Since coalescing into a recognisable industry in 1913, Indian cinema has remained firm in its commitment to showing love without sexual contact, even if a few outliers put up a tough fight every now and then. What else could explain Veer-Zaara, with its ill-fated lovers separated by a border, being released in the same year as Murder, with its ill-fated lovers not separated by much, and both going on to become blockbuster hits?
Last week, a friend invited me to an intimate screening of Veer-Zaara. At one point, when I looked over at him, he was quietly showing a video of the scene in which the eponymous protagonists part at the railway station to his long-distance partner on FaceTime. After that, I started noticing how much of human love is distant, not that it wishes to be. On Juhu beach, where couples can be spotted in various amorous states, I observe someone on a video call sharing a sunset with a loved one, who, perhaps, lives on the east coast of the United States.