We’ve grown up watching Bollywood films that have stayed with us years later. But these classics do have faults that we didn’t notice all these years. These characters from our favourite films were toxic, problematic and didn’t deserve the happy ending they got. Don’t believe us? We’ve got proof.
1. Raj in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was a creep, and if he ever behaved this way with a girl on a train IRL, he would be arrested right away. How did we find him going through her personal belongings and holding up her bra, romantic? Not to mention, he followed her into another country hoping she will drop everything and run away with him, but he hadn’t even confessed to her yet.
2. Geet in Jab We Met was unhealthily obsessed with Anshuman. She didn’t understand the concept of personal space, and she gave relationship advice to someone who was in a very fragile state, recklessly. Not to mention she slut shamed other women, ran away from home for her boyfriend, without telling him and cheated on him in the end.
3. Aman in Kal Ho Naa Ho wanted to control everyone and everything around him. From barging into Naina’s house and looking at their family finances to orchestrating her entire love life so she could be ‘happier’ with a man. And how can we forget his 6-din ladki in scene.
4. Akash in Dil Chahta Hai was a man-child and proud of it. He took advantage of his parents’ privilege, treated women like trophies, believed in toxic masculinity, constantly belittled Shalini for believing in love and had no respect for his friends’ relationships. Phew, that was a long list.
5. Bhuvan in Lagaan was the worst character ever. He had a saviour’s complex and actually got them all into trouble with the British. Then he emotionally cheated on his girlfriend, lead another woman on and gaslit Gauri for feeling jealous of his unfaithful ways.
6. Naina was a bad friend in Kal Ho Naa Ho. She fat-shamed Sweetu and constantly spoke about herself. She told Sweetu it was her fault that Frankie broke up with her and was anything but what a ‘best friend’ should be.
7. Maddy from Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein was a stalker who pretended to be someone else to get the girl. Not to mention, he refused to apologise until the very end and mansplained the situation to her, telling her it was all for ‘love’. And, the cherry on top, he says this, “Itni kaunsi badi galti kar di maine, 5 days tum merey saath thi, agar main chahta na toh unn paanch din main main tumaharey saath kuch bhi kar sakta tha.”
8. Bunny from Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani was unbearable in the second half. He treated Naina like she was his property when in fact, he had chosen to ignore her for 8 years. And when she was finally ready to move on, he stole her phone and fought her love interest. And don’t even get us started on the way he treated his step-mother.
9. Sid in Wake Up Sid was a man-child, he was careless with his parents’ money, fought his friend for doing better than him and took advantage of the woman who offered him shelter. And the most unforgivable trait? He ridiculed his mother when she tried to speak in English.
10. Rancho in 3 Idiots was extremely selfish, he encouraged his friends to get into trouble conveniently forgetting that they weren’t geniuses like him. They actually had to study in order to do well. But did he ever offer to tutor them? No, instead he constantly landed them in trouble, not considering Raju’s fragile mental state and the repercussions. He also flaked on his girlfriend and never once tried to contact her. And he was a bully, which we all know from the problematic speech.
11. Gautham was a spoilt man who had double standards in Cocktail, he used Meera because she was the ‘ideal Indian woman’ his parents would approve of and didn’t once expect Veronica to have feelings for him because she ‘didn’t seem the type’.
12. Rahul from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was a fuckboi through and through. He bullied the girl he liked because he’s a toddler and then he fell in love with Anjali, but only after she became ‘conventionally pretty’.
Did we burst your bubble today?