Nerdy girls in Bollywood movies can all be put in the same cluster—wearing spectacles (which come off for party scenes), devoid of any personal style and always avoiding love because #padhai.
Add in the trope of ‘opposites attract’ and these films will inevitably have a f**kboi as the other lead who woos the girl with his mediocre confidence and low IQ.
Table of Contents
The nerdy girl and playboy romance in Bollywood movies
Video credit: Dharma Productions
For the following films, the underlying stereotype is the same. As a person who’s worn specs for 18 years, watching the main lead throw hers off for a dance performance really does not sit well with me.
As for the guy, why fall in love with someone who is so characteristically different? Can we normalise the idea that except for magnets, opposites really do not attract the way we’ve been conditioned?
1.‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’
YRF
Image credit: YRF, Title: Bollywood movies about a nerdy girl falling for a playboy, Alt: SRK and Kajol in the train meeting scene in DDLJ
As iconic as DDLJ is for all Bollywood-loving folks, the bottom line is that Kajol’s Simran was a nerd who liked her books and quiet time. Shah Rukh Khan’s Raj was the flamboyant flirt who couldn’t care less about Simran’s feelings—at least in the first half.
2. ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’
Dharma Productions
Image credit: Dharma Productions, Title: Bollywood movies about a nerdy girl falling for a playboy, Alt: SRK and Preity Zinta in a scene from Kal Ho Naa Ho
Naina (aptly named) is an MBA student who’s taught a valuable lesson about smiling by her super inquisitive neighbour. Additionally, only when she loses her specs and starts dancing around New York singing ‘Kuch to hua hai’ does her best friend Rohit actually begin to see her as a human being. In fact, both men fall in love with Naina after she becomes ‘carefree’!
3. ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’
Dharma Productions
Image credit: Dharma Productions, Title: Bollywood movies about a nerdy girl falling for a playboy, Alt: Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor in the train meeting scene in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Naina was always a studious girl who wanted to become a doctor. She follows her dream and becomes one, but irresistibly continues to fawn over Bunny.
Sure, he managed to study abroad and build a career, but his playboy nature has been a persistent plot point throughout. Yet, when we return to Naina’s story eight years later, she’s lost her specs in a ploy to appear ‘cooler’. Of course, Bunny cannot control himself at this point and falls in love with her.
4. ‘Fukrey’
Excel Entertainment
Image credit: Excel Entertainment, Title: Bollywood movies about a nerdy girl falling for a playboy, Alt: Pulkit Samrat and Priya Anand in the balcony scene from Fukrey
Hunny’s girlfriend Priya is the typical suburban Delhi girl with big dreams. Why she falls for Hunny who’s basically struggling to even get into college is a big question. Additionally, he’s always hovering around her house to catch a glimpse of her, which only translates to stalker status.
5. ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’
Video credit: YRF
This film is the embodiment of nerdy girl and f**kboi relationships. Raj is the typical player—ghosting women after making lofty promises. Until he meets Gayatri who actually cares about her career. She’s taking MBA classes and driving taxis in Australia to make ends meet. Yet, despite being the independent woman that she is, falls for Raj, who’s shown to have no feasible income source or life, if you ask me.
Lead image credit: Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions
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