Hindi film industry has given us many memorable scenes in movies over the decades that we continue to cherish till date. Be it comic, thrill, intense, or sad, any genre you name it, I can think of ample iconic scenes from desi films that we have grown up watching and they have left quite an impact on us. Some of them traumatised us too.
I have curated a list of 15 intense scenes from which we still can’t emotionally deal with:
1. When ‘Kalpana was killed’ by Ghajini in Ghajini
In Ghajini, the scene where Kalpana is killed by a criminal, Ghajini Dharmatma, at her house, remains one of the most cruel ones in the history of Hindi cinema. Watching someone being murdered so brutally on the screen was too heart-wrenching. The worst part was Kalpana never got to know that Sachin was Sanjay Singhania in reality. I haven’t been able to recover from her tragic death yet, have you?
2. When Pooja bahu slipped from staircase in Hum Aapke Hain Koun!
Yes, sure the scene where Pooja slips from staircase and ends up getting head injury in Hum Aapke Hain Koun! has invited many memes, however, her accident was quite difficult to watch. For some people, it also brought back childhood trauma of falling from the stairs. Another scene from HAHK where Pooja is on the death bed was equally hard.
3. When Ishaan Awasthi cried inconsolably for his mom in Taare Zameen Par
When Ishaan Awasthi’s family dropped him off at a boarding school in Taare Zameen Par, we all imagined what if it happens with us? Right? Ishaan, who was suffering from dyslexia, didn’t just struggle with letters, but he was also mentally tortured by his dad, teachers, and classmates. The bathroom scene where he cried inconsolably while missing his mom broke my heart. And the song, Meri Maa made it harder for me to watch his agony.
4. When Rahul Jaykar fell off from the bridge in Aashiqui 2
Well, watching suicide scenes are always hard. But when Rahul Jaykar fell off from the bridge in Aashiqui 2, I am sure most of you were like, sh*t no no! WTF is he doing? Rahul could have spent the rest of his life happily with his lady love, Aarohi, but, well he chose death instead. RJ left Aarohi alone who, BTW, had no idea that her life would turn upside down in a few minutes. Why Mr. Jaykar? Why?
5. When Aman took his last breath in Kal Ho Naa Ho
It is quite hard to even discuss this scene ‘coz every time I watch it, it makes me emotional. But, well, I am talking about the climax scene in Kal Ho Naa Ho when dying Aman was bidding goodbye to everyone on the hospital bed. While there has been several such scenes in movies, Aman’s death truly traumatised me. SRK made this heart-wrenching sequence quite convincing, so much so that I am still battling to recover from it.
BTW, Shah Rukh Khan once revealed that he never showed the real ending of Kal Ho Naa Ho to his kids, Aryan and Suhana.
6. When Anarkali was buried alive inside the wall in Mughal-E-Azam
What a tragic film Mughal-E-Azam was. Remember when Anarkali was buried alive inside the brick wall in the climax scene of this classic movie? We never liked how Emperor Akbar separated Salim and Anarkali in the film but the scene where she is being punished for falling in love with the prince made us hate him even more. And Anarkali’s moist eyes in this sequence surely made me shed tears.
7. When Somu chased Reshmi at the train station in Sadma
Another scene which I haven’t been able to recover from yet was in Sadma. I am talking about the climax sequence where Somu literally chased Reshmi at a railway station and tried to remind her about their heartfelt moments. But, unfortunately, Reshmi, who had regained her memory by then, failed to recognise him and felt he is lunatic ‘coz of his facial expressions. It was truly a sadma moment for him.
8. When Gabbar chopped off Thakur’s hands in Sholay
When Gabbar Singh, the dacoit shouted, “Yeh haath humko de Thaakur” and literally chopped off his hands with swords in Sholay, I am sure, most of us were like, WTF just happened? While Gabbar was taking revenge from Thakur for arresting him, I didn’t really sign up for watching someone’s hands being chopped off.
9. When Anand Saigal died in front of ‘babumushai’ in Anand
Anand Saigal, who lives life to the fullest, despite being diagnosed with cancer (lymphosarcoma of the intestine), made me quite emotional in the climax scene of the 1971 film, Anand. And how the recording tape starts playing after his death made me cry even more. Anand mara nahi, Anand marte nahi…remember? Not just for babumushai, Anand’s death felt like a personal loss to me as well, just how it was for Aman’s case in Kal Ho Naa Ho.
10. When DJ and Karan embraced their deaths in Rang De Basanti
We all dreamt of Soo hanging out with DJ and the gang after her film was finished in Rang De Basanti, but, unfortunately, we instead had to watch those friends die one by one. I’m sure most of you couldn’t hold tears for how DJ and Karan embraced their deaths a few moments before being shot dead in a recording room.
11. When Rohit’s bike got skid off from the bridge in Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai
In Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai, Rohit, who is insanely in love with Sonia (read Sauniya), has to pay the price of witnessing a police commissioner’s murder. Rohit is chased by a cop (well, villain) on the road and his bike skids off from the bridge after the vehicle gets hit by a bullet. Of course, he dies. Sonia, on the other hand, has no idea whatsoever. What a sad love story that was.
12. When Karan Singh Rathod was left with rats in Ek Haseena Thi
Just like Ghajini, Ek Haseena Thi also showed how cruel revenge deaths can be. Well of course, Kalpana in Ghajini didn’t deserve such fate, Karan Singh Rathod from Ek Haseena Thi surely did for how he entangled Sarika in a terrorist case. In the climax scene, Sarika takes revenge from Karan by driving him to a secluded spot, a dungeon of sorts. She leaves him there, all tangled in chains and around rats. Yikes! How cruel that was.
13. When Mohan Bhargav bought water from a kid in Swades
One of the most emotional yet powerful scenes that I can recall from Swades is the train sequence where Mohan Bhargav buys water from a poor kid at railway station. While the entire sequence is overwhelming, the sight of how the kid keeps counting the coins to give the balance back to Mohan rips my heart the most. And of course, just like us, Mohan can’t help but shed tears after the train moves. He is feeling gamut of emotions: helplessness, sorrow, anger, and frustration.
14. When Katya tortured Shambhu Nath on the road in Ghatak
Watching Amrish Puri, the legend being tied up on his knees, was something that no one could ever imagine. I am talking about a scene from Ghatak where Katya, the villain, (Danny Denzongpa) ties Amrish Puri as Shambhu Nath with a dog leech outside basti. It was too difficult to watch Amrish Puri in such scene, but well, the late actor was a legend for a reason. Katya even calls Shambhu Nath a dog and ill-treats him. And the dialogue in this sequence was equally heart-wrenching.
15. When Meera took revenge from Satbir in NH10
The climax scene of NH10 is the last one that I have to talk about. Remember when Meera took revenge from Satbir, the killer of her husband, by hitting rod on his head? In a following scene, watching her stabbing the dead man over and over again was definitely an ‘oh! sh*t bas bhi kar ab’ moment for me.
Which aforementioned scene left the impact on you the most? Are you able to recover from it yet?