Today, that is, 14th February is celebrated every year in many parts of the world including India as the day of love and romance – Valentine’s Day. So, for this article, we thought of compiling a list of some underrated Indian romantic movies you can watch this evening with your loved ones. All these movies are currently streaming on various Indian OTT platforms.
Cheeni Kum (Streaming on Zee5)
Helmed by R. Balki, the film features Amitabh Bachchan as a single, eccentric, London-based 64-year-old chef and restaurateur Buddhadev Gupta, who falls in love with an Indian woman Nina (Tabu). However, their willingness to marry each other is humorously hampered by the woman’s widower father (Paresh Rawal) who is against her daughter’s marriage to a man who is even older than him.
Katha (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Mubi, Shemaroo Me)
‘Katha’ is Indian cinema’s underrated gem that came out way back in the year 1983. But don’t let the film’s age deter you from watching this beautifully helmed film by Sai Paranjpye. Based on S.G. Sathye’s Marathi play Sasa Aani Kasav (Hare and Tortoise), ‘Katha’ is an endearing love triangle that features a simple and diffident Chawl resident Rajaram (Naseeruddin Shah), his street smart and charming friend Bashu (Farooq Sheikh), and Rajaram’s neighbor Sandhya (Deepti Naval).
Raincoat (Streaming on Hoichoi, Hungama Play)
Directed by Rituparno Ghosh, the film follows two lovers (played by Ajay Devgn and Aishwarya Rai) who are separated by circumstances but meet one day. The woman is now happily married, and the man is now a successful entrepreneur. But there seems to be more to their story than meets the eye.
Socha Na Tha (Streaming on Zee5)
‘Socha Na Tha’ was Imtiaz Ali’s feature film directorial debut and is a light-hearted and feel-good rom-com done right. The film touches upon the subject of arranged marriages in India in a unique and humorous way. The story is about how a boy and a girl (played by Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia) unwillingly meet for an arranged marriage but secretly become friends and eventually fall for each other.
Lootera (Streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Jio Cinema, Alt Balaji, Hungama Play)
Helmed by gifted filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane, it’s a beautifully made period drama based on O. Henry’s short story ‘The Last Leaf’. The story follows a conman (played by Ranveer Singh) posing as an archaeologist, who falls in love with a Zamindar’s daughter (played by Sonakshi Sinha). ‘Mirzapur’ actor Vikrant Massey had made his acting debut with the film.
Kareeb (Streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video)
Although the film is generally not regarded amongst Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s best directorial films, it’s nevertheless a watchable enterprise. Set amidst the backdrop of a small hill town in Himachal Pradesh, the film’s plotline follows a carefree man Birju (Bobby Deol), who is the son of an affluent textile merchant (Saurabh Shukla). His life takes an interesting turn when he falls madly in love with a beautiful woman Neha (Neha Bajpai) but an unfortunate incident threatens to ruin their relationship forever.