The Couple of the Decade

[seema]

What is Bollywood without its duets? How glossy would be Bolly premieres without hand-in-hand entries?

Bombay has always celebrated its couples, from Himanshu Rai-Devika Rani to Saifareena. It has been an Eden for lovers, both on and off the screen.

The Bolly buff, on his part, has made these romances a part of Indian mythology.

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[seema]

Aishwarya Rai

Often called the most beautiful woman in the world, Aishwarya Rai arrived on the scene in 1994, when she won the runner's up title at the Miss India pageant and went on to win the Miss World crown. In 1997, she made her movie debut with Mani Ratnam's Tamil film 'Iruvar'. Her performance in 1999's 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' earned Aishwarya critical and commercial acclaim. She also met Salman Khan while on one of those typical SLB "pallu-catches-fire" routines, and gave the media some spicy Page 3 fodder.

In 2001, Aishwarya broke up with Salman and, according (only) to Vivek Oberoi, entered an interim orbit with him.

Aishwarya is one of the few Indian actors who have found fame overseas. With films such as 'Bride and Prejudice' and 'Pink Panther 2', as well as appearances on the Oprah Winfrey and the David Letterman shows, Aishwarya became a well-known face, if not a household name, around the world. Time magazine included her in the world's 100 most influential people in 2004 and London's Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum installed a wax statue of her.

In April, 2007, Aishwarya married beau Abhishek Bachchan in what was supposed to be a private wedding but in fact turned into a national extravaganza! Two and a half years later, they are one of Bollywood's power couples, appearing in feature films as well television commercials.

[seema]

Abhishek Bachchan

When you are the son of the biggest film star the nation has ever seen, it can work as a major boon or a giant burden. Fortunately for Abhishek Bachchan, his natural acting talent, hard work and appeal have helped him see the lands beyond his father's shadows and become a bona fide film star in his own right.

Abhishek made his debut with 'Refugee', opposite Kareena Kapoor, in 2000. In October 2002, he got engaged to Kareena's elder sister, Karisma Kapoor. Three months later, however, the engagement was called off.

Professionally too, this was a particularly low period for Abhi, with a string of flops such as 'Dhai Akshar Prem Ke', 'Shararat' and 'Kuch Naa Kaho' (two of these were opposite his future wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) to his credit. It was his turn as the roguish Lallan in 2004's 'Yuva' that finally got him the critical acclaim he had been yearning for. 'Yuva' was later followed by his first commercial success, 'Dhoom', and there's been no looking back for Abhishek ever since.

In 2006, the British magazine, Eastern Eye, named him the ***iest man in Asia. A year later, India's 'most eligible bachelor' broke hearts by marrying the most beautiful woman in the world. This good-looking couple is often referred to as 'AbhiAish' and remains highly sought after by the media.

[seema]

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (2000-2009)

2000: 'Josh': Aishwarya plays Shahrukh Khan's sister in Mansoor Khan's 'Josh'. The film also stars Chandrachur Singh.

2000: 'Mohabbatein': Again with Shahrukh Khan, this time as his lover. The movie was directed by Aditya Chopra.

2002: 'Devdas': Another hit with Shahrukh Khan - Sanjay Leela Bhansali's remake of a Bimal Roy classic; Aishwarya plays the role of Paro; Madhuri Dixit plays Chandramukhi.

2004: 'Raincoat': Director Rituparno Ghosh presents her as the deglamourised Neeru, opposite Ajay Devgn.

2006: 'Dhoom 2': She appears as master thief Sunheri, in the year's biggest hit, directed by Sanjay Gadhvi. The film also stars Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra and Bipasha Basu.

2007: 'Guru': A Mani Ratnam film; Aishwarya delivers a credible performance as Sujata, opposite Abhishek, in this commercial and critical hit.

2008: 'Jodhaa Akbar': Ashutosh Gowariker directs the ethereal pair of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. Hrithik plays Akbar the Great and Aishwarya plays Akbar's Rajput wife Jodha.

2008: 'Sarkar Raj': She plays the role of Anita Rajan, the CEO of a major power company; the film stars Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan; directed by Ram Gopal Varma.

[seema]

Abhishek Bachchan (2000-2009)

2000: 'Refugee': plays "Refugee", who helps people cross borders; directed by JP Dutta; co-stars: Kareena Kapoor.

2003: 'Yuva': plays Lallan Singh, a street goon; directed by Mani Ratnam; co-stars: Ajay Devgn, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukherji, Kareena Kapoor, Esha Deol.

2004: 'Dhoom': plays ACP Jaideep Dixit, a no-nonsense cop; directed by Sanjay Gadhvi; co-stars: John Abraham, Uday Chopra, Rimi Sen, Esha Deol.
2004: 'Bunty aur Babli': plays Rakesh Trivedi, a village boy who meets his (city) girl; directed by Shaad Ali; co-stars: Rani Mukherji,

2004: 'Sarkar': plays Shankar Nagre, the youger son of Subhas Nagre alias Sarkar; directed by Ram Gopal Varma; co-stars: Amitabh Bachchan, KK Menon, Katrina Kaif.

2006: 'Guru': plays Gurukant Desai, a young dreamer who grows up to live his dreams; directed by Mani Ratnam; co-stars: Aishwarya Rai, R Madhavan, Vidya Balan, Mithun Chakraborthy.

2008: 'Dostana': plays Sameer Acharya, a nurse who pretends to be a gay; directed by Tarun Mansukhani; co-stars: John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra.