These
six
male
megastars
have
formed
popular
pairs
with
two
starkly
different
leading
ladies.
Dinesh
Raheja
compares
and
contrasts
the
chemistry
between
the
onscreen
couples,
and
asks
you,
dear
reader,
to
vote
for
your
favourite
jodi.
Shah
Rukh
Khan
with
Kajol
or
Deepika
Padukone
In
the
first
half
of
Shah
Rukh
Khan’s
30-year-long
career
as
a
leading
man,
his
extremely
successful
pairing
with
Kajol
captured
the
romantic
imagination
of
a
generation.
In
beloved
blockbusters
like
Dilwale
Dulhaniya
Le
Jayenge
(1995),
Kuch
Kuch
Hota
Hai
(1998)
and
Kabhi
Khushi
Kabhie
Gham
(2001),
they
were
the
very
definition
of
love
for
audiences
enamoured
of
their
youth
and
vitality
as
well
as
their
ability
to
project
an
undertow
of
pure,
distilled
emotion.
When
Shah
Rukh
mentally
pleads
‘Palat‘
to
a
departing
Kajol
in
DDLJ,
how
could
you
not
root
for
the
couple?
Shah
Rukh
and
Kajol
worked
best
as
soul
mates
in
sunny,
brightly-lit
stories
from
a
less
brazen
era;
the
lukewarm
reception
to
their
last
film
Dilwale
(2015)
puts
this
pair’s
future
in
question.
Deepika
Padukone
made
her
debut
opposite
Shah
Rukh
with
the
successful
Om
Shanti
Om
(2007)
but
it
was
the
twosome’s
delightfully
zany
antics
in
Chennai
Express
(2013)
that
confirmed
their
compatibility.
Happy
New
Year
(2014)
scored
a
hat-trick
and
sealed
their
success.
Notably,
it
was
when
they
were
cast
together
in
Pathan
(2023)
and
Jawan
(2023)
that
both
enjoyed
a
career
resurgence.
It’s
almost
certain
that
we
will
see
a
lot
more
of
this
pair.
Vote!
Shah
Rukh
Khan
with
Kajol
or
Deepika?
Ranveer
Singh
with
Deepika
Padukone
or
Alia
Bhatt
Across
three
major
hits
(Goliyon
Ki
Raaslila
Ram-Leela,
Bajirao
Mastani
and
Padmaavat),
real-life
couple
Ranveer
Singh
and
Deepika
Padukone
have
ironically
never
had
a
happily-ever-after
onscreen.
But
erotic
electricity
crackled
when
this
good-looking
couple
played
star-crossed
lovers
who
can’t
keep
their
hands
off
each
other
in
Goliyon.
As
the
doomed
but
desperately-in-love
pair
of
Bajirao
Mastani,
they
emit
more
sparks
than
the
lamps
burning
in
their
palace.
It’s
rather
surprising
why
filmmakers
haven’t
cast
Ranveer
and
Deepika
together
in
another
full-fledged
period
romance
since.
On
the
other
hand,
it’s
a
totally
different
Ranveer
when
we
see
him
with
Alia
Bhatt
in
crowd-pleasers
like
Gully
Boy
(2019)
and
Rocky
Aur
Rani
Kii
Prem
Kahani
(2023).
Alia
has
a
certain
no-nonsense,
direct
approach
and
her
expressive
body
language
matches
Ranveer
to
a
T.
This
pair
brings
an
aerosol
freshness
and
a
contemporary
attitude
to
their
ad
films
and
their
movies.
VOTE!
Ranveer
Singh
with
Deepika
or
Alia?
Ranbir
Kapoor
with
Katrina
Kaif
or
Deepika
Padukone
It
was
with
Katrina
Kaif
that
Ranbir
Kapoor
scored
the
first
hit
of
his
career
in
Ajab
Prem
Ki
Ghazab
Kahani
(2009).
This
breezy
film
on
the
agony
and
ecstasy
of
young
love
relied
heavily
on
the
stars’
obvious
chemistry
and
good
looks.
The
very
next
year,
this
duo
proved
they
could
also
go
for
a
darker
shade
of
l’amour
in
the
successful
Raajneeti
(2010).
When
pitted
against
Ranbir’s
virtuoso
performance,
Katrina
sprang
a
surprise
and
delivered
a
believable
portrayal
of
the
ache
of
unrequited
love.
The
debacle
of
Jagga
Jasoos
(2015),
however,
abruptly
abbreviated
this
pairing.
When
Ranbir
and
Deepika
were
first
cast
together
in
their
sophomore
film
Bachna
Ae
Haseeno
(2008),
they
made
more
of
a
splash
off
screen
than
onscreen.
But
they
made
audiences
swoon
with
their
next
film,
Yeh
Jawani
Hai
Deewani
(2013),
which
reflected
the
themes
and
dreams
of
modern
youth,
albeit
as
channeled
by
the
young,
pretty
and
privileged.
The
subdued
fervour
of
their
together
scenes
has
a
distinct
throb.
Both
emoted
so
much
with
their
eyes.
Tamasha
(2015)
didn’t
yield
a
hit
and
Deepika
now
has
to
contend
with
Ranbir’s
wife
Alia
in
the
wish
list
of
prospective
producers.
VOTE!
Ranbir
Kapoor
with
Katrina
or
Deepika?
Ajay
Devgn
with
Kajol
or
Tabu
Romance
and
reality
rendezvoused
together
in
Ajay
Devgn
and
Kajol’s
1990s
films
such
as
Hulchul,
Goondaraj
and
Pyar
To
Hona
Hi
Tha;
the
last
hit
the
box
office
bull’s-eye.
Her
cheerful
joie
de
vivre
perfectly
complemented
his
laconic
demeanour.
Remarkably,
after
their
1999
love
marriage,
their
films
have
not
worked
more
often
than
they
have
(Dil
Dil
Kya
Kare,
Raju
Chacha,
U
Me
Aur
Hum,
Tanhaji).
Sometimes
real-life
chemistry
explodes
on
screen
but
at
times,
it
also
fizzles.
Meanwhile,
Ajay
and
Tabu
have
been
friends
since
their
teenage
years
and
have
gone
to
work
in
a
surprising
nine
films
together.
Surprising,
because
this
couple’s
films
are
unique
in
exploring
a
varied
palette
of
relationship
hues.
From
romantic
overtures
in
Vijaypath,
Haqueeqat,
Thakshak
and
the
recent
De
De
Pyar
De
and
Auron
Mein
Kahan
Dum
Tha
to
adversarial
roles
in
the
hit
Drishyam
franchise.
A
common
forte
is
this
pair’s
talent
for
convincing
viewers,
be
it
of
their
hatred
for
each
other
or
their
love.
VOTE!
Ajay
Devgn
with
Kajol
or
Tabu?
Salman
Khan
with
Aishwarya
Rai
or
Katrina
Kaif
Salman
Khan
and
Aishwarya
Rai
made
for
a
combustible
combination
that
filled
theatre
seats
when
Hum
Dil
De
Chuke
Sanam
hit
the
screens
back
in
1999.
They
were
not
only
very
easy
on
the
eyes
but
also
had
a
breathless
urgency
to
their
many
love
scenes
and
musical
serenades.
And
the
actors
wrested
considerable
emotional
power
from
their
parting
sequences.
Their
love
story
comes
to
a
bittersweet
end
in
the
film,
and
off-screen
too
this
star
couple
never
worked
together
(Aishwarya’s
cameo
in
Hum
Tumhare
Hain
Sanam
didn’t
really
count)
in
another
film
again.
Salman
and
Katrina
form
a
good-looking
pair
but
their
together
films
have
more
often
been
comedies
(Maine
Pyar
Kyun
Kiya)
or
thrillers
(Ek
Tha
Tiger,
Tiger
Zinda
Hai,
Tiger
3).
Their
romancing
inhabits
the
cusp
of
sentiment
and
humour.
They
finally
had
the
opportunity
to
convey
more
depth
of
feeling
as
a
duo
in
the
decades-spanning
saga,
Bharat
(2019).
VOTE!
Salman
Khan
with
Aishwarya
or
Katrina?
Akshay
Kumar
with
Priyanka
Chopra
or
Katrina
Kaif
Akshay
Kumar
and
Priyanka
Chopra
have
worked
together
in
four
films
(Andaaz,
Mujhse
Shaadi
Karoge,
Aitraaz
and
Waqt)
spread
over
three
years
between
2003
and
2005.
But
all
the
films
were
successful
and
the
pair
became
popular,
thanks
to
the
romantic
intensity
they
brought
even
to
regular
scenes.
Whether
it
was
Priyanka
playing
a
predatory
ex-girlfriend
in
Aitraaz
or
Akshay’s
amorous
pursuits
in
Mujhse
Shaadi
Karoge,
there
is
palpable
sexual
tension
in
this
couple’s
onscreen
interactions.
Akshay
and
Katrina
know
how
to
add
sizzle
to
their
love
scenes
and
particularly
the
songs.
There
is
a
rhythmic,
effortlessly-co-ordinated
flow
to
their
memorable
romantic
song-and-dance
numbers
like
Teri
Ore
or
My
Name
Is
Sheila
or
Tip
Tip
Barsa
Paani.
From
2007’s
culture
clash
dramedy
Namastey
London
to
2021’s
thriller
Suryavanshi,
there
is
a
reason
why
this
duo
continues
to
score
even
14
years
after
their
first
together
hit.
VOTE!
Akshay
Kumar
with
Priyanka
or
Katrina?
