MUST SEE! Bollywood’s Classy Convertibles

From Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War featuring Ranbir Kapoor in a vintage blue convertible to films like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Dil Chahta Hai, convertibles have long been a symbol of style and luxury in Hindi cinema.

IMAGE: Ranbir Kapoor in Love & War.

Be it as a symbol of style or old money, convertibles totally fit in the larger-than-life context of silver screen imagery.

Ever the maximalist, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali uses its swanky attributes to introduce Ranbir Kapoor’s character in Love & War‘s teaser poster.

A dramatic glimpse of the star’s bleeding arm as he zooms off in his blue vintage vehicle has our curiosity piqued about the romantic triangle, which arrives in cinemas on January 21, 2027.

Until then, Sukanya Verma looks at the memorable convertibles in Hindi films over the years.

 

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Zoya Akhtar’s poshest bachelor party comes alive in Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar’s road trip across Spain where the boys rent the ritziest cars to soak in the sights and satisfy their souls.

Of which this turquoise blue vintage Buick Super is four wheeler fantasy fulfilment for the ages.

 

Sangam

Buzz is Ranbir’s Love & War is modelled after grandfather Raj Kapoor’s Sangam and its old-fashioned responses to friendship and romance.

Whatever may be the case, the OG showman doesn’t hold back in the 1964 extravaganza as evident by this sparkling red Standard Herald.

 

Don

One of the coolest Hindi action films of the 1970s, Amitabh Bachchan’s suave portrayal of a crime syndicate’s kingpin gets a lot of its sophistication from the tall actor stepping out of swanky cars.

And the bold red 1973 Ford Mustang convertible certainly makes the cut.

 

Dil Chahta Hai

The BFF troika of Akash, Sid and Sameer taking turns to drive a classy Mercedes-Benz as they take off to Goa in pursuit of chamkeele din — watching Dil Chahta Hai summarise itself in its title track is as idyllic as it is aspirational.

 

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

Forget the Lamborghini Raj Malhotra attends university in, Shah Rukh Khan uttered one of the most iconic lines of his career to Kajol — ‘Bade bade deshon main aisi chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hai‘ behind the wheel of a cozy red Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet in Aditya Chopra’s blockbuster directorial debut.

 

Befikre

Too bad Adi’s attempts to toss his coy side away and explore romance at its raciest by making Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor French kiss inside a Mini Cooper did not get any love.

 

Waqt

Years ago, Yash Chopra showed who’s the daddy of that department by kickstarting the trend of fancy motorcars in his lavish multistarrer Waqt.

Teeming with stars and cars ranging from Mercedes and Chevy, the scenes pack in affluence every time Raaj Kumar parks his Jaguar into the frame for one fleeting moment…

 

… Or races his sporty red Fiat Cabriolet with long lost brother Sunil Dutt’s sunny yellow Hillman Minx.

 

Maine Pyaar Kiya

Salman Khan’s introduction scene in Maine Pyaar Kiya involves the actor challenging his father to a race back home from the airport.

The funky red Fiat features rather prominently in the iconic love story, which turned him into an overnight teenage heartthrob.

But did you know the car actually belonged to him as well?

In an interview to Rediff, Salman once shared, “I bought that for Rs 15,000. I swear I have pushed that car more than I drove it! We got it repaired and used it in Maine Pyaar Kiya.”

“It was a French Fiat and it had a shape similar to that of a Mercedes. So I put the Mercedes emblem in front of that car. The day we were supposed to shoot with the car, we were driving down Altamount Road when one of the tyres burst and went straight into the railing. The whole car got destroyed. We sent it back and got it repaired again and then used it for Maine Pyaar Kiya.’

 

Anjaana Anjaani

Director Siddharth Anand specially bought a vintage red 1960s Ford Falcon Sprint to match Priyanka Chopra’s sass as her rather precious possession ‘Blush’ that enjoys a whole lot of screen time and songs alongside leading man Ranbir Kapoor in Anjana Anjaani.

 

Patthar Ke Phool

Raveena Tandon painting the town red in a Sunbeam Alpine convertible tagged by Salman on skates ranks among one of the most fun dates of Bollywood.

 

Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai

The mellifluous beats of Na Tum Jaano Na Hum, New Zealand’s naturally endowed scenery, Hrithik Roshan’s hunky ardour, a swish BMW convertible, what’s not to like?

