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Are Bollywood's college romances still popular?

September 11, 2019 10:00 IST

Love has bloomed quite a few times in Bollywood's college campuses, and Nitesh Tiwari's Chhichhore joined the list recently.

But just how much money do college romances make? Are the audiences really watching them?

Joginder Tuteja brings us the numbers.

 

Chhichhore

Chhichhore has a ensemble cast of Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor, Varun Sharma and many others, made by the director Nitish Tiwari, who gave Bollywood its biggest hit, Dangal.

The film is a slice-of-life entertainer, which celebrates nostalgia and 'nirmal anand'.

Thanks to the good reviews, the film is doing well at the box office.

 

3 Idiots
Box Office collection: Rs 202.50 crore

Arguably the biggest campus entertainer ever made, this Raj Kumar Hirani directed film comes with a major recall value.

In fact, with time, it has become a cult classic.

The film was the first entrant into the Rs 200 crore club.

 

2 States
Box Office collection: Rs 102 crore

Based on Chetan Bhagat's book by the same name, 2 States was a fun campus entertainer, set at IIM.

Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt starred in this Abhishek Varman-directed film, which looked at a unique love story.

 

Student of the Year
Box Office collection: Rs 70 crore

A few years after making Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Karan Johar decided to go full throttle into a campus setting.

Student Of The Year was not just about designer clothes, it was about a designer college, where *nothing* was out of place.

For Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra, this one was a dream debut.

 

Half Girlfriend
Box Office collection: Rs 60.30 crore

After tasting success with 2 States, Arjun was seen in yet another campus film, Half Girlfriend. This time, he had Shraddha Kapoor for company.

Based on Chetan Bhagat's book once again, it was adapted by director Mohit Suri.

The songs were wonderful but the story-telling wasn't up to the mark.

 

Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Naa
Box Office collection: Rs 55.60 crore

Imran Khan made his debut with the campus entertainer Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Naa, opposite Genelia D'Souza.

Director Abbas Tyrewala made sure the film did not follow any Bollywood clichés and brought in a fresh narrative.

 

Rang De Basanti
Box Office collection: Rs 53.08 crore

Rang De Basanti was set in a campus but it was not about a college romance.

It followed a new structure of story-telling, as it delved into pre-independence era to bring an apt metaphor for their present times.

The film remains director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's best work till date.

 

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Box Office collection: Rs 50 crore

Karan Johar introduced designer labels in his very first film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol played best friends, doing all the regular college things, while Rani Mukerji provided the oomph and the love in SRK's life.

 

Main Hoon Naa
Box Office collection: Rs 34 crore

Yet another Shah Rukh Khan starrer set in campus, Main Hoon Naa had Zayed Khan and Amrita Rao playing college students. 

Khan, on a secret mission, poses to be an over-age student.

A full-on masala affair with a generous serving of 'deshbhakti', Main Hoon Naa was the directorial debut of Farah Khan, and she made sure the screen was peppered with colours and vibrancy and no dull moments.

 

 

Khiladi
Box Office collection: Rs 7 crore

It's been almost three decades since Khiladi released but it remains one of the most authentic campus tales.

Directed by Abbas-Mustan, this Akshay Kumar and Deepak Tijori-starrer was a complete masala affair with romance, action, comedy, suspense and thrills built beautifully into the narrative.

The 1990s saw quite a few movies set in campus. 

JOGINDER TUTEJA