The Kiss Quotient
Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met (2007) is a little less chaste, but it’s another one of those films that brought to life a crackling chemistry using music and the rapport shared by Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan. The film is filled with charming little moments of banter that show the audience how well Geet (Kareena) and Aditya (Shahid) vibe with each other. For much of the film, Geet is with another man, but in the early sections, this doesn’t stop her from gently flirting with Aditya. There is a moment in the song “Yeh Ishq Hai” when Geet dances with the locals during their road-trip to Manali. Aditya just looks at her, charmed by her vivacity and consumed by his longing for her. Music also elevated the climax of the film, when a euphoric, orchestral symphony accompanied Geet’s confession to Aditya. “I’m going to listen to my heart now,” she said to him, and the music soared. The toe-curling, butterflies-in-your-stomach kiss that follows was an exciting novelty at the time, but it still has the power to make you sigh dreamily.
Kisses have become a fixture in Hindi films today, but few can match the intensity of Shruti (Anushka Sharma) and Bittoo’s (Ranveer Singh) monumental first kiss in Band Baajaa Baaraat (2010). It happens at the end of a long night of celebrations. The two of them are alone and tipsy in their tiny Delhi office. As part of a slurry but determined effort to keep the party going, the two of them dance with abandon as “Bachna Ae Haseeno” plays in the background, fighting exhaustion and ultimately slumping against each other. Bittoo wraps his arms around Shruti in an affectionate hug. The camera lingers on them, holding its breath as it records how the mood shifts, veering away from camaraderie and towards passion. A tender piano note rings out the moment their lips finally touch. As the kiss builds in intensity, so does the score and we get one of the most romantic one-night stands ever.