As Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan step into the 8th year of married bliss we look at the films they were seen together in.
Mani Ratnam’s Guru is a special film for Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, not only because of its success, but also because it was reportedly during the making of Guru that the two fell in love. It was also heard that it was at the premiere of Guru in Toronto that Abhishek proposed to Aishwarya.
Before they fell in love, Abhishek and Aishwarya were good friends after they first met on the sets of Dhai Akshar Prem Ke (2000). The film didn’t do well and we might want to erase it from our memory but on hindsight it might be a very special one for the couple.
Even after the box office failure of Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, filmmakers didn’t give up on the Abhi-Ash jodi. In 2003 Rohan Sippy got them back together for Kuch Na Kaho (2003). But the audience didn’t have much to say about this love story.
Well, finally in 2005 they got their first hit. No, it wasn’t a film but a song in the film Bunty Aur Babli (2005). And this time Big B also joined in and the three killed it as they shook a leg together to Kajra Re.
Yes, this is exactly what happened on this remake of the original classic. Even though the couple looked fabulous in Umrao Jaan (2006) it couldn’t save the film from bombing. Though their romantic pairing on-screen did not meet with much success, the couple had probably begun to share a good rapport off-screen by now.
While we saw Aishwarya Rai wear a traditional Indian look in Umrao Jaan in the first half of 2006, in the second half Ash pulled off a jaw dropping sexy avatar in Dhoom2. Though Hrithik Roshan got to kiss Aishwarya in the film, it was Abhishek Bachchan who won her heart and the very next year the couple got hitched in an elaborate ceremony in Mumbai.
After Dhoom 2, Ram Gopal Verma came to their rescue, and gave them Sarkar Raj (2008). Sarkar Raj didn’t do as well as Sarkar but it did rate better than some of Abhishek and Aishwarya’s previous films both critically and commercially.
Abhishek and Aishwarya could not repeat the success of Guru with Mani Ratnam’s next, Raavan. This retelling of the Ramayana in a contemporary setting was slaughtered by critics and the audience wisely chose to stay away.
May be not in reel but from films to TV commercials and regular outings on the red carpet at Cannes, both Abhishek and Aishwarya are a hit jodi in real life. Here’s wishing the couple a very happy marriage anniversary.
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