Dynamic duos: Salman Khan-Sajid, SRK-Farah and more hit pairs

Many successful actor-film-maker pairs collaborated once again in 2014, yielding hits at the box office

Certain actors and filmmakers tend to bring out the best in each other, leading to great expectations when they collaborate on more projects. Years of friendship, a healthy working relationship or just a knack for knowing what works at the box office are among the reasons why films made by these teams are eagerly awaited.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra feels that a proven track record, coupled with nostalgia, works in favour of such pairs. "The audiences’ expectations go through the roof. One doesn’t have to do much promotion, since people are already aware of their work," he says.

In 2014, we saw many such pairs reuniting successfully.

Salman Khan-Sajid Nadiadwala

Latest collaboration:

Kick (as director-producer)

Past partnerships:

Jeet (1996), Judwaa (1997), Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (2000), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and Jaan-E-Mann (2006)

What works:

"We have an unspoken rapport. He was the inspiration and force behind me taking the huge step of directing films. Salman has earlier seen me as a producer, and the respect and love we nurtured for each other then has grown stronger now," said Sajid.

Shah Rukh Khan-Farah Khan

Latest collaboration:

Happy New Year (as director)

Past partnerships:

Main Hoon Na (2004), Om Shanti Om (2007)

What works:

"Shah Rukh is a fabulous person to have on your set. It’s very rare for a star of his stature to do an ensemble film like Happy New Year. But I didn’t have to do any convincing for him to agree to do the film. He was, in fact, excited to know who his co-stars would be," said Farah.

Shahid Kapoor-Vishal Bhardwaj

Latest collaboration:

Haider (as director-producer)

Past partnerships:

Kaminey (2009)

What works:

"He is the best actor in his age group and we’ve always had a good rapport. Since we wanted to make the film within a certain budget, I wanted an actor who understood that this film would do wonders for his career, and whom I could ask to not charge a fee," said Vishal.

Ajay Devgn-Rohit Shetty

Latest collaboration:

Singham 2 (as director)

Past partnerships:

Zameen (2003), Golmaal (2006), Golmaal Returns (2008), All The Best (2009), Golmaal 3 (2010), Singham (2011) and Bol Bachchan (2012)

What works:

"It’s been 25 years with Rohit. It’s very difficult to say how our friendship has evolved, but I would like to say that he has grown and worked hard. He is one of the most hardworking directors I have ever collaborated with," said Ajay.

Akshay Kumar-Vipul Shah

Latest collaboration:

Holiday (as producer)

Past partnerships:

Aankhen (2002), Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005), Namastey London (2007), Action Replayy (2010)

What works:

"Whenever Akshay and I have teamed up, we have attempted something new. It could have something to do with our stories, characters or films. That, in turn, works in our favour as it keeps us on our toes to deliver our best (sic)," said Vipul.