Bollywood's Power Couples

Devika Rani and Himanshu Rai: The grandniece of legendary poet Rabindranath Tagore, Devika Rani is aptly remembered as the leading lady of Indian cinema. She married producer-actor Himanshu Rai in 1929. The talented twosome starred in Karma in 1933, but their power move was founding the Bombay Talkies film studio. At one time, Bombay Talkies boasted of producing films by leading actors of the time, such as Ashok Kumar and Madhubala, apart from Devika Rani herself. After Himanshu Rai's death in 1940, control of Bombay Talkies slipped away from Devika Rani's hands. She fought for control but three years later, veterans of the once-powerful studio broke away to form another powerful studio-Filmstan.

Devika Rani remarried in 1945. Though honoured with the Padma Shri and later the first recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, life was never the same again for Devika Rani. Devika Rani and Himanshu Rai were truly India's first power couple in showbiz.

Suraiya and Dev Anand: Suraiya was already a singing sensation and superstar when Hindi cinema's evergreen hero, Dev Anand, entered the industry. The two did seven films together — Vidya (1948), Jeet (1949), Shair (1949), Afsar (1950), Nili (1950), Do Sitare (1951) and Sanam (1951). They also had a four-year romance which could match any movie script. Many in the industry believed the romance worked wonders for Suraiya's golden voice. Once their romance became public (during the shooting of Afsar) Suraiya's orthodox family members were up in arms. Their rudeness took a toll on Suraiya's career, which started to flounder from 1951 onwards.

Had the magical romance between this gloriously talented couple survived, many believed Suraiya would have survived as the superstar singing sensation. Dev Anand too could have benefited, but this was one script which was not meant to have a happy ending.

Geeta Dutt and Guru Dutt: Hindi cinema's sensational playback singer of the 50s and one of the industry's foremost actor-directors formed a dream-team. After their marriage in 1953, Geeta went on to sing some of her best songs in her husband's films. Guru Dutt knew exactly how to use her voice which culminated in some of her classic tracks such as Hoon abhi main jawan, Jaa jaa jaa bewafa, Babu ji dheere chalna and Yeh lo main haari piya. However, a marriage between two temperamental geniuses was not to be. While Guru Dutt found solace in affairs, she turned to alcohol. In 1964, when Guru Dutt committed suicide, Geeta Dutt broke down to the point of no return. She died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1972. Hindi cinema had lost one of its brightest magical pairs forever – their power - their togetherness. However, the marriage between two temperamental geniuses didn't last too long.

Geeta Bali and Shammi Kapoor: Many would say the swinging star of the 60s, Shammi Kapoor, owes his stardom to Geeta Bali. Making an insipid entry into Hindi films in 1953, Shammi Kapoor worked in soulful romances which sank at the box-office. He married actress Geeta Bali in 1955 and by 1956 was all but written off from Hindi cinema. Geeta Bali believed that Shammi Kapoor had to change his image to succeed. That change came with the 1957 romantic comedy, Tumsa Nahin Dekha. The swinging James Dean- Elvis Presley evoking Shammi Kapoor became the icon of the 60s. When Geeta Bali married Shammi Kapoor she was already a major star.

While Shammi Kapoor became a huge star, Geeta Bali worked in fewer films after the birth of her children. The fairytale life of this star couple was cut short when Geeta Bali died of small pox in 1965. Soon after Shammi Kapoor's reign as leading actor was over, making way for the icon of the 70s – Rajesh Khanna.

Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi: Hindi cinema's "Tragedy Queen" is still remembered for her powerhouse performance in Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam. Her personal tragedy though was antithesis to the power she wielded on screen. She married director Kamal Amrohi, 15 years her senior. Soon after marriage, Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari produced a film called Daera (1953), which was based on their love story. Their glorious epic, Pakeezah (1972) took 16 years to reach the silver screen.

