15 TV And Movie Best Friends Who Deserved Much Better Endings Than The Ones They Got

    If you need me, I'll be shaking, crying, and throwing up at the thought of all the tyrannies hurled at our on-screen best friends.

    Debanjana Das
    by Debanjana Das

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Trigger Warning: This post contains mentions of suicide.

    1. Sweetu (Delnaaz Irani) from Kal Ho Naa Ho

    A bespectacled woman tries to console her crying friend
    Dharma Productions

    In a parallel universe, Naina (Preity Zinta) was Sweetu’s villain origin story. But in our universe, she happened to be Sweetu’s best friend. She body-shamed Sweetu on every occasion, took jabs at her for wishing to find love, and vehemently believed that no one will ever love Sweetu, unless she loses weight. Who needs a bully if you have a best friend like Naina? But Naina was too much of a normie to kill Sweetu’s vibes. Regardless of how much she tried to make her feel like trash, Sweetu always felt like cash.  

    2. Anand (Rajesh Khanna) from Anand

    Two men sitting side by side. One is staring at the other
    Shemaroo Video Pvt. Ltd.

    A field full of sunflowers. A dark room, rife with glow-worms. The much-coveted forehead kiss high. The calm following a good cry. I swear this wasn’t a failed attempt at writing poetry. I was just trying to pick the closest possible analogies to describe Anand’s personality. How dare he lose his life to cancer when he could have been frolicking in the sun and eating berries instead? As long as he lived, he taught all his friends “to love and be beloved”. His photos should have been sent to NASA as he was the shiniest star in the history of our galaxy. He deserved the world.

    3. Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) from Gilmore Girls

    gilmoregirls on GIPHY / Via giphy.com

    When Olivia Rodrigo said, “Where’s my fucking teenage dream?”, she was talking about Lane’s teenage dreams of becoming a rockstar, that never really materialised into reality. Despite being a H.A.G. (hot attractive girl), her love interests were pretty much bleh personified. Unlike Rory (Alexis Bledel), opportunities didn’t fall in her lap, nor did she have a friendly mother. While she should have been in her slay era, the writers of the show forced motherhood on her. Her potential had been nipped in the bud, let alone her right to enjoy freedom — sexual or otherwise.

    4. Tina (Kareena Kapoor Khan) from Mujhse Dosti Karoge!

    Yash Raj Films / bypriyashah on GIPHY / Via giphy.com

    Pooja (Rani Mukerji) and Raj (Hrithik Roshan) were in love with each other, but they kept Tina in the dark about it. Despite all her flaws, Tina deserved a lover with a stronger moral backbone than a chocolate eclair. And she definitely deserved a friend who would not have made her into an object of pity, just to satisfy her martyr complex. Both Pooja and Raj strung Tina along and hid the truth from her. Seriously, can we just put their pants on fire already?

    5. Boo (Jenny Rainsford) from Fleabag

    A woman, wearing a trench-coat and beanie, stands with her hands folded
    Two Brothers Pictures

    To scream or not to scream is never the question as how can you even think of picking the latter when people like Boo die of accidental suicide? Boo used to think that peace is always an option, even when kids stick pencils up the nether regions of hamsters. From her personality and how she perceived the world, it’s pretty clear that she believed, “if equal affection cannot be / let the more loving one be me.” She didn’t just support human rights but also human wrongs and that’s what made her the most compassionate of them all.

    6. Camille (Camille Razat) from Emily In Paris

    Two women hold cups of coffee and smile while conversing
    Netflix

    Life’s quite a beach as, time and again, you’re forced to eat sand. In Camille’s case, the sand was her friend, Emily’s (Lily Collins) deceit. Out of the eight billion people currently inhabiting our planet, Emily could have slept with, she picked Camille’s ex. Camille was ever-giving and ever-kind towards Emily – from flower shopping to art gallery invitations, Camille always showed up for her. 

    TL;DR: Camille helped Emily make a home out of an otherwise unfamiliar Paris. To avenge Camille, Emily’s redemption arc is not enough. She deserves to be haunted by a sinister raven till the cows come home.  

