Top three Bollywood blockbuster combos

As actor Salman Khan and filmmaker Karan Johar join hands for an upcoming film Shhuddhi, industry experts make a wish list of other duos that could make box office history.

As actor Salman Khan and film-maker Karan Johar confirmed the news about working together for Shuddhi, there’s buzz in the industry about the amount of business the powerhouse duo is likely to generate.

We look at some other actor-director combinations that could cause a stir by collaborating. Experts from the industry name several duos that have never worked together before, but if they did, could instantly create buzz. While some expect Salman Khan and Rohit Shetty to create magic, others believe Shah Rukh Khan and Sooraj Barjatya could do wonders.



Masala magic

Trade expert Akshay Rathi thinks that if Salman Khan and Rohit Shetty come together, they could push the numbers through the roof. Rathi says, "A Salman and Rohit Shetty combination would work, as they are both known for their masala entertainers and action films. The genre, content and names involved would surely make it a profitable business venture. People would love to see them together and other such combinations. We hope that these associations happen, as they will only help in generating more business for Bollywood."

Critic and analyst Taran Adarsh agrees that the two would do well if they collaborate. He says, "Both of them are mass-entertainer specialists. They both have given so many hits. Both the actor and the director know how to perfectly pull off action sequences as well."



Commercial and critical success

When it comes to content-driven scripts, Adarsh believes that there can be no better collaboration than Aamir Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He says, "Both are known to be perfectionists in their fields. Their coming together would make people anticipate something worth watching. They would create something really creative, yet mainstream."

Trade analyst Komal Nahta, on the other hand, thinks that Aditya Chopra and Aamir Khan could bring the perfect mix of commercial and creative brilliance. He says, "Aditya, as a film-maker, and Aamir, as an actor, have ventured successfully into different genres. They are both thinking minds. For whichever genre they come together, they’ll bring out something magnificent, given their past successful projects."



Romantic surges

While in the romance genre, most film-makers stick to the favourites, Nahta points out that Shah Rukh Khan and Sooraj Barjatya could make the audiences swoon to their tunes. "Sooraj has made some of the best love stories of Bollywood, and Shah Rukh is undoubtedly the king of romance. This combination will draw huge numbers to the theatres."

Trade expert Amod Mehra would want to see the kind of effect Aamir Khan and Karan Johar create if and when they work together. He says, "Karan is a true commercial film-maker, and Aamir is a perfectionist. A love story with Aamir would create instant buzz. If they come together they will definitely create magic."