From Dear Zindagi To The Lunchbox: Films That Captured What It Means To Be Lonely

Loneliness can mean different things to different people- it could signify emptiness, grief or even acceptance of the situation to a point where being lonely becomes a habit. Numerous Hindi films have tried to capture what loneliness means, be it after a breakup, or a lifelong companion.

From Irrfan's Saajan Fernandez in The Lunchbox, we learned that loneliness can make you bitter yet philosophical at the same time. From Masaan, we learned how a dark secret can force you to isolate yourself, as you do not want to end up hurting again. In Dear Zindagi, viewers were given a peek into the long term impacts of childhood loneliness, which can lead to a twisted adulthood and commitment issues.

Here are 7 Hindi films on loneliness that will strum the strings of your heart and leave you feeling bittersweet:

The Lunchbox

Irrfan Khan in the film The Lunchbox

Starring Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the movie shows two individuals suffering from loneliness and how a misplaced dabba brings them together. One is a housewife, Ila, who tries hard to bring back the spark in her marriage. Then there is the widower, Saajan, who has isolated himself after the death of his wife. Due to a lunch delivery mix-up, the two start exchanging letters that soon become the only source of soulful conversations in their empty lives.

Dear Zindagi

This Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan starrer released in 2016. The movie is about a budding cinematographer whose life takes a 360 degree turn when terrible things tend to happen to her back to back. She has a breakup, is ousted from her apartment, cannot focus on work and has to live with her parents with whom she does not get along. She is lonely, depressed and sleepless until she finds a psychologist who helps her deal with her deep-seated mental health issues.

Lootera

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, the movie features Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles. After falling in love with an imposter who leaves her at the time of their wedding, Pakhi is heartbroken. Her father dies of shock and she too might not live long as she is suffering from tuberculosis. She gives up on life and waits for the day that she will die. She has no one to share her grief with and lives all alone in her house with just a maid by her side. But one day, the imposter she loved comes back and gradually wins her trust and gives her hope again.

Suggested Reading: Pataakha To Laaga Chunari Mein Daag- Five Hindi Films On Sisterhood

Masaan

Vicky Kaushal in Masaan

Released in 2015, the movie stars Vicky Kaushal, Richa Chadha and Shweta Tripathi. It revolves around Deepak and Devi, two individuals whose present and future are marred by tragedy. While Devi struggles to retain her dignity when a police officer catches her in a compromising situation with her boyfriend and threatens her, Deepak is struggling with his ambitions to secure a better future for his family and the death of his girlfriend. Both the central characters are lonely but they don't even have the time to grieve.

October

This 2018 movie starring Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu in lead roles revolves around two hotel employees. Dan is carefree while Shuili is the responsible one making them polar opposites. When an accident leaves Shuili bedridden and it is known that the last time she spoke was to ask where Dan was, he decides to take care of her leaving his life behind. Shuili's health improves and she is discharged. However, she does not live long leaving Dan devastated and lonely. He gathers his memories of Shuili and keeps going on with the pain every day knowing that he lost his only companion.

Phobia

This movie deals with the issue of agoraphobia, a fear of socialising with people. Mehak's trauma has made her life miserable and her condition only worsens because of her paranoid behaviour. The movie shows the extent to which trauma can take a person that he or she might not be able to differentiate between reality and imagination. The film features Radhika Apte in the lead.

Udaan

This 2010 movie revolves around child abuse and dysfunctional parent-child relationships. The story is of a boy named Rohan who aspires to be a writer but his father forces him to do engineering. He and his six-year-old step-brother, Arjun, are physically abused by their father. One day Arjun is rushed to the hospital because his father beats him over losing a contract. Both brothers are lonely and no one understands them except Jimmy, their uncle. They decide to run away from home and get out of the cycle of abuse with Jimmy's help.