The Meena Kumari - Kamal Amrohi marriage was wracked by conflicts, both personal and professional, ultimately leading to a divorce. Kamal Amrohi later claimed it was a conspiracy by some people to wreck their home and exploit Meena Kumari for their own advantage. Some producers were desperate for Hindi cinema's bankable superstar to act in their films, which would not be possible with Amrohi in the picture. An epic happens once in a lifetime, sadly the world was not destined to see another Pakeezah.

Hema Malini and Dharmendra: The hugely successful on-screen pair of Hema Malini and Dharmendra delivered successive blockbusters such as Charas, Aas Paas, Jugnu, Seeta Aur Geeta and Sholay. Off-screen, Hema Malini settled for the much-married father of two – Dharmendra – though wooed by noted stars of her time such as Sanjeev Kumar and Jeetendra.

Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan: Screen legends individually and a powerhouse of talent – Mr and Mrs Bachchan recently celebrated 38 years of their marriage. On screen, they blazed in blockbusters such as Zanjeer, Abhimaan, Chupke Chupke, Sholay, Silsila, and the more-recent Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Off screen their marriage survived the rough patches of the 80s. The Bachchans are known to be a close knit family, perhaps deriving true “power” from the millions who idolize them in this country and beyond.

Neetu Singh -Rishi Kapoor: On-screen Neetu Singh and Rishi Kapoor worked in 11 films together; off-screen they fell in love and got married in 1979. Both were teenage icons. Post marriage Neetu Singh gave up films (ostensibly a personal decision, though many said it was because bahus from the Kapoor khandaan didn't work in films). This Kapoor couple tided over rough patches in a marriage over three decades old, gave us Ranbir Kapoor, and what's more, when they came back to the screen in Do Dooni Char, they were applauded once again. Some things don't change.

Gauri Khan and Shah Rukh Khan: He is Bollywood's badshah who rules the industry for more than a decade, has been named by Newsweek among the top 50 most powerful people in the world, has been honoured by the Indian government and foreign governments and has the frenzied support of millions of fans around the world. She is the private, successful (filmmaker and co-owner of Red Chillies Entertainment)and very stylish woman he is married to. Brand Khan together is reportedly worth more than 10 crore per endorsement.

Kajol and Ajay Devgn: Their name is not Khan, yet individually and collectively, Kajol and Ajay Devgn spell power and influence. Ajay can deliver box-office hits with quiet confidence and Kajol is among the rare female actors who can carry a film on her star power alone. The Devgns are hot property in the ad world too, though their films together have not been talked about.

Twinkle and Akshay Kumar: They've been married for more than a decade and their power stems from their togetherness. Or so we believe since last year, the couple reportedly moved into a joint office. Now that's a lovely example of work-life balance. Akshay Kumar owns a production house and Twinkle Khanna is an established interior decorator. Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna are hot on the endorsement circuit as well, though the naughty “unbuttoning act” on the Lakme Fashion Week in 2009 got the wrong kind of publicity.

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: This one is easy – great looks, a great name, a slew of endorsements and a huge fan following across the world – Bollywood's golden couple can make a cool entry into any "Power Couple" list. Abhi-Ash are reportedly worth a few hundred crores. While Aishwarya is the more visible of the two (things are likely to change in the next few months with BayB on the way) Abhishek is always at hand to show support.

Bipasha Basu and John Abraham: Though their 10-year relationship has now officially ended, John and Bipasha could rank high on the power couple list on the basis of their endorsements, reportedly at four crore. So will the split drain Bipasha and John of future beefy endorsement deals? We'll have to wait and watch.

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor: They aren't officially hitched but that hasn't lessened their impressive "couple power" even a teeny bit. So what if Tashan and Kurbaan didn't rock the box-office, but individually their careers couldn't be better. Kareena has a film with each of the three Khans this year (it really can't get bigger than that in Bollywood) and Saif has great things coming up with his own films. India's biggest brands can't get enough of this star couple, so bring on the Brangelinas -Saifeena can take them on.