The Rom-Com Recession: Can Theatres Still Bet on Love?

Gone are the days when theatres were filled with grand gestures and sweeping love stories. Today, rom-coms — the rare ones that make it to the big screen — have the depth of an Instagram reel, tailored for the dating app generation.

Has the genre evolved to stay relevant, or has it lost its heart in pursuit of virality?

“Today, rom-coms are non-existent,” says Kunal Kohli, the screenwriter behind Hum Tum (2004), the Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji-starrer that helped define the Bollywood romantic comedy. “I don't know if they're not being greenlit by studios, or not being accepted by actors. They are being thrust down newcomers’ throats who don't know how to perform, [entrusted to] writers who don't know what they're writing.”

However, there have been massive successes in the genre, especially down south recently, with the likes of Pradeep Ranganathan's Love Today (2022) — along with its Hindi remake Loveyapa (2025) — and Girish A. D's Premalu (2024).

Prabhu Ram Vyas, writer of the Tamil movie Lover (2024), reflects on the shifting landscape of romantic comedies: “It's very hard to make sense of the implications of success right now. There are a lot of social, cultural, political things that go behind the changes that we're seeing.”

The Hollywood Reporter India speaks to screenwriters — both pioneers of the genre and those taking it forward — to understand why rom-coms are struggling to reclaim their theatrical glory, how social media has redefined love stories, and whether the genre can find its way back into the hearts of moviegoers.

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Can Rom-Coms Still Thrive in Theatres?

[Production houses] are very myopic in the way they're looking at things. Just because a couple of action films like Animal (2023) and Pathaan (2023) have worked, they're all running in that direction,” explains Kohli. He notes that not every actor can do what Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor did, and the fact that they’re both working in action after years of doing romantic films.

He continues, “There have been very few writers, unfortunately, who [associate] the rom-com space with commercial success. I think Imtiaz [Ali] and I have done it. Sadly, I cannot think of a third.” While he admires Imtiaz Ali’s deep character work (as in Tamasha), Kohli leans toward commercial appeal.

Khushi Kapoor and Junaid Khan in a still from 'Loveyapa'.

On the other hand, Loveyapa writer Sneha Desai attributes the decline to “a dearth of younger stars.” She argues that every generation needs icons — actors who inspire and embody aspirational romance. While her generation grew up idolising the love stories of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995, and Chandni (1989), she acknowledges that today’s audience lacks a new wave of romantic leads to look up to.

“It is getting increasingly difficult for producers to put money into projects where there is no guaranteed return. That is the primary reason why rom-coms are going the OTT way. But all it will take is one great film, one great outing at the cinemas to change it all,” she believes.

Vyas adds that evolving generations bring shifting value systems, including how love is perceived, and how that’s portrayed on the big screen. “In the 80s, it was hard to even talk to the other gender in a non-urban space… today that gap has closed and the modes of communication have grown multi-fold.”

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The Influence of Social Media

Speaking of, communication, rather miscommunication, is a trope that lives in the very heart of romantic comedies. But today, likes, followers and subscriber counts are dictating the plot. “My cartoons in Hum Tum and the two time periods in Love Aaj Kal (2009) worked better than the social media [elements] they're trying to use today,” says Kohli with a laugh.

He adds, “My daughter is 14 — her generation communicates a lot more on social media than I do, but it's a medium, not the process. Her generation will fall in love the same way Saif Ali Khan's did, their hearts will skip the same beats.”

Desai admits while producers don’t outright ask them to integrate social media platforms in the content, but are certainly asked to look at how Gen-Z speaks.

Kohli believes that while it should be used, it should be done more realistically. “They say things like, ‘don't you know who I am? I have so many followers.’ Does any girl talk like that?”

Conversation in a film, whether it's a rom-com or a gangster thriller, has to be true to the people it's representing, in his opinion. The problem in today's rom-coms is that they represent people that don't exist. “I had Saif, a very cool dude, and Rani, a girl who prayed before meals and flights — these are little characteristics that still exist today. And the reason Raj and Simran still exist in everyone's psyche is because they're real people, somewhere.”

