Not so happily ever after.....Sawariya ?

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Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in Saawariya. (TOI Photo) More pics

Bollywood is our dream factory. And happy endings are almost always part of those dreams. Is that why Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya, a film on failed love, has been panned by the critics and audiences alike?

The director, who's known for his obsession with the theme of unrequited love, said in a recent interview that his grandmother's long wait for his grandfather inspired him to make Saawariya. He said, "Unrequited love is the only form of love I know. Happy love cannot make stories."

But happy love stories are huge favourites with audiences, making them money-spinners. Think DDLJ, Dil To Pagal Hai, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Veer-Zaara, Salaam Namaste, Hum Tum and the recent Jab We Met as compared to Kyun Ki, Dil Se, Raincoat, Tere Naam, Sangharsh, Nishabd and 1942 — A Love Story . The happily-ever-after tales are clear winners. That explains why certain production houses and filmmakers like Yash Raj, David Dhawan and Priyadarshan (barring Kyun Ki) always send the audience home beaming and cheerful.

Says director Tanuja Chandra, who made Sangharsh (a tragic love story) and Sur (one about unrequited love), "There are broken hearts all around, but people still prefer happy endings in films. It's all about finding hope, which is why astrology is so popular in our country. My next film is about hope and will end positively, but not because the unsuccesful love stories I made didn't do well commercially. Mother India and Casablanca are my favourites among the tragic love stories."

But there's no denying that some tales of failed or unreciprocated love have created box office records. Take films like QSQT, Darr, Anjaam, Ek Duje Ke Liye and the recent RDB. Rati Agnihotri, who starred in Ek Duje Ke Liye (a film in which the lovers commit suicide), reveals an interesting fact about the film. She says, "A lot of young lovers in Gujarat who faced opposition from their families attempted suicide after the film's release. So we had to re-shoot the end and turn it into a happy one. That version of the film ran for a few days. But we didn't like compromising on our convictions. So we restored the original version of the film. Irrespective of the ending, a love story should be passionate. That's why Mughal-E-Azam is my all time favourite."

There have certainly been more films about tragic love in recent times as today's audience is more receptive to them than the previous generation. Films like Omkara, Devdas, Water, and Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om (which is otherwise fun-filled) have been well-received. With relationships becoming more fragile by the day, realistic films are being appreciated more than romantic fantasies. There is also an increasing number of triangular love stories that end in the heartbreak of one of the lead characters. But for some, a 'girl meets boy' must end on a happy note. Says actress Isha Koppikar, who starred in Krishna Cottage (a film on unrequited love), "I'm a happy person and I like happy endings. I was very sad when I didn't get Sohail in the film."