Mushiest movies

For most people in love, movies are a safe bet. Especially for that awkward first date when you’re not sure what to talk about. Stock up on the popcorn and colas and settle down for a couple of hours of holding hands and corner-of-the-eye flirting. Much the better if you can watch your favourite stars romancing onscreen, in the cosy confines of your home. After all home is where the heart is, isn’t it? And that brings us to the one question that has many answers: Which is the mushiest movie to have ever flashed on the silver screen?

Celina Jaitely, who made her mark in Suryam recollects having seen the English film Love Story (1970). “I remember it for the way the main characters were portrayed. Their love went beyond all boundaries. This timeless film, based on Eric Segal’s novel, featured the famous tag line Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

For mega star Chiranjeevi, old verily is gold even when it comes to movie romances. Having put in more than 25 years in films, Chiru goes further back in time when he opines that there is nothing to beat an old classic like Devadas, which epitomises ultimate love. He feels that the Nageswara Rao-Savitri starrer is the most romantic film he ever saw.

The playboys too can take their pick of movies, littered as Bollywood is with one-hero-many-heroines scripts. Mera Naam Joker is one such film. Rough and tough poster boy Ravi Teja says the Raj Kapoor classic inspired him to do the Tamil remake Autograph. “Raj Kapoor’s electric presence as Raju the clown mesmerised a nation. Raju falls in love with a number of beautiful ladies.” The hero quickly clarifies, however, that only first love is true love. “Though I liked this film, I personally believe that you can fall in love only once.”

Down south too, there have been many a film in local lingo that have tugged at the heartstrings. And, contrary to the popular belief, it isn’t just the classics that have grabbed the eyeballs. Legislator Daggubati Venkateshwar Rao, for instance, finds Teja’s Jayam “quite nice” amongst the recent films he had seen. “Though it’s another formula film, the presentation style and the freshness of the lead characters make it a film worth watching. The narration is also good.”

Moving back to the familiar turf of Hindi films, there’s one on the list that features the inimitable Big B. Actress Tanu Roy considers the sacrifice the protagonist makes in Khuda Gawah as the ultimate in romantic films. “Amitabh Bachchan’s best movie ever. Never before did I shed more tears watching a movie,” she says . As they say, to each his own. But love stories, surely, are forever.