Bollywood is nothing without our “happys endings” as Shah Rukh Khan so rightly put it. And nothing seems to make us happy like two people who manage to trump all odds just to be with each other. So if you’re wondering how we, in Bollywood, get to have our happy endings so often? Just check out the various methods these Bollywood men use to finally patao their women. And if you’re trying to work your way into the heart of someone special – well, just take a page out of their book!
1) Sing Her a Song
We discussed this in our previous lesson: songs are multi-purpose in Bollywood, and one of the main reasons to sing one is to tell the girl you love her. Nothing’s more romantic than pouring your heart out into song, especially if you happen to find those magical super-powers that teleport you to Switzerland/Europe/Egypt in the process!
2) Save Her
The damsel in distress is one of the biggest themes in Bollywood – our heroes like to swoop in in the nick of time to help their lady love out of a tricky situation. It serves a three-fold purpose: it makes her understand how much he cares; it makes her see just how strong he is (if you’re 90s Salman Khan, the scene has to be done shirtless); and it makes her realize she will forever be secure with this macho man by her side.
Pro tip – if your damsel isn’t the type to find herself in distress, create the distress yourself! It’s as simple as hiring someone to steal her purse and chasing after them (take your tips from Akshay Kumar; he knows this one well – he’s done it in Singh Is King and Rowdy Rathore).
3) Make Her Jealous
It’s the oldest trick in the book, but it still works. Whenever these Bollywood guys feel like the object of their affection is not taking them seriously enough, they immediately set out to make her jealous. The guy’s just giving her a casual reminder that he is indeed a very attractive person and all the girls want him. Obviously, that will annoy the girl. But what will annoy her more is wondering why exactly she’s annoyed. Then she’ll add 2 and 2 together, profess her undying love, and they’ll live happily ever after.
4) Help Her Get the Guy
It may sound counter-productive, but our Bollywood heroes have seen much success with this method. If she’s into another guy, our men don’t try to convince her otherwise. Instead, they sacrifice their love in an attempt to make her happy, and try to unite her with the person she really loves. Of course, at the end, the girl will realize that the person she’s been leaning on all along is the one who truly makes her happy – and she’ll be back in his arms quicker than you can say “picture abhi baaki hai mere dost.”
5) Be Proactive
These Bollywood men are nothing if not proactive. He’ll chase the girl till the end of time, and while this seems annoying, it’s really just a ploy to get the girl accustomed to his presence. The one day he no longer chases her, she’ll spend every hour wondering what he’s doing, why he’s not around, and why he stopped showering her with attention… and she’ll realize that maybe, just maybe, she’s missing him.
6) Be Her Friend
Being her friend is the easiest way to get the girl – and that’s only because the friendzone doesn’t really exist in Bollywood. We operate by the logic that ek ladka aur ek ladki kabhi dost nahin ho sakte, therefore, if you are her a friend, it means that something more is definitely brewing. So go ahead and befriend the girl – after all, pyar dosti hai. 🙂
7) Make Her Smile
You know how it goes: hasi toh phasi. If you’ve got her to show her pearly whites, that’s half your battle won. It’s a sure-shot sign that you’re making progress and she’s warming up to you. After all, everyone wants to be happy, and our Bollywood heroines love a guy who will constantly keep that smile on their faces.
8) Impress the Family
Bollywood movies are big on the concept of family – and usually, the biggest obstacle between any guy and girl being together is one of their families. Therefore, it goes without saying that if you want the girl, you’ve first got to get her family on your side. Once that’s done, almost nothing can pull you away!
9) Take Advantage of the Band Baajaa Baarat
Weddings are an integral part of Indian culture, and a perfect setting to get something started. Everyone’s in a good mood, there’s a romantic vibe in the air already, and there’s a lot of song-and-dance, which, as we already discussed, is the perfect way to get the girl. Our Bollywood heroes sure know how to make the most of the band, baajaa and baarat… to ensure that later, there is even more band, baajaa, baarat.
10) Give Her a Fairytale Ending
Our Bollywood movies can be fairytales in their own rights, which makes it so fitting that one of the best tactics to get the girl is to make her feel like a princess. And our Bollywood heroes sure know how to make a scene: whether it’s by fighting through the bad guys to get to her, or chasing her through an airport, or climbing up to her window… they know how to turn their happy endings into happy beginnings.