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They’re simple, escapist and frequently silly, but there’s something unexpectedly healing about watching young love unfold on screen. The fictional high-school sweetheart is rarely rooted in reality, but films and series about teenagers falling in love and coming into their own inevitably make you feel all the feels. Whether you’re looking for a comfort watch or a nostalgia trip, here’s a playlist that’s filled with the awkward and pulse-fluttering triumph of being young and in love.
A story that was considered bold for its times had two teenagers of different faiths and classes fighting for a love their families consider unacceptable. Raj (Rishi Kapoor) is the son of a Hindu businessman and Bobby (Dimple Kapadia) is a Christian fisherman's daughter. From pleading with their parents to eloping, they try everything until there’s nowhere left to run. It isn’t until they are on the verge of a Romeo and Juliet-esque ending that their parents relent. The film’s soundtrack, composed by the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo, was highly celebrated and included songs like ‘Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho’, ‘Main Shayar To Nahin’ and ‘Jhoot Bole Kauva Kate’. Fair warning: You will fall in love with Kapadia in this film.
Available to stream on MX Player.
Sanjay (Aamir Khan) and Anjali (Ayesha Jhulka) are one of the flag bearers of the friends-to-lovers trope in Hindi cinema. It is in their common ambition to make him win the cycle race that he realizes how much she cares about him. Before Student of the Year’s (2012) triathlon, it was Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’s cycle race that had us rooting for not just an underdog, but also a genuinely middle-class hero. Also, unlike SOTY, this is a high school romance in which the actors look refreshingly normal and unaffected. Sanjay is as eager to bring honour to his family as Anjali is to cheer him on, which is not exactly a Shakespearean plot but it’s sweet and entirely heartwarming. Plus it proves that more often than not, love is what makes the wheels of the world go round. Jatin-Lalit’s ‘Pehla Nasha’ is still one of the sweetest ballads you’ll ever hear.
Available to stream on Zee5.
Directed and written by Amy Heckerling, this inspired and modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma follows Cher (Alicia Silverstone), a rich girl who dominates the pecking order at her Beverly Hills high school. As the title suggests, Cher is oblivious to what she desires, and projects her ignorance onto the people around her, taking it upon herself to orchestrate a romance between teachers, and giving Tai, the new student, a makeover. Yet under the frivolous exterior is an astute and observant mind. After all, Cher is one of those rare people who actually owns up to her mistakes and has more than one epiphany about both the world she’s navigating and herself. Self-aware, silly and hugely entertaining, Clueless is exactly what the doctor ordered for your mid-week blues. Also, the film has Paul Rudd. You’re welcome.
Available to stream on Netflix.
Principal of a school with the most absurdly luxe campus, Narayan (Amitabh Bachchan) is a fearsome presence who looms large over his students’ lives. For this patriarch, sorry, principal, tradition and discipline are the most important qualities to adhere to, and falling in love is grounds for expulsion. Enter a new music teacher, Raj (Shah Rukh Khan), who is partly Maria from The Sound of Music (1965) and partly Cole from The Sixth Sense (1999). Raj encourages everyone to follow their heart and also dance at every possible location. While three pairs of students discover love through multiple song-and-dance routines, Raj and Narayan inch towards a showdown. Wrapped up in the entirely unrealistic school setting of Mohabbatein is a veiled critique of a demanding academic system that flattens the individuality out of students and has no room for kindness or unconventional thinking.
Available to stream on Prime Video.
Technically, this is more of a coming-of-age story, but the romance between 16-year-old Juno (Elliot Page) and her friend Paulie (Michael Cera) is very much at the heart of this charming little film. When Juno discovers she’s pregnant, she decides to give the baby up for adoption to Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman). Along the way, Juno and Mark become friends and Mark realises he isn’t ready to be a father. Meanwhile, Juno realises she loves Paulie and if you don’t cheer for Paulie when he sprints to the hospital to be with Juno, we’re officially worried for you. From shattering the teen mom stereotype to portraying a woman who is so devoted to the idea of being a mother that she’s ready to sacrifice her marriage, Juno is a story that’s all about doubt and the importance of figuring out who you really are (rather than what society thinks you should be). The movie’s fantastic soundtrack includes some gems by Kimya Dawson in addition to classic tracks by The Velvet Underground and Buddy Holly.
Available to stream on Prime Video.
Sure, the performances are stilted and the romance is just a subplot, but there’s a sweetness to this film, which talked about puberty and body positivity long before they were trending topics on Instagram. Directed by Sonam Nair, the film follows Gippi (Riya Vij), an awkward, overweight teenager who runs in the school election against the ‘it’ girl. Of course, she ends up embracing herself, flaws and all, but there are also a fair number of missteps on her journey. The woes of a changing body and navigating a school environment in which she’s not considered ‘cool’ enough give Gippi unexpected depth. The film’s standout performance comes from Divya Dutta, who plays Gippi’s mother.
Available to stream on Netflix.
When Bianca (Mae Whitman) finds out that she is the DUFF — i.e. the designated ugly, fat friend — in her group, she does everything in her power to dissociate from the label. She unfriends her gal pals and seeks advice from Wesley (Robbie Amell), the school jock who made her aware of her DUFF status, to transform herself. Wesley is not one for diplomacy — at one point, he tells her, “You got a uni-boob, your posture sucks, you need to start dressing less like Wreck-It Ralph.” — but honesty is the foundation of the best relationships. The DUFF still feels charming because of Whitman’s superb performance and the way the film delights in her not subscribing to conventional prettiness and femininity. Also, unusually for films of the time, it showed some great friendships, both between girls as well as between a girl and a boy. If you’re wondering where you’ve seen Amell recently, it’s in the sci-fi show Upload.
Available to stream on Prime Video.
There are two types of people in Nadine’s (Hailee Steinfeld) world: Those who “naturally excel at life. And the people who hope all those people die in a big explosion.” She identifies as the latter. Things get worse when her best and only friend starts dating her brother. The Edge of Seventeen poignantly captures the despair of having to share your friend with the person they love, and what happens when that person is your family. Woody Harrelson stars in this movie as the high school teacher who tells her, “Life's about taking risks. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there.” It is their dynamic that keeps Nandine rooted, and viewers hooked.
Available to stream on Netflix.
When Charlie (Joe Locke) is assigned to sit in class next to Nick (Kit Connor), a rugby player, the two soon realise that they might be more than just friends. They navigate that possibility, along with past relationships and questions about their own sexuality. Homophobic peers, possessive friends and fear pose as obstacles, but the series doesn’t lose sight of Charlie’s journey of self-discovery. Heartstopper, based on Alice Osemman’s beloved graphic novel by the same name, is tender and utterly heartwarming.
Available to stream on Netflix.
Ritu (Ashlesha Thakur) has just moved from Gurgaon to Bhopal and at her new coaching centre, she meets Anuj (Vishesh Bansal). They quickly start crushing on one another and steer through the tell-tale signs and so-called rules of teenage love for the very first time. With each episode, the conflict changes, and so do the rules. From asking to be “lifelong friends” to gifting her lip balm, Anuj delicately treads the line between his reticence and what society expects of a man. What is also commendable about Saqib Pandor’s series is how seriously it takes Anuj and Ritu’s chemistry. From fleeting glances to coy remarks, each move they make impacts their relationship and oddly, their dynamic carries shades of Abhay and Alisha from Pyaar Impossible! (2010).
Available to stream on Amazon miniTV