Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2023). Ahana, Imaad and Neil are all in their 20s, trying to make sense of life, their own lives and their friendships. There are plenty of fights: Imaad, a stand-up comedian, makes jokes about his friends, and is obsessed with swiping right on dating apps. Neil, in order to bag big clients, starts dating a content creator. Ahana lets Instagram posts dictate her life. But they call each other out, keep each other grounded. It’s what modern-day friendships are all about, isn’t it?

Big Girls Don’t Cry (2024). A boarding school full of Gen Z girls. Ludo is trying to accept her sexuality, Pluggy is trying to lose her virginity, Tenzin is trying to make peace with her Sikkimese royalty, Noor is tyring to give up her last name to get into a better college, Roohi is stuck between two squabbling parents, Dia is the scholarship student trying to fit in. It’s more chaotic than any edition of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers, but the girls stand by each other through every emotional twist.

Girls (2012-2017). They’re all a little spoiled. They’re all a little nuts. But hey, NYC is a tough place to be young and broke. Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, and Shoshanna, navigate love, careers, identity and motherhood. Marnie actually helps Hannah raise Hannah’s baby! Jessa sleeps with Hannah’s ex, but they sort it out. Shoshanna, goody two-shoes, ends up moving to Japan. If that’s not growth, we have an unpaid internship for you to try.

Stranger Things (2016-). Lucas, Dustin, Mike, Max and Will thought friendship was all about bicycling around the neighbourhood and playing D&D. Supernatural adventures (and a young girl with superpowers) shows them what loyalty really means. They gave us BFF goals: Good memories can pull you out of monster spells. Such a cool bunch, even their grown-up babysitter, Steve, keeps coming back to hang with them.

The Bold Type (2017-2021). Work friends who are real friends – we all have one. Millennials Jane, Kat and Sutton support and inspire each other at the women’s magazine they work for. Of course, there are misadventures: Finding (and holding on to) love, staying on track, dealing with parents, health scares and the interminable task of adulting. So much to learn. May their tribe grow.

Crew (2024). Who knew that smuggling gold into India could make besties out of three flight attendants? Geeta, Jasmine and Divya bond over financial issues, domestic ennui and the death of a colleague inflight, all while keeping their eyes of the prize. You know that meme about your workplace blowing up if you work with your BFF? This movie is that meme, except they get away with it. Who doesn’t want to be a part of a gang that can pull this off!

Ocean’s Eleven (2001). They’re not friends, exactly, but Danny Ocean’s team know each other (and their scam) so well, it never seems like they’re mere colleagues. Three casino heists. And Julia Roberts who’s both the distraction and the bonus prize. An MO that is smooth, bloodless, precise. “We’re just supposed to walk out of there with $150 million in cash on us, without getting stopped?” That’s how you know you’re in the right clique.

Dil Chahta Hai (2001). The OG Goa plan that made it past the WhatsApp GroupChat. Akash, Sameer and Siddharth keep each other going, even when the going gets tough. Love goes wrong, there’s a robbery, there’s an ugly fight, but like Goa’s tide, nothing’s permanent. Healthy male friendships are rare in Bollywood. Thankfully, these guys have each other for the grown-up problems that lie ahead.

Pink (2016). If getting judged for being a single woman isn’t enough of a bonding agent, attempted rape is. Flatmates Minal, Falak and Andrea refuse to let three men they meet at a party get away with their actions. They are discouraged from filing a complaint, Minal is kidnapped and threatened, and then arrested on suspicion of being a prostitute. The film focuses on the legal case. But it does a pretty good job of displaying solidarity outside of the hearings.

New Girl (2011–2018). A woman moving in with three men sounds like a terrible idea. And yet, Jess, a newly heartbroken middle-school teacher, finds more than solace when she has a change of address. Enter Nick with his ridiculous impressions, which go well with Jess’s ‘unique’ laugh (We were shipping them from the start), awkward Winston, whiny Schmidt, and a clique that truly feels like a group hug.

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