Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) was released in theatres in the year 1995 and has continued to dominate since while also having given us one of the most iconic Bollywood jodis of all time. Directed by Aditya Chopra, the film re-defined romantic movies for Bollywood to the extent that renowned film critic Namrata Joshi even noted that “we can neatly divide them (Bollywood romances) into two eras— before DDLJ and after DDLJ“.
The film completes 25 years today. Of all the things that DDLJ has done for Hindi cinema, the greatest thing it gave us was, perhaps, the uber-successful jodi of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The two of them are India’s version of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the sense that, just like the West is obsessed with Jack and Rose, India will never get over Raj and Simran.
Below, we catalogue four other successful Bollywood on-screen jodis that come close to the magic that SRK-Kajol create.
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Hrithik Roshan
Kapoor Khan and Roshan were first paired opposite each other in the iconic film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Their sizzling chemistry and banter set the screen on fire. Of course, it helped that both of them are the most good-looking actors we have in Bollywood. One’s a Greek god, the other’s the ultimate diva.
Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar
While Kapoor Khan and Roshan looked great on-screen, their films didn’t necessarily perform well – barring K3G. That wasn’t the case with Kaif and Kumar. The duo gave multiple blockbusters and were the ‘it’ jodi for quite some time.
Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh
They’re both great actors and uber-successful to boot. Singh is as flamboyant as Padukone is mysterious. From Bajirao Mastani to Ram Leela, the real-life duo gave back-to-back hits and have become muses of sorts for the acclaimed filmmaker, Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan
They say that the best defence for nepotism is Alia Bhatt. A fine and versatile actor, Bhatt has romanced Dhawan in multiple films, starting from the fun and frivolous Student Of The Year. There’s something very desi about their on-screen romance – it’s like Diwali without the ensuing pollution.
