MID-DAY (May 15, 2015)

In an industry where actors struggle to build friendly equations with colleagues given the fierce competition to be at the numero uno spot, it is not uncommon to find film folk who prefer to not see eye to eye. Whatever little bonding we see is largely restricted to friends of opposite sex, though they are mostly rumoured to be “seeing each other”. But rising above all stories of link- ups are some cool friendships. Like that of Gulshan Devaiah and Kalki Koechlin, who not just share a common project but also make it a point to hang out when not shooting.

Says Gulshan, “I first met Kalki in 2006 in Chennai when she had come to watch a play. Once I moved to Mumbai, I got to know her better through common friends. We would hang out and became friends. She is good friends with my wife too and keeps visiting her. We watch films and go out together. I used to be her shopping buddy as I have a lot of patience. Be it work or personal reasons, we are always there for each other. We also go swimming together. She is my best friend from the industry. I know things that I like about her and hate about her, which helps creates tangible relations on screen.”

Both actors are currently preparing for Pooja Bhatt’s next. Kalki says, “We are friends as well as neighbours and hang out quite often.”

hitlist takes a look at other sets of friends who stand by each other like a rock…

Buddies again
Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan’s relationship goes beyond the professional realm. SRK has gifted her at least three luxury cars — post the success of the 2004 film Main Hoon Na, a Mercedes around the release of Om Shanti Om in 2007 and then one more while shooting for Happy New Year last year. Like all friends, they have had their share of fights and arguments, one of which snowballed into a controversy when the star slapped Farah’s husband Shirish Kunder at a party in 2012. And like all friends, they patched up too. In one of his interviews, Shah Rukh was quoted as saying: “There was a point in both my life and Farah’s life where
we thought we should go our separate ways… Unfortunately I had an altercation with her husband. It had nothing to do with her. I am sorry about that. I don’t think it was fair. In my position and how I am, I shouldn’t do half the things that normal people do.”


No competition
Rarely do actors keep in touch after having worked on the same project, but not Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra, who debuted together in Student Of The Year (2012). They are regulars at parties thrown by filmmaker Karan Johar, who launched the trio, and even hang out together to celebrate the success of each other’s film flashes. On their friendship, Varun had said, “We have discussed competition, but when you do your first film with someone, you form a bond and they become your family. You are bonded for life. So you overlook that competition.”


Lifetime bond
Preity Zinta calls Salman Khan her “friend for life” as he has stood by her through thick and thin. They have worked on quite a few films together and the actress made a special appearance in Salman and Kareena Kapoor’s Main Aurr Mrs Khanna (2009). To return the favour, the star did a peppy Punjabi dance number in Preity’s production venture, Ishkq in Paris (2013). On the day of the verdict in Salman’s 2002 hit-and-run-case, Preity was with his family in court.


Coming a full circle
Bipasha Basu and Milind Soman started out as friends, dated each other for some time, broke up, but continue to be on friendly terms. The duo support each other in the causes they take up and also keep bumping into each other at social and private events. The actress also socialises with her other exflame Dino Morea.


Yes, just friends
Tabu was linked to Nagarjuna, but people close to them claim that they were never involved romantically. In an interview, Tabu had also dismissed the buzz, saying: “I don’t know what to say, but he is one of the closest people in my life. He is one of the most important relationships I have and it is very dear to me. Also, nothing can ever change my relation with him and I don’t have any label for it (our relationship). I can’t do anything about it.”