After all, action has retained its traits. “All that’s changed is the slickness of the shooting, and nothing else,” he says. While rom-coms don’t need the special effects and angular shots, they have to represent the people. 

Vyas did exactly that with LIVIN’ (2017), a Tamil web series that was released on YouTube. Exploring the narrative about live-in relationships between people from non-urban backgrounds, he represented a growing section of society. Similarly, Lover represented the couples that drift apart. “ But people from the mainstream, conservative production background wanted to see humour in [Lover] because romantic dramas are something they're afraid to take a chance on. Many producers were also not okay with the ending, (spoiler alert) when the characters parted ways,” he recalls. “It should either be an absolute tragedy or a happy ending,” Vyas was told. They didn’t like the bittersweetness that does exist in real life.

While he opted not to go the social media route, Vyas believes it can go both ways. “Love Today (2022) was wholly built on social media communication and that worked brilliantly for the film. It depends on how it's being presented.”

However, social media narratives are now shaping more than just the plot — they’re influencing casting decisions too, with many influencers taking up roles in recent rom-coms. “I have not seen anything more banal than that,” says Kohli. “What's even worse is the film promotions where [the filmmakers] make a fool of themselves.”

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Violence Over Love

A major trend in Indian theatres today is the dominance of action over romance. “It has always been there. A Sholay and a DDLJ always coexisted. Unfortunately, today's studios and actors do not understand that,” Kohli explains. “They feel if they have to hit ₹400 crores, it has to be an action film.”

Desai agrees but believes there’s a more troubling shift at play. “Indian cinema is not only showing more violence than love, but also showing violence as a form of love. Those two cannot and should not be confused,” she asserts, believing that since an entire generation is raised by the films they make, writers should responsibly express emotions.

“Rom-coms are a very difficult medium, so a lot of writers are shying away from it. But there is tremendous dearth and need for wonderful, simple, soft, formulaic films because audiences need respite from the constant crime and violence they are subjected to,” she adds.

She explains that the era of pure, innocent love stories has been overshadowed by the complexities of modern relationships… 'situationships' as they call it. Desai notes, “When you are fashioning a rom-com, you end up with relative newcomers because that's the age group that you want. But those people might not have the skill set [required] so one has to play their innocence to their advantage.”

However, there are still some high-profile films in the genre set to release later this year already, such as Vignesh Shivan's Tamil outing Love Insurance Kompany starring Pradeep Ranganathan and Krithi Shetty, and Tushar Jalota's Param Sundari with the lead pair of Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor.

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The Budgeting

Kohli reveals that the budget for rom-coms is lesser, because genres like action cost more. “A romantic film needs more attention to detailing on songs.” He explains that in an attempt to cut costs, producers often tell directors to shoot song sequences in half the time required.  “You're given ready-made songs today. Earlier we would give a situation to the music composer, he would come up with some tunes that fit,” he says. However, Desai stresses that a great song alone isn’t enough; the entire film needs to be engaging for it to resonate with audiences.

“It is deplorable that songs today do not have the kind of shelf life that songs earlier had,” she admits. “The recall value is diminishing so it's difficult for composers and producers to encash on that.

The preeminent issue, Kohli points out, is the mismanagement of big budgets by debutant directors. “Sometimes I hear the budgets and I’m horrified. These guys are just creating troll memes, remixing old songs and bringing back characters from old movies.”

While many believe rom-coms are better budgeted for OTT releases, Kohli insists that isn’t a dumping ground. “There’s always a market for romance if the story is compelling.”

“That conception is there especially among the older audience,” says Vyas. “But there are films like Sita Ramam (2022) and Dada (2023) that have worked.”

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While skyrocketing actor fees remain a concern, Desai says, “Rom-coms have a candy-coloured facade but there are lots of pitfalls, and writing one is deceptively difficult.” Thrillers use visual effects, violence and gore to pull it off. But a rom-com relies on pure emotion.”

She’d prefer them to be a lot more simple today. “Pure love and loyalty will be celebrated,” says Desai, citing the ending of Laapataa Ladies (2023) where a simple hug between two lovers was met with cheers from the audience. “It is love and longing that we ultimately desire, just corrupting ourselves with complications.”