Movies Like Devdas: 9 Heartbreaking Bollywood Romances That Hit The Same Nerve

Some love stories don’t end happily — and somehow, that’s exactly why we keep coming back to them. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas turned heartbreak into an art form. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit, the 2002 classic — based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1917 novel — became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of its year, largely because it dared to let its lovers lose. If that kind of beautiful devastation is exactly your cup of tea, here are 9 movies like Devdas that hit similarly hard.

Movies Like Devdas: Overview

Quick Look At Each Film

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam follows Nandini, torn between her love for Sameer and a marriage her family arranged instead — until her own husband selflessly steps in to reunite her with her true love.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil explores the blurry line between friendship and romance, as two people navigate heartbreak brought on by the new relationships entering their lives.

Laila Majnu reimagines the timeless tragic romance for a modern audience — it flopped commercially on release but has since earned cult status for its raw emotional core.

Hamari Adhuri Kahani centers on Vasudha, trapped in an abusive marriage, who finds real connection with Aarav — until her husband resurfaces and complicates everything.

Fitoor, loosely inspired by Great Expectations, follows a young artist’s obsessive love for a woman from a world he can’t quite belong to, set against Kashmir’s stunning backdrop.

Kalank is a multi-starrer period epic about forbidden love, family secrets, and betrayal in pre-independence India — visually grand, even if it underperformed at the box office.

Dil Se.. wraps a passionate, doomed romance around the backdrop of political insurgency, and became a massive overseas hit despite its heavy themes.

Veer-Zaara remains one of Bollywood’s most enduring cross-border love stories, following decades of separation and sacrifice before a long-awaited reunion.

Saawariya leans into a dreamlike, almost theatrical world of longing, following a musician’s love for a mysterious woman during a festival of lights.

If Veer-Zaara’s cross-generational romance appeals to you, TechnoSports has also rounded up other iconic pairings worth revisiting, including Preity Zinta and Salman Khan’s most memorable romantic films.

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