Here some Bollywood pairs – who had once ruled the big screen way back in the 80s and 90s – we would like to see them pairing up again
The latest “comeback” story is of Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt together again on the big screen. This on-screen couple was last seen in the forgettable ‘Mahaanta’ over two decades ago. Madhuri-Sanjay pairing gave some memorable potboilers such as ‘Saajan’, ‘Sahibaan’ and ‘Khalnayak’.
Looking back at the Bollywood movies in the tail-end of the twentieth century (yes, we mean the good ol’ 80s and 90s), there were some splendid on-screen couplings that had some magic—some were one-time only, others were winning formulas. Here are a few that we picked out:
Juhi Chawla-Aamir Khan
Remember “Ghazab ka hai din, dekho zara…”, one of the many classic songs from the superhit Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT) that catapulted Juhi Chawla and Aamir Khan as the Bollywood it-couple? Their portrayal of star-crossed Raj and Rashmi spawned similar on-screen love stories, including Love Love Love, Tum Mere Ho and Daulat Ki Jung. They were last seen opposite each other in the romantic comic caper Ishq—along with Ajay Devgn and Kajol—way back in 1997.
Karishma Kapoor-Govinda
There was never a more dynamic duo than Karishma Kapoor and Govinda. The period when David Dhawan made Govinda a household name was when Karishma Kapoor being cast with him meant a sure-shot success. First seen on screen together in Muqabla in 1993, the Karishma-Govinda pairing hit jackpot with the 1994 Raja Babu. Their teaming gained currency with Coolie No.1, Hero No.1 and Saajan Chale Sasural. The two were last seen together in 2000 in the thriller Shikari.
Shilpa Shetty-Akshay Kumar
They first met on the sets of Main Khiladi Tu Anari and love blossomed. Akshay and Shilpa came together again in Insaaf (1997) and Jaanwar (1999). Their chemistry produced some popular romantic songs, including the unforgettable “Chura Ke Dil mera….” This was the meant-to-be-together couple until Akshay cheated on Shilpa. The actress then announced she would never work with him again. They were last seen together in Dhadkan—the two broke up during its production.
Shahrukh Khan-Aishwarya Rai
They have played siblings and star-crossed lovers with equal panache. After Kajol bowed out of acting following her marriage to Ajay Devgn, Shahrukh Khan seemed like he would have to do without a leading lady, that was until the former Miss World Aishwarya Rai stepped out. Their pairing produced hits such as Josh, Mohabbatein and Devdas. However, as the Salman-Aishwarya relationship started affecting film productions, Shahrukh didn’t take up any more projects with her.
Rani Mukherjee-Salman Khan
The Rani-Salman pairing had always been ‘cute’. They first got together on screen for Hello Brother in 1999. Although in Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai—the two were there, they never shared a scene in the movie. After Hello Brother, they have paired again for Kahi Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye and then Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega. They were last paired opposite each other in Chori Chori Chupke Chupke.
Raveena Tandon-Sunil Shetty
They first worked together in Dilwale and were seen together on screen again in Mohra, but Raveena and Sunil started off as an on-screen couple only in the 1998 Vinashak. As Sunil Shetty established himself as an action hero, Raveena became his leading lady. In 2000, they were paired in Officer and Ek Hindustani. They two of them were seen last in the comedy, Ek Se Badhkar Ek in 2004. Their film 2 Chehre was released in 2015 after being shelved for nearly 10 years.
Kajol-Ajay Devgn
We all crave for Kajol and Shahrukh Khan together, but she made a great on-screen pair with Ajay Devgn too. We now see them together in the ads for Lifebuoy and Whirlpool, but before these were their movies. The first ones were Hulchul and Gundaraj in 1995. While Ishq became Juhi and Aamir’s last outing together—Kajol and Ajay went on to do several romantic dramas after that: Pyar Toh Hona Hi Tha, Dil Kya Kare, and finally in 2000, Raju Chacha.
Saif Ali Khan-Akshay Kumar
Talking about pairs shouldn’t always be about man-woman couples. It will be remiss of us not to mention the buddy actors: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. Main Khiladi Tu Anari was the first of their successes together. Then came Yeh Dillagi the same year. Those were followed by Tu Chor Main Sipahi, Keemat and Aarzoo. They were last seen together in the 2008 action-comedy Tashan.
Jackie Shroff-Anil Kapoor
When we talk about buddy romance, we have to talk about the ‘bros’ of Bollywood: Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor. Before they became Ram and Lakhan, they were dual leads in several films in the 1990s. The first one was Andar Baahar, a loose adaptation of the Hollywood film 48 Hrs. Ram Lakhan, Parinda, Trimurti and Yudh were their other hits. The two shared the screen last in 1942: A Love Story, but last shared credits in the 2001 woman-centric film, Lajja.