Bollywood romance comeback Saiyaara(Photo Credit –Instagram/YouTube) Romantic movies were once associated with Bollywood’s identity. From the 60s and 70s, with films of Rajesh Khanna all the way into the 1990s and 2000s. The latter part was dominated by the romantic films of Karan Johar and Yash Raj Films.

But then came a time when there was an absolute dearth of this genre of films. All of this has been changing since the massive success of Saiyaara. Let’s examine.

Bollywood Slowed Down On Romantic Films The 1990s, 2000s, and even the 2010s saw several successful romantic films. This includes the likes of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, DDLJ, Veer-Zaara, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Hasee Toh Phasee, Jab We Met, Aashiqui 2, etc. All of them were well received by audiences and became major successes.

Trending Meet Shaheen Bhatt’s Fiancé, Ishaan Mehra: Inside His Life & Career Akshay Kumar In Jaani Dushman: The Story Behind His Character’s Coma Twist The genre dominated Bollywood for years until something happened: the advent of multiplexes led to a gradual decline in romantic movies. Once in a while, an Aashiqui 2 or Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani would come out and shatter expectations. But the space was slowly being taken by other genres.

A 2023 article from The Swaddle also noted that love stories were disappearing from the cinema. In recent years, there has been a visible dearth of romantic Bollywood films. Because they were not getting made, people could not watch them.

Some of them that did get to see the light of day didn’t land well. All of this changed with 2025’s Saiyaara. This Mohit Suri-directed romantic musical came out of nowhere and became a roaring success.

It also served as a launchpad for Ahaan Pandey. Saiyaara Sparks A Comeback For Bollywood Romance As per Hindustan Times, Saiyaara became the third-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2025. Since then, several romantic movies have been released in quick succession.

This includes Ek Dewaane Ki Deewaniyat, which was also a major box office success. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sony MAX (@sonymax) The year 2026 has made it evident that this genre has made a strong comeback in Bollywood. There are multiple romantic films lined up for release.

Films like Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, Aamir Khan Productions’ Ek Din, Chand Mera Dil, and Awarapan 2. It’s interesting to see that the same genre was nearly written off by Bollywood until last year. So one can’t deny the impact Saiyaara’s success has had on storytellers in the industry.

With time, things need to change and adapt. Gone are the days of lovers dancing around trees or running in a mustard farm. We can only hope that these films do well and entertain the audience.

It’s mainly because the romance genre should not go away. It helped form Bollywood’s identity for many years. For more such stories, check out Bollywood Features.

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