    7. Nisha (Karisma Kapoor) and Ajay (Akshay Kumar) from Dil To Pagal Hai

    A collage of a woman and a bespectacled man
    Yash Raj Films

    Think twice? Bold of us to assume that Rahul (Shahrukh Khan) and Pooja (Madhuri Dixit) even thought once before ill-treating their best friends, Nisha and Ajay, respectively. While not feeling romantic feelings for their best friends was completely alright, leading them on and later discarding them, according to their convenience, was in no way acceptable. Nisha and Ajay weren’t perfect, but they definitely didn’t deserve to be disposed of like used plastic straws.  

    8. Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) from Luca

    disneystudios on GIPHY / Via giphy.com

    For our friendly neighbourhood sea monster, Luca (Jacob Tremblay), Alberto’s company was the ultimate paradise. He encouraged Luca to get out of his comfort zone, stood by him through rain and shine (both literally and metaphorically), and sold their Vespa just so Luca could go to school. How do we petition for a sequel where Alberto won’t be reduced to a mere plot device enabling Luca’s story arc?

    9. Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) from Sholay

    A man wearing a denim jacket looks into the distance
    United Producers

    He protec (those he loved);

    He attac (the dacoits);

    But most importantly, he had his best friend, Veeru’s (Dharmendra), back.

    In the cinematic universe, coming across two kind-hearted best friends is rare, as one of them always has to face an untimely death. What is mortality and why is it so cruel?

    10. Veronica (Deepika Padukone) from Cocktail

    Eros International / Via giphy.com

    Generous girls will protect their girlfriends from their shitty husbands, help them find their footing, provide them with a home, and go to any lengths to win the approval of the mother of the boy they are in love with. It’s Veronica, Veronica is generous girls. She was, however, stereotyped as the "wild, party girl" who was not worthy of genuine affection. For all the Veronicas out there, please know, “We deserve a soft epilogue, my love. We are good people and we've suffered enough.”  

    11. Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb) from Bridge To Terabithia

    Two kids are seen running
    Summit Entertainment

    Leslie hyped up Jess (Josh Hutcherson), was his partner in discovering new worlds, and also played a significant role in turning his bully into his friend. Had she been a Transformer, she would be Optimus Fine. But her presence was a privilege that very few were allowed to enjoy. Therefore, she was taken away from our world too soon. Whichever universe she is inhabiting right now, I hope she is saying, “I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”  

    12. Ishaan (Sushant Singh Rajput) from Kai Po Che!

    UTV Motion Pictures

    Gorgeous gorgeous boys —  like Ishaan, are extremely passionate about sports, dream of owning a sports shop and sports academy with their best friends, and take the bullet to save the lives of others. Can someone please explain why communal riots are a thing, even in the 21st century, and when will we stop butchering each other because of some absurdity or another?  

    13. Marley from Marley & Me

    A couple is seen standing in the snow with their dog, who is jumping on a snowman
    20th Century Fox

    “I wake up and it breaks my heart”, and why should it not, considering how Marley was allowed to age and die eventually. He was full of mischief and a joyous sight to behold. John’s (Owen Wilson) column and thus, his source of income, were dependent on Marley’s antics. In spite of her occasional displeasure, John’s wife, Jenny (Jennifer Aniston), finally had to agree that Marley was the cheese to their pizza. This list would have been incomplete had I not included dogs because where will humanity even be without our furry four-legged companions?!

    14. Enzo from The Art of Racing in the Rain

    A man is seen driving a car with his dog
    Fox 2000 Pictures

    Hoard up on tissues, as another sad doggo story is coming right up. Enzo put the golden in retriever. Given how he was always by Denny’s (Milo Ventimiglia) side and even tore up the legal document where he was giving up the custody of his daughter, it’s safe to conclude that Enzo was Denny’s friend, philosopher, and guide. For hijacking Enzo and taking him across the rainbow bridge, the grim reaper needs to be banished to the shadow realm.

    15. Swifty (Shaun Thomas) from The Selfish Giant

    A boy is seen sitting by himself
    IFC Films

    Swifty was just a young boy, standing in front of the big bad world, trying to make a living by selling scrap metal with his best friend. When someone like him dies of electrocution, “it's just so hard to see tomorrow past tonight”. Instead of waging wars and colonising the moon, can we collectively put our good brain cells to use and manifest a reality where our youth won’t have to risk their lives every day to make ends meet?