Ah, Bollywood, the gift that keeps giving. Every year, we are fed on an unhealthy diet of trash movies with nonsensical storylines and a star chemistry that appears terribly forced. However, there are also a few good films that truly whet our appetite and make us hold on to hope for a better tomorrow. This year, however, the audience decided to opt for content-driven films and ditched the masala entertainers. We also had/have a few fresh pairings. Here’s what we think of it:

Ishaan Khatter – Janhvi Kapoor

The film may have disappointed some critics but the chemistry between the leads was kinda sweet. It appeared genuine for the most part and this is a pairing that can be recreated again in other films.

Varun Dhawan – Banita Sandhu

Shoojit Sircar’s October was such an engrossing film that not many people focused on the fact that there was a fresh pairing in the film. Because, thank God, there were so many other factors that caught people’s attention. Varun Dhawan delivered a career-best performance and left the critics and the masses impressed.

Sara Ali Khan – Sushant Singh Rajput

The film is yet to release but everyone is already going gaga over the chemistry between the lead actors. Khan has come across as incredibly mature in all her interviews so far and there seems to be something so genuine about her. Rajput, of course, is a brilliant actor. Together, they make a good pair but we’ll have to wait and watch how their movie fares.

Rhea Chakraborty – Varun Mitra

We’ve loved Chakraborty’s sass since her start in MTV India’s Teen Diva and she’s come a long way since then. However, blame the script if you must but Jalebi was a disaster and so was the pairing. Chakraborty plays a Geet-esque character and the film’s high point came and went with the poster which spawned a thousand memes.

Amyra Dastur – Anirudh Tanwar

Rajma Chawal is a much-loved dish in most north Indian households but this latest Netflix original doesn’t seem to have hit the mark. Early reviews of the film have been quite brutal towards the plot and the pair doesn’t hold people’s attention – much like the storyline.