David Lagachu
5. Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Aishwarya Rai
Sanjay Leela Bhansali can be referred to as the modern day Kamal Amrohi or K. Asif and Aishwarya Rai – the reincarnation of the ever so gorgeous Madhubala. Their meeting was fixed by destiny when a few top rated actresses refused to be a part of his ambitious large scale venture ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’. Aishwarya stepped in at the last moment and we couldn’t thank god enough for that as she was born to play Nandini. Her angelic face, petite frame, light footedness and a hint of rebellious streak helped her in getting into the skin of the character and outsmarted even the director’s vision. The film made her a shining star in the galaxy of Bollywood. They further collaborated in films like ‘Devdas’ and ‘Guzaarish’ to effective results.
4. Karan Johar and Kajol
They form the golden creative trio of Bollywood along with Shah Rukh Khan. They first met on the sets of ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ where Karan was assisting and co-starring with SRK and Kajol. Karan directed his favourite stars for the first time in ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hain’ which went on to became a huge blockbuster. He repeated the same formula in ‘Kabhie Khusi Kabhie Gham’ and it also met with considerable amount of success. ‘My Name is Khan’ was a very different movie to come out Karan’s Dharma Productions but it worked for its hard hitting way of dealing with the issue of racism and Islam phobia. Karan and Kajol last collaborated in ‘We are Family’ which was an official remake of ‘Stepmom’.
3. Yash Chopra and Sridevi
This director-actress duo was meant to work together as their aesthetic sensibilities were so similar. One of them was a filmmaker known for presenting the feminine beauty on screen in all its glory. The other was the reigning queen of Indian cinema throughout the 80s. Their first collaboration ‘Chandni’ was an ode to the undying spirit and enduring love of the Indian women. A soul stirring plot, beautifully choreographed dance numbers and songs filmed in Switzerland made sure that people came in large numbers to see the film. Their next collaboration ‘Lamhe’ was a far superior film than their first one together but it was given the cold shoulder at the box office. The film’s relaxed morality was too much to handle for the audience. Over the years ‘Lamhe’ has achieved cult status and the director once himself confessed it to be his favourite film.
2. Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Jaya Bhaduri
Had it not been for the guiding hands of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s apt direction Jaya Bhaduri would never have become the celebrated actor that she is today. Jaya Bhaduri is often given the credit for introducing a trend of realistic acting in Hindi films, Hrishikesh Mukherjee who was known for making slice of life movies found a dedicated pupil and collaborator in her. Together they produced some instant classics like ‘Mili’, ‘Chupke Chupke’, ‘Abhimaan’, ‘Guddi’ and ‘Bawarchi’. No other director-actress duo has been able to replicate their success till date.
1. Raj Kapoor and Nargis
There is a reason why Raj Kapoor is known as the greatest showman of Indian cinema. His films are larger than life and speak of unbridled emotions. He single handedly revolutionized the way Indian actors look, talk and dress on celluloid. In his illustrious career spanning over 50 years he worked with the best of Indian talents but his work shone the most whenever he collaborated with his muse and alleged lover Nargis. They worked together in some 16 odd films (4 directed by Raj Kapoor – ‘Aag’, ‘Barsaat’, ‘Awaara’ and ‘Shree 420’) and those turned out to be some of the most loved classics of Indian cinema. In fact the logo of RK films was inspired by one particular romantic scene from the 1949 Raj Kapoor directed hit romance ‘Barsaat’.