 

Yaadein

Hrithik’s convertible karma stays strong as the wealthy scion with a Mercedes Benz at his beck and call for the purpose of songs and serenades.

 

Pardes

It’s hard to tell if it’s fuel or SRK’s famous energy spurring his white Toyota Celica as he belts out Deewana Dil in Las Vegas.

 

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

Hailing from the Yash Chopra school of showmanship, Karan Johar’s multi-starrer melodrama is all for luxury cars, be it Hrithik dropping SRK to work in his glossy Merc while they enjoy India’s cricketing triumphs in London or SRK miraculously finding parking space for his Mazda in Chandni Chowk.

 

Dilwale

Car enthusiast Rohit Shetty loves to show jeeps and cars flying mid-air, doing flips and all kinds of stunts for spectacle.

In his ambitiously mounted Dilwale, SRK and Kajol race their respective Porsche and Mercs on deadly Bulgarian terrains as part of their love-hate relationship.

 

Apradh

Famous for ruining a brand new Mercedes for a mere sequence in Qurbani, Bollywood King of Cool Feroz Khan’s soft corner for sleek luxury convertibles from the German automobile brand is hard to miss in FK-Mumtaz’s meet cute in Apradh where he plays a professional racer.

 

Dharmatma

Not to forget an elaborate car chase sequence on the top of a valley where Feroz Khan and Rekha bolt away their Mercedes from a bunch of masked goons on motorcycles in The Godfather-inspired Dharmatma.

 

Jawani Diwani

Jaya Bhaduri’s discards her middle-class, girl-next-door image to play a hip heiress attending college in her open top Standard Herald, which forms a noticeable prop in many Jawani Diwani scenes with co-star Randhir Kapoor as well as its banger title track.

 

An Evening in Paris, Jewel Thief, Haseena Maan Jayegi, Haathi Mere Saathi

Revisiting the 1960s is super fun at times just to see how the cool convertible makes for vintage memories as a movie’s leads engaged in classic Bollywood style courtship over lively song and shenanigans.

Shammi Kapoor’s backseat wooing of Sharmila Tagore in Deewane Ka Naam Toh Poocho in An Evening in Paris, Dev Anand perched on the bonnet of a car teasing Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechara in Jewel Thief, Shashi Kapoor-Babita’s convertible tango to O Dilbar Janiye in Haseena Maan Jayegi or Rajesh Khanna and his friendly elephant towing away Tanuja’s khatara in Chal Chal Mere Saathi in Haathi Mere Saathi.

 

Om Shanti Om

Farah Khan’s retro reincarnation drama evokes a bygone era across vintage fashion fads as well as a custom pink painted Chevrolet Bel Air used in a wedding procession shooting featuring SRK’s junior artist as the groom.

 

Shaan

Back when Ramesh Sippy tried to replicate the James Bond formula for his 1980 star-studded vehicle, he picked a trendy Porsche as the transport of choice for his con men heroes Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan to nick only to realise they’ve been beaten at their own game.

The targa top makes a swaggering entry wherein its arrival along with its ‘owner’ Bindiya Goswami has AB drooling at the motor and Shashi going gaga about her.

 

Race

Nothing less than a Ferrari would be expected in a movie called Race.

Abbas-Mustan’s twisted web of lies reserves the fanciest garage for Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna. Of which, the latter is happy to pick a red model of the Italian luxury sports car and win Bipasha Basu’s heart over a soulful crooning of Pehli Nazar.

 

Players

Abbas-Mustan’s remake of Hollywood hit The Italian Job is all kinds of crummy but for its roster of state-of-art cars.

Mini Coopers play a key role in the heist drama but it’s Sonam Kapoor giving the bird in her Mazda Roadster that grabbed eyeballs when its first trailer came out.

 

Cocktail 2

While touring picturesque Sicily in a teal blue Merc convertible, Shahid Kapoor provides Kriti Sanon the comfort of home cooked food.

Only eating khichdi inside a moving vehicle is never a good idea as they find out to their horror when one rude brake results in a windshield of gooey dal-rice splattered all over it.

 

Tamasha, Pathaan, Ek Tha Tiger, Dostana

Whether it’s Corsica, Cuba, Spain or Miami, you’ll never find a Bollywood A-lister caught dead in public transport.

From Cadillac to Chrysler Windsor, the fancier the convertible, the smoother the ride.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff