7 movies where the girl picked the walking red flag over the good guy!

As much as we love watching people in love on-screen, we cannot deny the fact that some Bollywood love stories are rather questionable! Here’s why!

We’ve had our fair share of phenomenal romantic films that an entire generation grew up on and stay relevant to date. But Bollywood has also given us rather problematic love arcs that we have enjoyed in the past because we didn’t know better, and as we grew up, we realised those characters were, in fact, not romantic at all, and most of these come from iconic films. So, while it's difficult to accept that Rahul, aka our beloved Shah Rukh Khan, once played a red flag, we cannot turn away from the truth either. In 2025, when people are much more vocal about what’s okay and what’s not, what’s right and what’s toxic, we re-watch certain films with an extremely different lens now! It’s definitely easier for us to pick out why certain love stories were toxic and why they wouldn’t work in the real world! Moreover, what all of these films have in common is that somehow, through all of their problematic behaviour, the red flag got the girl over the guy who genuinely loved her for who she was!

Also Read: POV - What my ideal boyfriend would be like: the K-drama edition!

Check it out!

Kuch Kuchh Hota Hai

As much as we enjoyed the film back in the day, as a woman with body issues, certain parts of this film trigger insecurities within me. Rahul picked Tina simply because she seemed like the more 'feminine one’ to him, and treated Anjali like someone who could never be taken seriously just because she was a tomboy! In the second half, when he is raising his daughter as a single father and meets Anjali years later, he suddenly has a burst of romantic emotions for her because she has longer hair and wears a saree. Whereas Aman loved Anjali for who she truly was and for not what she wore! But of course, as pop culture knows it, ‘pyaar dosti hai’, and hence, even after all the toxicity, Rahul got the girl over Aman!

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Alizeh was in love with an absolutely commitment-phobic DJ who never stayed in one place for a long time. Ayan gave her the reassurance, attention and love that she craved for in DJ Ali, but alas, she couldn’t look at Ayan as beyond a friend! Because, of course, who’d pick a stable, healthy relationship? Thodi toxicity bhi toh honi chahiye na!

Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein

By now, most of us can write a book on why Maddy was as problematic as he was! Not only does he steal someone’s identity to make Rina fall in love with him, but he also gets down to blatant ‘gundagardi’ when he is called out for it. Rajeev, on the other hand, was a much more sensible and well-settled man who did not bow down to cheap tricks to get the girl. But Rina’s heart wanted what it wanted, and that was a man-child for life!

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

“Shaadi is dal chawal for pachaas saal till you die” that’s what internet’s favorite travel bug ‘Bunny’s life motto was. Commitment phobia, objectifying women, and severe Daddy issues made Bunny aka Kabir the absolutely wrong fit for Naina. But she’d only know that if she was ever allowed to spend more than two seconds alone with Vikram!

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna 

Rishi was head over heels in love with his wife Maya. He fully moulded himself into the lifestyle she wanted and always respected her feelings above everything else. Somehow, that simply wasn’t enough for Maya and it led her to cheat on him with Dev, who is married as well! Not only does the red flag win here, but it’s a chaotic mess between the two couples and neither Rishi nor Riya deserved to be with either of them!

Main Hoon Naa  

Similar to Kuch Kuchh Hota Hai, Lucky didn’t even pass a glance at Sanju because she was the quintessential ‘jhalli’ of college. But the minute she gets a makeover, his jaws are on the floor. Percy might not be the hero who saves the day, but at least he only had his eyes for Sanju, and the question here isn’t even Sanju should have picked Percy over Lucky; she could have actually picked anyone over him and still won at life!

Mujhse Dosti Karoge

To be fair, Raj and Tina both are red flags here because both of them were lying and dating behind Pooja’s back. Your boyfriend dating another girl is one thing, but him dating your best friend just cuts deep. This wasn’t even a love triangle, it was a messed up love square where except Pooja and Rohan, the other two just did not have their priorities straight. Maybe instead of Tina rejecting poor Rohan, it should have been Pooja and Rohan dating all along!

Are there other movies where the red flag won over the nice guy? Let us know in the comments below!

For more entertainment, follow us on @socialketchupbinge