From Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone to Amitabh Bachchan-Rekha: Famous on-screen pairs that had non-romantic appearances in same films

By Rajiv Vijayakar -

September 13, 2023 - 6:51 PM IST

Shah Rukh Khan has always been fond of lots of cameos in his home productions, the way Mehmood used to be in his own movies. Om Shanti Om, which spearheaded the formation of the Shah Rukh-Deepika Padukone team, was the start of his obsession, which was followed by Billu and Zero, wherein Deepika too did a cameo.

From Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone to Amitabh Bachchan-Rekha: Famous on-screen pairs that had non-romantic appearances in same films

And now, Deepika has done her latest cameo with him in Jawan, and the hit team of Om Shanti Om, Chennai Express, Happy New Year and Pathaan is cast romantically with Deepika in an extended cameo appearance. In a first, though the ‘son’ does not share any frame with, Deepika has effectively played mother to Shah Rukh (in a dual role) as well!

This takes us to similar such examples of popular romantic teams, one or both of whom have been interesting cast in cameos, and not always romantically either!

Dharmendra-Hema Malini
This team retains the crown for the most repeated on-screen pair of all time, all the way up to Shimla Mirchi in 2020, and a duo that was romantically involved from early on, and are now husband and wife, the Dharam-Hema team was, for a long while, a kind of guarantee of a hit (from 1970, Sharafat, Tum Haseen Main Jawan, Naya Zamana, Raja Jani, Seeta Aur Geeta, Jugnu, Dost, Patthar Aur Payal, Sholay and Charas were consecutive hits, and their first flop was Maa in 1976!).

But there were films in which one or both did cameos. The first was Mehmood’s Kunwara Baap (1974), followed by Chhoti Si Baat, both hits again! After a flop Kehtey Hain Mujhko Raja, they had cameos again in Swami (Hema’s home production). And Hema made a cameo in Khel Khilari Ka, while Dharmendra did so in Kinara, at Hema’s recommendation.

It was in the 1980s that Hema was one of the leads in Naseeb, while Dharmendra played himself in the famous 'John Jani Janardhan' party song sequence, so they shared no frame on screen. In the same year, Hema made a guest appearance in Dharmendra’s home production, Krodhi, inj which he was romantically cast with Moushumi Chatterjee. They also acted in cameos in Meherbaani, produced and directed by Dharmendra’s brother and Abhay Deol’s father, Ajit Singh Deol.

In Andhaa Kaanoon, Dharmendra made a one-scene appearance as a truck-driver, and was not even seen (as in Naseeb) in the same frame as Hema Malini, again the heroine. Shimla Mirchi, directed by Ramesh Sippy, saw Dharmendra back romantically with Hema in his cameo after Sippy’s Seeta Aur Geeta and Sholay with the pair.

Raj Kapoor-Nargis
Ranking next to Dharmendra-Hema in the quantum of films together was another part also linked in real life: Raj Kapoor and Nargis. In Raj Kapoor’s Jagte Raho, Nargis came in at the end in a metaphorical cameo as someone who finally quenches Raj Kapoor’s thirst by giving him water, with the classic Lata Mangeshkar solo, Jaago Mohan pyaare.

Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh
The industry’s cutest romantic team this side of their son Ranbir Kapoor and bahu Alia Bhatt, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, were also seen in a song cameo in Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978), playing themselves in a movie shown being watched by Sanjeev Kumar and Vidya Sinha, the lead pair. Later, Neetu did a one-scene cameo in Saif Ali Khan’s Love Aaj Kal (2009) as Rishi Kapoor’s wife.

Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt
Alia Bhatt’s cameo in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, featuring future hubby and Brahmastra co-star Ranbir Kapoor, was decidedly functional, no more. Ranbir was cast here opposite Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma.

Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif
This real-life romantic pair was truly restricted in love to very few of their on-screen appearances. Yuvvraaj and the Tiger franchise remain the only films in which they were reel-life lovebirds too! In Hello, Katrina made a cameo as an angel of God, while Salman played a film star. In Tees Maar Khan, Salman made a cameo in a Katrina song. Interestingly, even in Salman’s home production, Partner, Katrina had been cast with Govinda, while Salman had Lara Dutta as his romantic co-star.

Aamir Khan-Juhi Chawla
Once a popular star-pair (Aamir’s character Amar was even shown in love with Juhi Chawla, shown as herself, in Andaz Apna Apna!), they were last seen in Luck By Chance separately, with a cameo by Aamir that had nothing to do with leading lady Juhi’s character!

Govinda-Karisma Kapoor
The pair that ruled the 1990s with a series of entertainers made separate appearances in Om Shanti Om, while Govinda did a cameo, as himself, away from her in Andaz Apna Apna, in which Karisma was cast with Salman.

Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol
The most popular pair in recent history was seen without any love angle in Om Shanti Om, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna with Kajol making cameos.

Amitabh Bachchan-Rekha
Om Shanti Om also saw another popular pair that was also linked by the grapevine in real life—Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha. They were also seen in separate cameos in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Gol Maal. For their fans and trivia aficionados, they have also shared Shamitabh¸ a Bachchan home production wherein Rekha made a cameo as herself and shared no frame with her hit Muqaddar Ka Sikander-Mr Natwarlal co-star.

Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya Bachchan (nee Bhaduri)
Here was the most unique case of all: Jaya Bachchan’s Guddi was to co-star Amitabh Bachchan. But Hrishikesh Mukherjee felt that his talent would be wasted in the secondary role, and Samit Bhanja was signed. A sequence from Parwana featuring Amitabh in this showbiz-based story was shown in the movie, though! And much later, Jaya Bachchan was credited for ‘Story Idea’ in her husband’s Shahenshah and was the narrator in her son Abhishek Bachchan’s production and Amitabh starrer Paa!

Also Read: Shilpa Shetty says her first co-star Shah Rukh Khan helped her a lot during Baazigar: “Learnt how to face camera from him”