Retro Real life Love Affairs

Passion, romance, unconditional belonging, togetherness, love ! All these beautiful emotions and feelings were evident in yesteryear’s love affairs in Bollywood during the golden era from 50s through 80s where on screen romantic couples defied societal stereotypes and jumped into unconventional romantic liaisons in personal lives. Revisiting some iconic screen couples who dared to fall in love in real life but circumstantial road blocks prevented marriage !! 

In the 50s debonair Dev Anand was every girl’s Dil ki dharkan while the singing star Suraiyya was the conventional bride material. Both fell hopelessly in love with each other, Anand even proposed marriage by offering her an engagement ring. Unfortunately the singing star’s conservative mother didn’t approve of the inter faith marriage. So much was the dominant mothers control over Suraiyya’s life that she had to throw away the ring into the sea to put an evidential end to the blooming romance. While Anand moved on and married co star Kalpana Karthik, Suraiyya stayed a spinster till her death nursing a broken heart forever. 

Thespian Dilip kumar was the number one star in the 50s and his romantic rapport with the Venus of Indian cinema Madhubala created several pages of fodder for gossip magazines. The romance was at its peak when they were paired in half a dozen movies together, the off screen passion ignited the on screen chemistry further. It is alleged a friction between Madhubala’s eccentric father and Dilip Kumar created the rift which was irrevocable. The obnoxious ‘Naya Daur’ episode where Madhu’s father and B R Chopra were at loggerheads further messed up the affair as Dilip supported Chopra. On a rebound Madhu married singing star Kishore Kumar in 1960, a few years later Dilip had a grand nikaah with sexy Saira Bano in 1966. 

One of the greatest on screen couples of Bollywood showman Raj Kapoor and versatile Nargis were always a treat to hungry eyes. Their chemistry was passionate and full of fire which was so evident in the several box office hits they starred in from the late 40s to mid 50s. But, there was one problem, Raj was much married and had fathered three children by then. Nargis was even labelled a prospective home breaker. Apparently Raj wasn’t keen on divorcing his wife and wanted to continue with his affair with Nargis without any legal obligation. Nargis on the other hand wanted security, which she found in co star Sunil Dutt whom she married in 1958 thereby ending the controversial and headed for doom affair. 

They may have worked with several recurrent co stars but Amitabh and Rekha had the best chemistry with each other that couldn’t be replicated with anybody else. Two of the greatest and most successful stars of their times they starred in several blockbusters in the 70s until their last movie together Silsila(1981). Amitabh was a married man, had the family man image and vivacious Rekha’s romantic involvement was the only black spot on his image at that time. Strange but the 1982 near fatal accident that Amitabh suffered on the sets of his movie also put an abrupt end to their long time romance. It is alleged Rekha was not allowed to visit Amitabh in the hospital. In the past four decades Amitabh and Rekha have kept a deliberate distance from each other publicly. 

Though not much talked about, the fiery romance between shotgun Shatrughan Sinha and his one time sweetheart Reena Roy is not less than a fairytale romance gone awry. After costarring in a dozen movies together the couple was rumoured to be hitched legally until Sinha shocked one and all by marrying starlet and ex miss India Komal Chandiramani who soon became Punam Sinha. It is reported in glossy magazines that Sinha continued to romance Roy even after his wedding but the latter wanted a conventional legal identity as the wife and not a mistress. While Sinha found matrimonial bliss the unfortunate Roy got married to Pakistani cricketer turned actor Mohsin Khan, a tumultuous marriage that ended in a much publicised bitter divorce.