Is it propinquity or is it fate that that makes real life lovers out of on screen pairs I often wonder. So many Bollywood couples that have worked together on screen have gone on to fall in love and marry and have their own version of happy ever after. We look at some of Bollywood’s best real life love stories.
Sunil Dutt & Nargis
It was the stuff of story books: he saved her from a fire on the sets when they were working together for Mother India and they went on to marry. Even decades after she passed away from cancer, he continued to yearn for her and see her in his dreams.
Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu
In an industry known for high rates of attrition, this is arguably Bollywood’s longest and most iconic romance. She had loved him since she was 12. He is 22 years her senior and this October, they will have been married 50 years!
Dharmendra and Hema Malini
Bollywood’s macho man Dharmendra was already married when they met on the sets of Tum Haseen Main Jawan. She had turned down Jeetendra and Sanjeev Kumar previously and though she held out against the charms of Garam Dharam for a while, she finally gave in and the two married in 1980. Though Dharmendra continues to live with his first wife, he celebrated 35 years of togetherness with Hema last year.
Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri
Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri
The story goes that he saw her on the cover of a magazine and it was her eyes that attracted him first. For her it was love at first sight when she first saw him at Pune’s FTII. The two tied the knot in June 1973 and have stuck it out through controversies, bad times and good.
Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh
It was a romance that started in their teens in 1975. She was his confidante and he would tell her all about his girl friends and break ups. They got married and 1980 and remain one of Bollywood’s most iconic and solid relationships till date.
Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai
Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai
The initial stirrings on attraction were felt on the sets of Kuchh Na Kaho in 2003 but it was on the sets of Mani Rathnam’s Guru that the couple really got close. It was after the film’s premier that he proposed to her and they married in 2007.
Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor
Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor
She is from Bollywood royalty, he is an actual Nawab. The two came to be known as India’s ‘Brangelina’ and tied the knot in 2012 after having been together for five years previous to that.
Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza
Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza
They met at the Hyderabad airport in 2002 and proceeded to become great friends. They married only in 2012 and remain one of Bollywood’s most endearing couples till date.
Here’s wish all the real life couples out there a very Happy Valentine’s Day!
Author – Reena Daruwalla
