Bollywood has never been just entertainment in India. It has always been a cultural force, shaping how we imagine love, relationships, marriage, heartbreak, and even forgiveness. For many people, Bollywood films and songs become the first exposure to romance, and the first “template” of what love is supposed to look like.
But in recent years, a subtle shift has started appearing in modern Bollywood storytelling. Cheating, which was once clearly portrayed as betrayal is now often presented as something softer, more relatable, and sometimes even romantic.
The affair is no longer shown as a mistake. It is shown as a journey, a rediscovery of the self, and in some cases, as “true love.”
This raises an uncomfortable question: Are we normalising cheating in modern Bollywood?
Cheating stories are not new to cinema. Bollywood has always included love triangles, secret affairs, and emotional betrayals. However, earlier films treated cheating as morally wrong, and the emotional pain of the betrayed partner was often central to the narrative. There were consequences. There was shame. There was a clear sense of emotional responsibility.
Modern Bollywood, on the other hand, has started changing the tone. Cheating is now framed with poetic dialogues, soft lighting, and romantic music. The focus is on the excitement of the affair rather than the damage it creates. The audience is encouraged to sympathise with the person who cheats because they were “unhappy” or “emotionally neglected.”
But real life does not work like a film.
Being unhappy in a relationship is valid. Feeling lonely is valid. Wanting emotional connection is valid. But cheating is not a solution, it is a choice. A choice that breaks trust while still holding onto comfort. If someone feels unloved, the mature options are communication, counselling, separation, or leaving.
Cheating may be common, but it should never be sold as brave or romantic.
What makes this normalisation even more dangerous is the social reality of India. Cheating does not affect men and women equally. A man’s cheating is often excused or ignored. But a woman’s cheating can lead to character assassination, humiliation, and even violence. In many families, women are expected to “adjust” and stay silent, even when betrayal destroys their self-worth.
When Bollywood glamorises cheating, it does not create modern thinking, it creates confusion and emotional imbalance.
Another harmful narrative that films repeatedly promote is the “boring partner vs exciting lover” idea. The loyal partner is shown as dull, while the affair partner is shown as thrilling. This makes commitment look like a compromise and betrayal look like passion.
But in reality, loyalty is not boring, loyalty is emotional maturity. And cheating is not romance, it is instability.
Bollywood can show cheating stories, because cheating exists in society. But it must also show accountability. It must show consequences, emotional honesty, and healing. Otherwise, cinema ends up training audiences to accept betrayal as normal, and loyalty as outdated.
Because the truth is simple: love without honesty is not love. It is just comfort built on
someone else’s pain.