The golden age of actor-director collaborations
The 1970s and 1980s were a period of abundant collaborations between actors and directors that became a hallmark of Bollywood cinema. Amitabh Bachchan, often described as the “angry young man” of Indian cinema, was at the center of this phenomenon. His partnerships with directors such as Manmohan Desai And Prakash Mehra Made some of the most iconic movies of that era.
Amitabh Bachchan and Manmohan Desai together gave classics like Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Naseeb (1981) and Coolie (1983). Desai’s passion for ultra-spicy, masala films and Bachchan’s star power created a recipe for success. On the other hand, the Prakash Mehra and Amitabh Bachchan duo gave films like Zanjeer, Laawaris and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. The Yash Chopra and Amitabh Bachchan duo was also successful. Shammi Kapoor and Shakti Samanta, Sunil Dutt and BR Chopra, Rajesh Khanna and Shakti Samantha, Rajesh Khanna and Hrishikesh Mukherjee were some other well-known actor-director pairs in Bollywood.
Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, director Mustan of the Abbas-Mustan film said, “We used to eagerly wait for Amit ji’s films with Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai as they were always super entertainers. This combination worked like magic on screen. There was always something new in his films.”
Changing dynamics in the 2000s and beyond
As Bollywood entered the 21st century, the trend of long-standing actor-director collaborations began to change. While there were still successful partnerships, they occurred less frequently and often lasted shorter periods of time. Actors and directors began exploring new collaborations, experimenting with new ideas and styles. However, some important actor-director pairings were successful.
Shahrukh Khan One of SRK’s strongest relationships is with Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra, they have done many films together. But if we go down memory lane, SRK last did Dilwale with Rohit Shetty in 2015, barring a cameo in King Khan’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Together, they gave a successful film like Chennai Express in 2013. Since then, SRK has worked with directors like Siddharth Anand, Atlee, Imtiaz Ali, Maneesh Sharma and his next film is going to be with Sujoy Ghosh.
But, on the other hand is Salman Khan who has worked with many of his directors repeatedly since 2011. With Kabir Khan he made Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Tubelight, while with Ali Abbas Zafar he made Sultan, Tiger Zinda Hai and Bharat. After Wanted, Prabhu Deva teamed up with him to make Dabangg 3. However, his biggest collaboration was with Sooraj Barjatya for Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. At number three is Akshay Kumar, who is known for making at least 4 films a year, he has repeated his directors the most, be it Tinu Suresh Desai or Raj Mehta or Anand L Rai or Subhash Kapoor. On his birthday this year, it was announced that he will be doing a remake of his film Sadhna. Priyadarshan Bhoot Bangla is coming after a gap of 14 years – together they have given films like Hera Pheri, Garam Masala, Bhool Bhulaiyaa and De Dhana Dhan.
David Dhawan and Govinda One of the biggest jodis of the 1990s, they worked together in 17 films like Aankhen, Coolie No.1, Saajan Chale Sasural and most of them were superhits. But in the mid-2000s, the partnership ended and since then, David has mostly been making films with his son varun dhawan,
Sunny Deol And Rajkumar Santoshi was also a much-awaited pair in the 90s, after films like Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak. They are reuniting after a long wait of over two decades with Lahore 1947 which is being produced by Aamir Khan. Talking about this in an exclusive interview with ETimes, Rajkumar Santoshi said, “Sunny and I have always shared a deep respect for each other and a strong desire to work together in films. Our director-actor relationship is truly unique. I started my journey as a director with him in Ghayal and since then we have had an incredible partnership. We have worked together in Ghatak, Damini and now with Lahore 1947 we are working together once again. I am thrilled to be reuniting with him and looking forward to showing our new creation to the audience. I hope they give us the same love and appreciation as before.”
Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty are one of the strongest teams who have been together for over 20 years. Their journey started from Zameen, and now they are going to deliver one of their biggest films together in Singham Again this Diwali.
In the current generation of actors, there are certain actor-director combinations that have stuck, or created enough buzz, be it Ranveer Singh and Sanjay Leela Bhansali or Ayan Mukerji and ranbir kapoor Or Varun Dhawan and Shashank Khaitan. Trade expert Atul Mohan says, “Nowadays there is more collaboration between production houses and actors, banners like Dharma and Yash Raj are also talent management companies, they prefer to work only with their own people.”
Conclusion: The evolving nature of Bollywood collaborations
Actor-director collaborations have always been a key part of Bollywood’s success. In the past, these partnerships were often long-term and led to multiple box-office successes, as seen with Amitabh Bachchan and his frequent collaborators. However, as the industry has evolved, so have these relationships. While some actors like Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar continue to work with familiar directors, others like Shah Rukh Khan have embraced the trend of exploring new creative partnerships. As stated earlier, the Akshay and Priyadarshan pairing has already added positivity to the business.
The revival of old collaborations shows that these partnerships still hold significance in an industry that is constantly changing. Also, new actors like Varun Dhawan are constantly forging their own paths with collaborations that appeal to today’s audiences.
After all, the essence of Bollywood lies in its ability to strike a balance between tradition and innovation. Whether through rekindling old collaborations or exploring new ones, the relationship between actors and directors will continue to be a driving force behind the industry’s storytelling magic.
