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Dil Chahta Hai poster

Movies that feel likeDil Chahta Hai (2001)

Three inseparable childhood friends are just out of college. Nothing comes between them - until they each fall in love, and their wildly different approaches to relationships creates tension.

If you loved Dil Chahta Hai, the closest films we have are Veer-Zaara (2004), I Don't Want to Go Back Alone (2011) and Sidewalls (2011). All three share Dil Chahta Hai's contemplative and romantic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Medicine for Melancholy (2009).

πŸ… 100% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Farhan Akhtarcontemplativeromantictender
10 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· MUBI

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If Dil Chahta Hai hit the spot, these will too

Veer-Zaara poster
Veer-Zaara
2004 Β· dir. Yash Chopra
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.8drama Β· romanceNetflix

Both land stillness and romance at once

Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh, a pilot in the Indian Air Force, rescues the stranded Zaara, a woman from Pakistan, following a bus accident, and their lives are forever bound.

I Don't Want to Go Back Alone poster
I Don't Want to Go Back Alone
2011 Β· dir. Daniel Ribeiro
β˜… 8.2drama Β· romance

Drama with a pulse of tenderness, in both cases

The arrival of a new student in school changes Leonardo's life. This 15 year-old blind teenager has to deal with the jealousy of his friend Giovana while figuring out the new feelings he's having towards his new friend, Gabriel.

Sidewalls poster
Sidewalls
2011 Β· dir. Gustavo Taretto
πŸ… 70%β˜… 7.5drama Β· romance

Romance built on stillness, twice over

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

Martin is a neurotic web designer taking baby steps out of the isolation of his one-room apartment and his virtual reality. Mariana is an artist fresh out of a long relationship. They are perfect for each other, live on the same street, in opposite buildings, but they never meet. Can the movement of a modern city of three million people bring them together?

Head-On poster
Head-On
2004 Β· dir. Fatih Akin
β˜… 7.9drama Β· romance

Both lean on romance more than on drama

With the intention to break free from the strict familial restrictions, a suicidal young woman sets up a marriage of convenience with a forty-year-old addict, an act that will lead to an outburst of envious love.

Medicine for Melancholy poster
Medicine for Melancholy
2009 Β· dir. Barry Jenkins
πŸ… 85%β˜… 6.6drama Β· romance

Tender romance in both cases

Waking from a one-night stand that neither remembers, Micah and Joanne find themselves wandering the streets of San Francisco, sharing coffee and conversation and searching for a deeper connection.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan poster
Jab Tak Hai Jaan
2012 Β· dir. Yash Chopra
πŸ… 92%β˜… 6.7drama Β· romanceNetflix

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

Samar Anand, a London-based struggling musician falls in love with Meera Thappar. After a severe accident, a panicked Meera promises God to leave Samar if he lives. Heartbroken, Samar leaves for India to become a fearless bomb disposal expert in the army.

Certified Copy poster
Certified Copy
2010 Β· dir. Abbas Kiarostami
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.2drama Β· romanceRent or buy

Romance with a pulse of romance, in both cases

In Tuscany to promote his latest book, a middle-aged English writer meets a French woman who leads him to the village of Lucignano.

With Every Heartbeat poster
With Every Heartbeat
2011 Β· dir. Alexandra-Therese Keining
β˜… 6.8romance Β· drama

Both work the same tenderness

After they meet at their parent's engagement party, Mia and Frida are intrigued by and attracted to one another, despite Mia's own upcoming engagement to Tim. Mia must decide whether to continue her life with Tim or to follow her heart with Frida.

Right Now, Wrong Then poster
Right Now, Wrong Then
2015 Β· dir. Hong Sang-soo
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.1drama Β· romance

Drama approached the same way

By mistake, film director Ham Chunsu arrives in Suwon a day early. With time to kill before his lecture the next day, Chunsu stops by a restored, old palace and meets an artist named Yoon Heejung. Together, they go to Heejung's workshop to look at her paintings, have Sushi with Soju for dinner, and get close. Later, they go to another cafΓ© and have more drinks with Heejung's acquaintances. When asked if he is married, Chunsu is forced to reveal the fact that he is, and Heejung gets deeply disappointed...

Weekend poster
Weekend
2011 Β· dir. Andrew Haigh
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.6drama Β· romanceRent or buy

Romance in the same key

After a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special.

Happy Together poster
Happy Together
1997 Β· dir. Wong Kar-Wai
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.6drama Β· romanceMax

The drama is handled with the same confidence

A couple travels from Hong Kong to Argentina to revive their relationship but experience turbulence when both men's lives drift in separate directions.

Asako I & II poster
Asako I & II
2018 Β· dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.1drama Β· romance

Both know what they want from romance

Asako lives in Osaka. She falls in love with Baku, a free-spirit. One day, Baku suddenly disappears. Two years later, Asako now lives in Tokyo and meets Ryohei. He looks just like Baku, but has a completely different personality.

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The best-reviewed films that share Dil Chahta Hai’s defining feeling.