to the girl if his father will woo any lady he asks him to. He accepts the challenge and sits at a table where a lady is sat reading a novel. In the process of wooing her he begins to tell a story which goes back to 25 years ago about a man named Ajay (Ajay Devgan) who is having fun on a cruise with a few of his friends. He meets Piya (Kajol) who works on the cruise and begins to fall in love with her however she doesn�۪t feel the same way. With the help of Piya�۪s colleague he sneaks into Piya�۪s room and finds her diary in which she has written all the things she wants to do in life. He begins to do everything he can with the help of the diary and his friends to win her over. With time she also starts to like him too. When Piya finds out that Ajay read her diary and lied to her she is hurt and doesn�۪t want to see him again. Ajay leaves the cruise but before leaving explains himself and says whatever he did was out of love. He leaves a note with all his details on it so that she can contact him. Six months later Ajay randomly calls his friends and announces his wedding with Piya. He explains to his friends that Piya forgave him and realised how much Ajay loved her.

A year or so has passed Piya and Ajay are living happily until they discover that Piya has Alzheimer�۪s disease. They later have a child and as time passes Piya�۪s symptoms seem to get worse. One incident nearly costs them their child�۪s life, it is this incident that makes Ajay question whether it is safe for Piya to live at home with them. After sending her to the hospital he regrets his decision and wants her back home. He apologises for what he has done and brings her home.

Back to the present the man says that it is a bonus day when Piya remembers everything and her husband, Ajay. The lady he was telling the story to says ��then today is your bonus day�۪ meaning she is Piya and he is Ajay from the story. They are on the cruise to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with their son.

��Baar Baar Dekho�۪ will be releasing on the 9th September and it’s sure to add to the films that have already been appreciated as love and romance transitioning in through the years.