After an overdose of action, deshbhakti, horror, comedy (and horror-comedy), Hindi cinema is looking to usher back its soft-boy-girl era with a string of romantic films over the next few months. t2 spotlights a few we hope will have our nerves tingling and set our hearts aflutter....

Metro In Dino

Release date: July 4
Unconventional love stories are Anurag Basu’s forte and in July, the filmmaker is finally set to unveil the spiritual sequel to his 2007 film Life in a... Metro. Following the same pattern of many-in-one love stories, the powerhouse cast — Konkona Sensharma returns from the first film to lead a rich ensemble comprising Aditya Roy Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana Shaikh — along with Pritam’s music and the theme of love, loss and second chances, promise a watch that will sneak out a smile as well tease a tear.

Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyaan

Release date: July 11
Shanaya Kapoor makes her acting debut with this love story that has Vikrant Massey as its leading man. With its title inspired by a cult romance — Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam — Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyaan explores the charm and complexity of the love story between an aspiring actress and a passionate musician, both of who are visually impaired. The teaser piques interest not only for its fresh pairing, but also for its score by Vishal Mishra, who with his music for Kabir Singh and Animal has proved his ability to compose memorable romantic numbers.

Saiyaara

Release date: July 18
Ever since we saw him groove effortlessly at his sister’s wedding, cousin Ananya Panday for company, our eyes have been on Ahaan Panday. The epitome of the ‘chocolate boy’ hero, the 27-year-old is set to make his debut with Saiyaara, with fellow newcomer Aneet Padda. The teaser reveals an intense romance and with Mohit Suri — the man who gave us the seminal Aashiqui 2, as well as popular love stories like Woh Lamhe and Ek Villain — at the helm, expectations are on the higher side from this one.

Param Sundari

Release date: July 25
Yet another love story that draws its name from a popular song, Param Sundari brings Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor on screen together for the first time. The Tushar Jalota directorial — powered by Sachin-Jigar’s music — is said to be the story of a north Indian man (Param, played by Sidharth) and a south Indian woman (Sundari, played by Janhvi) who find love in Kerala’s picturesque backwaters. Their quirky romance, though replete with the chaos that accompanies cultural differences, is described to be heartwarming, full of love and laughter. Dad-to-be Sid, handsome as ever in a veshti, has scored brownie points with us already.

Dhadak 2

Release date: August 1
After facing a tough time (and reportedly quite a few cuts) at the censors, Dhadak 2 is all set to hit the big screen on August 1. The remake of the 2018 Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal, this Karan Johar co-production directed by Shazia Iqbal — who gave us that beautiful senior-citizen romance short in the anthology project Love Storiyaan last year — stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri as a young couple who — like Dhadak, which was a remake of the hard-hitting Marathi film Sairat — have to battle caste differences and societal oppression to keep their love alive.

Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari

Release date: September 12
Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor — whose Bawaal created a lot of bawaal for the wrong reasons two years ago — reunite for this love story in which they play the titular characters. Directed by Shashank Khaitan, this KJo production, has the look and feel of Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania, both of which starred Varun and were directed by Khaitan. Let’s hope the presence of Sanya Malhotra and Rohit Saraf lends some freshness to the film.

Tere Ishk Mein

Release date: November 28
Director Aanand L. Rai brings back favourite Dhanush and signs on Kriti Sanon for this love story whose teaser — Kriti’s Mukti walking through riot-filled streets, emptying a jerry can of gasoline on herself and lighting a cigarette — spells super intense. Set in a world similar to Rai’s Raanjhanaa, the tragic love story that also starred Dhanush, Tere Ishk Mein’s music is scored by
A.R. Rahman.

Untitled Kartik Aaryan-Sreeleela film

Release date: Diwali 2025/ Valentine’s Day 2026
It was supposed to be the Diwali biggie this year, but two Anurag Basu releases in the same calendar is a near impossibility. The Kartik Aaryan romance, which introduces Sreeleela to Bollywood, has already wrapped a long schedule in North Bengal and Sikkim. The fiery teaser — with Kartik as a rock star — is definitely set in the same world as the Aashiqui films, but remains untitled. Expecting fireworks, and a banging musical score, with this one.