15 Actor-Director Duos In Bollywood That Share A Really Special And Lucrative Bond

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There is no doubt that Bollywood is a place where connections matter a lot. Just like any other industry these days, in Bollyood too, there is cut-throat competition and a race to bag the next perfect project. Add to that, all the glitz, glam, controversies, and media speculations. As a result, what you get is probably a pretty chaotic, yet entertaining film industry. And it's tough to create special bonds with other people when you are part of such chaos. Yet there are some lovely actor-director pairs in the industry who share not only a special bond, but have given us many amazing, memorable, and hit films. One such pair is actress Deepika Padukone and director Homi Adajania.

In an interview to a popular magazine, when Deepika was quizzed about which director had tapped her acting talent the most, she said, "Homi Adajania. At a time when I felt stuck, he made me believe in myself. I couldn't have managed my performance in Cocktail if he wasn't directing it. Farah (Khan) and Imtiaz (Ali) also contributed but Homi is the one who really unlocked the actor in me."

The two have worked in Cocktail together, which is considered a path-breaking role in Deepika's career. They collaborated for Finding Fanny, and the recent, controversial short film My Choice. But despite all the drama and outrage that followed the My Choice video, Deepika and Homi still continue to be great friends and the actress credits him for unlocking the actor in her. Just like them, check out these 15 other actor-director pairs in Bollywood who share a special bond and have given us some memorable films

1. Salman Khan and Sooraj Barjatya/Sajid Nadiadwala

We all know that it was director Sooraj Barjatya who christened Salman Khan 'Prem', the most iconic romantic hero of Bollywood, next to only 'Raj' a.k.a Shahrukh Khan. The duo did Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, and Hum Saath Saath Hai together. And they are all set to make a comeback in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo set to hit theatres this year. Apart from Sooraj Barjatya, Salman also shares a special bond with Sajid Nadiadwala, and even though Sajid has produced many movies for Salman Khan, he recently also directed him in Kick.

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2. Sharukh Khan and Karan Johar/Yash Chopra

Shahrukh Khan is practically family for both Karan Johar and the Chopra clan! Right from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to My Name Is Khan, Shahrukh and Karan Johar have collaborated in many successful movies together. And as far as the late Yash Chopra is concerned, the two have collaborated in four movies, all of which have been absolutely epic, namely Darr, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Veer-Zara, and Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

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3. David Dhawan and Govinda 

Now here's one actor-director duo that has delivered back-to-back hits for years. In fact, they've been full-on family entertainers! Their movies were loved by all, did amazing business at the box office, and set an example for generations to come. From Raja Babu to Partner, the duo has given us many movies to cherish.

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4. Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty

Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty's are most famous for their Golmaal series. But not many know that they had collaborated before that in Zameen. Apart from three movies under the Golmaal franchise, the pair has worked together in Singham and Bol Bachchan. 

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5. Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi/Anil Sharma

We're sure nobody can forget Sunny Deol's earlier days, when he did some superb movies with director Rajkumar Santoshi, including Ghayal, Ghatak, and Damini. In fact, those were the films Sunny Deol gained popularity for as an action hero. On the other hand, director Anil Sharma and Sunny Deol have collaborated in a string of successful movies like Gadar and The Hero: Love Story Of A Spy.

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6. Sanjay Dutt and Rajkumar Hirani

We owe the Munnabhai franchise to this hit actor-director duo. While we have already seen two pretty awesome movies from the Munnabhai series, it is being reported that Hirani wants to make a third part, and he has clearly stated that it's only Sanjay Dutt who fits the role.

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7. Katrina Kaif and Kabir Khan

Kabir Khan has directed five movies till date, and three out of those five have Katrina Kaif in them. They have worked together in pretty successful movies like Ek Tha Tiger and New York. In fact, Kabir is directing her again in their upcoming film Phantom. What's fun to know is that it was only under Kabir's direction that Katrina started doing stunts herself!

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8. Akshay Kumar Vipul Shah/Priyadarshan

Vipul Shah has till date directed five movies, out of which Akshay Kumar has played the lead in four. That says a lot about their bonding! In fact, the duo has given us some amazing movies like Namastey London and Action Replayy. 

9. Anushka Sharma and Maneesh Sharma

Even though Maneesh Sharma and Anushka Sharma have collaborated in just two movies together, it's actually Maneesh who tapped Anushka's potential and gave her the first hit of her career, sans Shahrukh Khan. Of course, her debut movie Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi opposite Shahrukh was a super hit, but not much was said about her performance in the film. But Maneesh and Anushka came together for Band Baaja Baraat, and the movie was a blockbuster hit. They worked together again in Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl which was also a success.

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10. Shahid Kapoor and Vishal Bharadwaj

Well, well. Here's one actor-director duo that is hell bent on raising Indian cinema standards. The two have given us some quality cinema to feast on. Whether it was Kaminey or Haider, they have risen the bar for other movie makers and actors for sure.

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11. Emraan Haashmi and Mohit Suri

These two literally share a close bond as they are cousin brothers! From Zeher to Kalyug to Hashmi's latest film, Hamari Adhuri Kahani, opposite Vidya Balan, these two have worked together in numerous movies. In fact, it was Suri who gave Emraan his career's first hit, Awarapan.

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12. Kajol and Karan Johar

It's no secret that Karan Johar and Kajol are the best of friends. Even though their friendship has seen a few bumps here and there, they are thick buddies and have always come back together stronger than before. From the blockbuster Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to their latest one together, My Name Is Khan, KJo and Kajol have always created magic on screen together!

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13. Ranbir Kapoor and Ayan Mukerji

These two are such close buddies that they are often spotted vacationing together! The fact that they are almost the same age probably contributes to their getting along like a house on fire. Mukherji has directed only two movies so far, Wake Up Sid and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, and both of them have had Ranbir Kapoor as the lead. There's good news too! Both of them are about to work together in a movie which will see Ranbir Kapoor play a superhero.

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14. Aishwarya Rai and Sanjay Leela Bhansali

These two share a really close and special bond. In fact, Sanjay Leela Bhansali gave Aishwarya her career's first blockbuster in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. They collaborated again in Devdas and Guzaarish, and all of these movies have been sensational hits!

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15. Amitabh Bachchan and R.Balki

Considering that Amitabh Bachchan has been around in Bollywood for decades, it would be tough to pick out only one director with whom he shares a great rapport. But since he's still pretty active in the movies, we pick his most recent favourite director, R.Balki. The two first came together in the path-breaking Cheeni Kum, which was something that Bollywood had never seen before. Since then Balki has directed two more films, Paa and Shamitabh, both of which have starred senior Bachchan.

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