Buoyed by the box office success of films of 2013, Bollywood has a formidable line-up for this year. While we hope they have impressive storylines to spruce them up, currently the talking point of these upcoming films is their power pairings.
Vidya Balan-Farhan Akhtar
It’s a first ever and one that no one can match in terms of talent as well as past successes. Farhan and Vidya open the year with not just their unusual but also power combination in a sequel that comes eight years after Pyar Ke Side Effects (Mallika Sherawat and Rahul Bose). Saket Chaudhary’s Shaadi Ke Side Effects required someone mature yet crazy and these two stars seem to have struck the right note with their zany chemistry. The film is a take on what happens in marriage once the ‘honeymoon’ period is over and realities set in.
Hrithik Roshan-Katrina Kaif
Bang Bang . Apt title, we’d say. Their relationship statuses notwithstanding, Hrithik and Kat got to be the most good-looking couple around. Watching them play out their romance for a brief bit in Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara established that. So Sidharth Anand decided to cast them together for the official Bollywood remake of Knight & Day. Fireworks are assured!
Madhuri Dixit-Juhi Chawla
When two female superstars of the 80s and the 90s decide to join hands for a girls-only venture, it’s time to sit up and notice. Gulaab Gang has Madhuri as the protagonist and Juhi playing the villain of the piece. The trailer makes you wonder why the former was ever called the Madhubala of the 80s and the latter chirpy Juhi? Watch them in entirely new avatars , mouthing foul language and launching into breathtaking action in first-timer Soumik Sen’s cinematic take on activist Sampat Pal’s Gulaabi Gang .
Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone
This one is turning out to be a blockbuster couple after their first Om Shanti Om and last year’s Chennai Express . SRK and Deepika are now bunching together with Farah Khan for her next release after that dud called Tees Maar Khan (minus the only Khan in her life). Happy New Year is expected to make a lot of people very, err, happy.
Ranveer Singh-Arjun Kapoor
Can’t deny the crackling chemistry that these ‘friends’ share. The two have loads of attitude but they seem to revel in each other’s company. On Karan Johar’s chat show, which has always been a barometer for industry relationships, the Ranveer-Arjun j odi was a ticking bomb. In their upcoming Gunday by Ali Abbas Zafar, this young but climbing-up-the-popularity-charts ‘couple’ is the USP.
Katrina Kaif-Saif Ali Khan
Kabir Khan is working yet again with his favourite actress Katrina Kaif and has pulled in another box office money-spinner Saif Ali Khan ( Bullett Raja notwithstanding) for a film based on events post the 26/11 attacks. Largely shot in Beirut, Phantom is Kabir’s first film outside of Yash Raj Films, with Sajid Nadiadwala.
Riding piggyback
Some younger actors are getting a chance to team up with more established names this year too. Take a look:
- Aamir Khan-Anushka Sharma in Rajkumar Hirani’s PK
- Katrina Kaif-Aditya Roy Kapoor in Abhishek Kapoor’s Fitoor (an adaptation of Great Expectations )
- Salman Khan-Jacqueline Fernandez in Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kick
- Akshay Kumar-Tammannaah in Sajid-Farhad’s It’s Entertainment
