Pakistan became an enemy of love (X)
After the recent military campaign, Bollywood audiences are clamoring for a film on Operation Sindoor. This is because of the nation's interest in war films and cinematic depiction of India's military strength. Although Bollywood has made several films on diverse themes, one of the persistent themes is the troubled relationship between India and Pakistan. In most of these films, Indians and Pakistanis fall in love with each other, only to be separated by the border and radical ideologies.
One such movie is Veer-Zaara (2004), a classic love story by Yash Chopra. The film is about Veer Pratap Singh (Shah Rukh Khan), an Indian Air Force officer, and Zara Hayat Khan (Preity Zinta), a Pakistani lady. They fall in love across borders, but eventually get separated due to societal pressures and family obligations. The movie reminds us of the human cost of political conflicts and the strength of love to unite people across cultures.
Another prominent film is Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), which was directed by Anil Sharma. The film tells the story of Indian and Pakistani partition from the perspective of Tara Singh (Sunny Deol) and Sakina (Ameesha Patel). There are no boundaries for Tara Singh's love for Sakina, and he goes to any extent to save her from Pakistan. The movie's dialogue, "Your Pakistan is alive, we have no objection to this, but our Hindustan is alive, was alive, and will be alive," captures the ambivalence of the India-Pakistan relationship.
Randhir Kapoor's 1991 movie Hina is the story of an Indian youth (Rishi Kapoor) who accidentally crosses over into Pakistan and falls in love with a Pakistani lady named Hina (Zeba Bakhtiar). Social and cultural barriers eventually tear apart the lovers, bringing out the difficulties in cross-border affairs.
JP Dutta's Refugee (2000) is the story of a poor Indian Muslim boy who earns his living by smuggling people across the India-Pakistan border. On one such trip, he gets involved with a Pakistani woman named Nazneen and falls in love with her. The movie depicts the human tragedy of border conflict and how love can conquer all odds.
The Punjabi movie Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Buta Singh (1999), directed by Manoj Punj, is inspired by a true incident. The movie is the story of Buta Singh, a Sikh, who saves a Muslim girl called Zainab during partition and marries her. When Zainab is sent back to Pakistan, Buta Singh also goes across the border to be with her and is arrested. The movie is about the sacrifices of lovers against adversity.
These movies reflect the interest of Bollywood in the India-Pakistan relationship and the cost of human relations for this tension at the borders. Although they usually portray Pakistan as a love enemy, they also reflect on the strength of love to overcome cultural and national boundaries. As India and Pakistan keep facing their intricate relationship, these movies remind us about the human factor which usually gets lost in politics.
Copyright © 2025 Top Indian News
