Top Picks: Sabar Bonda Director Rohan Kanawade On His Favourite Love Stories

1947 Earth

One of the films that I really love, the way it depicted love, is 1947 Earth. It has this love triangle between Rahul Khanna, Nandita Das and Aamir Khan. And, you know, the simplicity of just being around each other. There's this one moment where the three of them are sitting in the park not talking (about) anything, but just looking at each other. I just loved that moment. Whenever I visit that film, I visit it for that one moment.

When I watched Blue is the Warmest Colour — in that film also, they have so many moments where these two characters, they are just looking at each other. They are just lying on the ground in the park, and they are just looking at each other. When I saw that, I remembered that moment from 1947 Earth.

Sairat

I really like it because, of course, for the songs, they are really lovely, really romantic songs. But the way it depicted the love story — the love blooming between these two characters, these two students from the rural side of Maharashtra; I really loved it. There was this honesty, and that is why the film also did so well, because it was so raw. That was something so interesting.

It also showed this falling in love, and when you start staying together. How that is different than when you are just in love and you are just experiencing that happening. I keep telling so many of my friends that when you fall in love, it is fine, but when you start staying together, that is actually the test. That is when you really know if you are really in love or not. Because when you are in love, you have to do a lot of compromises, and that is the actually raw love.

Stranger by the Lake

I really loved this one film, Stranger by the Lake. It is a very weird film. There is this man who is in love with this guy whom he sees at the lake and I will have to spoil it to say what it is but it is an interesting film. The guy he is in love with, or he desires, he is a murderer. And he knows it, and he is still in love with that guy. It is a very weird portrait of love, but that is also true, that is human - that happens. And that is why I really liked that film.

Jab We Met

I also love Jab We Met. I saw it so many times in the cinema. When you see Kareena Kapoor's character in the first half — she is in love with this guy (Anshuman) and you really believe that this is two-sided love. But when you realise that the other guy is really not interested and does not want to get married to her, it reminded me of my younger self.

When I fell in love, I had planned so many things. I didn’t really realise if that other person wanted that or not. And then there is a heartbreak. That felt very real. That film is so amazing, so beautiful.

Call Me By Your Name

I also loved Call Me By Your Name because the simplicity of love that you see in that film, and the way the parents react to this blooming love, was so amazing to see. Felt very real.

Even though it is a tragedy at the end of the day when Elio is just sitting at that fireplace and that song plays, I think I cried so much because you really feel that pain. Most of us know how heartbreaks feel. That was so real. I really love that film for that. Also because the way the love story blooms in that film, it is just so organic. That stood out for me, and that’s why I loved that film as well.

And the songs. the way Luca used songs in that film, it is just amazing. Even if you just watch the songs... I do that so many times. Whenever I have friends over, I play songs and two songs from that film, I really play all the time. Recently, one of my friends heard that song for the first time, and a few days later he called me and said, “Please tell me what song was that,” and he loved that song a lot. The way Luca used songs in that film it is too romantic.

As told to Mayukh Majumdar