Film
Jab We Met
A depressed businessman meets a relentlessly spirited woman on a train and they embark on a journey across India that slowly unpicks both their damage. It's funny, romantic, and deeply human—a film about how the right person at the right moment can crack you open. For anyone who believes falling in love means becoming less yourself.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love romantic comedies where the banter does the heavy lifting and a chatty, impulsive heroine pulls a gloomy man out of his shell, with a warm, big-hearted sweetness running underneath.
Skip it if you want a tight, economical romance; at over two hours with a long train-journey middle, it lingers and wanders, and the sentimental swells can feel indulgent.
What it asks of you: Settle in for a runtime of about two and a short quarter-hours, with a loose, rambling rhythm that lets scenes breathe and the mood swing between giggles and melancholy.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge1995
The spiritual ancestor of the modern Hindi romance: two young people defy expectation and family duty to choose each other and themselves. A film about love as liberation, shot with luminous optimism across Europe and India.
But The runtime is nearly three hours, and it moves at the stately pace of '90s Bollywood. If you need momentum, this isn't it.
Pyaar Ka Punchnama2011
A scrappy ensemble comedy about young men navigating love and desire with brutal honesty and constant laughter. It captures the mess of relationships without prettifying it or turning it tragic.
But The humour is crude and very male-centred. Some of the gender dynamics will make you wince.
Queen2014
A woman jilted at the altar travels Europe alone and discovers herself—funny, tender, and genuinely moving. It has the same faith in solitary joy and self-discovery that *Jab We Met* does.
But It's a wish-fulfilment film, and that earnestness about travel as transformation won't work for everyone.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Jab We Met
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Graduate1967
Both are built on the idea that the right person disrupts your trajectory completely, and that disruption is the beginning of actual life. Both refuse to let their characters stay comfortable.
A young man adrift in privilege is pursued by an older woman and falls in love with her daughter—and the film is interested in how accidentally, messily real people become who they are. It's dry, intelligent, and about the exhaustion of other people's expectations.
But It's deliberately unsentimental about romance, and the famous ending offers no comfort. If you need your love stories triumphant and clean, this will disappoint.
More like this (7)
Rang De Basanti2006
A viral-era film about friendship, purpose, and what you're willing to sacrifice for something bigger than yourself. It's energetic, visually stunning, and emotionally genuine about idealism and disappointment.
But The second half pivots hard into political thriller territory, and it's longer than it needs to be.
Vicky Donor2012
A romantic comedy about sperm donation that treats an unconventional subject with warmth and humour. It's light but never stupid, and it finds real emotion in an unexpected place.
But The subject matter will put off some viewers, and the satire of traditional family values isn't subtle.
Aagey Se Right2009
A character-driven road movie where two strangers on a cross-country drive learn to trust each other. It has the same relaxed warmth and gradual emotional reveal as *Jab We Met*, just quieter.
But It's genuinely obscure, which means uneven production values and slower pacing than you might expect.
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan2011
A romantic comedy that plays with Bollywood conventions—the meet-cute is planned, the love story is sideways, and the humour comes from character rather than slapstick.
But It's overstuffed with subplots, and the emotional stakes are thin.
Chalet
A small, sweet film about two broken people finding shelter in each other during a winter snowed-in. It's minimalist where *Jab We Met* is expansive, but shares the same belief in connection.
But You may never have heard of it because it barely got distributed. Grainy production values and a very small cast might feel claustrophobic.
Before Sunrise1995
Both films understand that the central relationship is a mirror—that you fall in love partly because the other person shows you who you could be. Both are built entirely on the electricity of two people understanding each other.
A man and woman meet on a train across Europe and spend one night walking and talking. Filmed in real time, it's a film about connection as conversation—how two people gradually lower their guards and become themselves.
But Almost nothing happens. If you need plot, spectacle, or the emotional beats of a conventional romance, you'll find this frustrating.
Monsoon Wedding2001
Both films are set in India and believe in the marriage of romance with family obligation—but where *Jab We Met* is about two people carving out their own story, *Monsoon Wedding* is about how impossible, necessary and ultimately beautiful it is to stay inside the family unit.
An Indian wedding brings a sprawling family together during Delhi monsoons. It's joyous, chaotic, and deeply felt—a film about family, obligation and the messy business of loving people who drive you mad.
But It's an ensemble piece, not a romance, and it's interested in cultural specificity in a way that might make some Western audiences feel outside the door. Also extremely loud.
People
Cast
Shahid KapoorAditya Kashyap
Kareena Kapoor KhanGeet Kaur Dhillon
Tarun AroraAnshuman
Dara SinghGeet's Grandfather
Pavan MalhotraGeet's Uncle- Kamal TiwariGeet's Father
Kiran JunejaGeet's Mother- Divya ShahMrs. Khanna
Saumya TandonRoop Kaur Dhillon- Nihar ThakkarRaghav
- Manushka KhistyMeher
Vishal Om PrakashAditya's lawyer
Directing
- Imtiaz AliDirector
Writing
- Faaiz AnwarLyricist
- Irshad KamilLyricist
- Imtiaz AliScreenplay
- Imtiaz AliStory
Production
- Dhilin MehtaProducer
Recommended by
It Happened One Night, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Queen, Alaipayuthey, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Wake Up Sid, Luck by Chance, Love Aaj Kal, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Raanjhanaa, Tamasha, Khoobsurat, PK, Pyaar Ke Side Effects, Maine Pyar Kiya, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Dhadak, Bangalore Days, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, Aashiq Banaya Aapne, Bollywood/Hollywood, Salaam Namaste, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Fidaa, 2 States, Ishaqzaade, Andaaz, Anjaana Anjaani, Ye Maaya Chesave, Shuddh Desi Romance, Bommarillu, Tanu Weds Manu, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, Akaash Vani, Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Utsav, Half Girlfriend, Autograph, Vanakkam Chennai, Hasee Toh Phasee, Life in a Metro, Vivah, Prati Roju Pandaage, Love Aaj Kal, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Aa Gale Lag Jaa, Sharmeelee, Chalte Chalte, Munimji, Happy Days, Godavari, Dil Bole Hadippa!