From Akshay Kumar-Sonakshi Sinha to Vidya Balan-Farhan Akhtar, filmmakers try various permutations and combinations to bring freshness to the silver screen.
According to trade analyst Vinod Mirani, an unusual pairing will certainly become a success formula but cautions that such experiments desire a convincing script.
"An unusual pairing works only when it's needed. When the tale demands it, then it looks authentic. Otherwise one can't just force unusual pairs in a movie to make it look different," Mirani told.
So far, some of the successful unusual pairs was of Rahul Bose and Mallika Sherawat. They teamed up for "Pyaar Ke Uncomfortable side effects" and were instant hit on the box office because the people adored their romantic escapades within the rom-com.
When Amitabh Bachchan was paired opposite much younger Tabu and Jiah Khan in "Cheeni Kum" and "Nishabd" respectively, critics were sceptical about viewers' reaction. But much to their surprise, audiences enjoyed watching Big B romancing Tabu and so they appreciated his pairing with Jiah. It was so as it fitted into the scheme of the story.
A typical paring that saw high popularity was when heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor and Konkana Sen Sharma came together in "GET UP Sid". Not just did audiences enjoy their on-screen chemistry, the film too turned out to be one of the most biggest successes of 2009.
Vidya Balan was seen romancing Naseeruddin Shah in "Ishqiya" and later within the" Dirty Picture" and in both the films, they scorched the screen with their passionate romance.
"At times it really works from time to time it doesn't. The tale should be conniving like 'The Dirty Picture' or 'Kahaani', where it will be justified," said Mirani.
The 44-year-old Akshay, who teamed up with 25-year-old Sonakshi Sinha in recent hit "Rowdy Rathore", says age doesn't matter while finalising the cast.
"Age is solely a bunch. Even today I WILL BE ABLE TO run better than an individual who's half my age. Also, if these young girls look great with us, then what to do?" said Akshay, who will again be seen with Sonakshi in "Joker".
Sonakshi, who started her career with much older Salman Khan in "Dabangg", says chemistry is more important than anything else.
"There is nothing like that, one cannot give it some thought (unusual pairings) such a lot! After all, the chemistry looks awesome on screen and we saw that during 'Rowdy Rathore', isn't it?" she added.
Upcoming love triangle "I, Me Aur Main" starring John Abraham, Chitrangda Singh and Prachi Desai; "Shaadi Ke Side Effects", for which producer Pritish Nandy has roped in Vidya and Farhan because the lead pair; and Farah Khan-Boman Irani starrer "Shirin Farhad Ki Nikal Padi" are expected to take the fad forward.
"Shaadi Ke Unintended effects" is a sequel to "Pyaar Ke Unwanted effects" and Nandy said that it needed a fresh pair.
"This film demanded fresh faces. We always had Vidya in our mind for 'Shaadi Ke Side Effects'. I THINK she really liked the script," he said.
Not only Bollywood, even the southern film industry is attempting out the formula and the latest example is upcoming Tamil period film "Kochadaiyaan", where Deepika Padukone may be seen romancing southern superstar Rajinikanth.
