Nothing stokes our faith in fairy tales more than watching a reel life couple tying the knot, and real-life couples playing reel-life couples. It adds so much more to the on-screen chemistry , not to mention a reminder that some love stories can survive the glitz and glamour of the silver screen and the world around it. Indian movie lovers have always been enthralled by star couples, from Dilip Kumar-Saira Banu to Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh, Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya Bhaduri and Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai. There’s something fascinating about watching sparks between an on-screen couple translate into real-life relationships. The world was star-struck by the chemistry between Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, in movies like Bajirao Mastani . Similarly, Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil met Nazriya Nazim on the sets of Bangalore Days , where they portrayed how an emotionally distant couple can evolve to love each other. Such couples taking the magic a step further into their real lives never fail to capture the imagination of die-hard romantics. Here’s five pairs across generations, who’ve blurred the lines between on-screen and off-screen romance.
Samantha – Naga Chaitanya
The tinseltown excitement around Majili was largely driven by the fact that this is the first movie featuring the pair after their much-talked about marriage. Samantha and Naga Chaitanya’s first movie, the Gautham Menon starrer Ye Maya Chesave, is counted amongst the best contemporary romantic dramas that have come from down South. They had also acted in Autonagar Surya and Manam, the latter remaining a milestone in the Telugu industry for featuring three generations of the Akkineni family. Samantha’s presence in it only adds to the halo further. Putting the hyperbole aside, there is something reassuring about watching long-term friends tie the knot and continuing their careers unabated.
Kajol – Ajay Devgn
Mumbai : Actor Ajay Devgn with his wife Kajol at a party on the eve of megastar Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday in Mumbai on Wednesday night. PTI Photo (PTI10_11_2012_000119A)
It is the classic case of a couple proving everyone wrong. They have remained as one of Indian movie industry’s least controversial pairs, the epitome of stable relationships between movie stars, for an entire generation, who until then had only Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri to look up to. Given both Ajay Devgn and Kajol were born and brought up close to the industry, the couple have managed to steer clear of trouble, with an understanding of how the industry and its gossip works. Both have continued to enjoy fulfilling careers, despite the rumour mills constantly churning gibberish about their married life, compatibility and personalities, not to mention the fact that Kajol, like Jyothika, entered wedlock at the peak of her career. Married in 1998, Kajol’s most prominent films with her husband are Pyaar toh hona hi tha and Ishq . The couple had met on the sets of the movie Gundaraj . There are several other notable real-life couples who had acted together, like Srikanth and Ooha (originally Sivaranjani), who had worked together in Aame , before eventually tying the knot in 1997. The couple went on to do Ayanagaru in 1998.
Jeevitha - Dr Rajashekar
HYDERABAD, TELANGANA, 02/12/2017: Telugu film actor Rajasekhar and his wife Jeevitha participating part of the Word Disability Day, differently abled persons walk on the Necklace Road in Hyderabad on Saturday, to raise awareness about the government schemes for their welfare .--Photo: Nagara Gopal
Another real-life couple seen in movies together is that of Jeevitha and Dr Rajashekar. Despite innumerable movies together, they will be remembered for their first, a blockbuster action drama, Ankusam , which probably made cop action-dramas the staple of Telugu movie industry.
Jyothika - Suriya
CHENNAI TAMILNADU 17/10/2015 ACTOR SURYA AND ACTRESS JYOTHIKA PHOTO L_SRINIVASAN
Th ey persist as one of South India’s iconic power couples, more than a decade after their marriage. Both were heartthrobs when they entered wedlock. Suriya is a versatile powerhouse where Jyothika is already considered one of the finest actresses of her generation largely because of her willingness to experiment and don a variety of roles including negative ones. Married in 2006, Jyothika and Suriya have acted in seven movies together, the notable ones being director Gautham Menon’s Kaakha Kaakha and later, Sillunu Oru Kaadhal (2006), which interestingly was released just three days before their wedding. That the movie was about a couple in an arranged marriage and about the spirit of unconditional love is the icing on the cake.
Jaya Bachchan - Amitabh Bachchan
Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan (L) poses with wife Jaya Bachchan during a party on the eve of Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday in Mumbai on October 10, 2012. India's favourite film star and Bollywood legend, Bachchan - who is known as the "The Big B" having over 3.5 million Twitter followers is treated like royalty in the movie-mad country. Bachchan was the first Indian actor to feature at London's Madame Tussauds waxworks museum and was voted "actor of the millennium" in a BBC online poll in 1999. AFP PHOTO/ Punit PARANJPE
Tha t entire generations of publications have survived just on the basis of news stories around one particular couple are proof enough of their longevity, marital trust and understanding, and dignity in the face of decades of public speculation. India’s most celebrated personality, and easily the most popular hero, Amitabh Bachchan has never really left the public imagination, continuing to be one of its highest paid stars in his 70s. Jaya Bhaduri (now Jaya Bachchan) married Big B in 1973. The couple is known for numerous masterpieces including Chupke Chupke (a masterpiece in humour), Sholay (a cult action classic), Mili, Silsila, Zanjeer and Abhimaan , which was released the same year as their marriage and was made around marital envy at a time when a wife achieving more successful than her husband was still frowned upon. In recent times, their appearance in the blockbuster Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham reminded us of the chemistry that survives between the couple despite all the years that have passed by.
Amala - Nagarjuna
HYDERABAD,18/04/2014:Actor-producer Akkineni Nagarjuna along with his wife Amala Akkineni, during the launch of the Meelo Evaru Koteeswarulu, the Telugu format of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati in Hyderabad on Friday. ---PHOTO:NAGARA GOPAL
When the on-screen couple of a genre-bending, trend-setting movie of Telugu industry ties the knot in real life, there is a different high associated with it. Amala and Nagarjuna acted together in Ram Gopal Varma’s Siva , a crime-thriller that became an instant cult classic and remains so three decades after its release. They were also seen in Priyadarshan’s Nirnayam , a movie that features one of the most romantic Telugu songs of all time, Hello Guru . Nagarjuna and Amala also remain one of the most well-spoken and sophisticated couples of the industry, known for the way they have managed their aspirations and personal interests, Amala turning out as one of the first celebrity activists who have done a lot for social causes.
