After watching Sushmita Sen and Sunjay Dutt together on Karan Johar?s chat show everyone is wondering why no one has thought of casting them together in a film. That little chemical aberration is about to be set right. At least two producers who saw the hot pair together have decided to cast Sushmita and Sunjay together.

Another untried pair: Aamir Khan and Aishwarya Rai. They did come together in the closing sequence of Dharmesh Darshan?s Raja Hindustani. More recently they were slated to come together in The Rising. But when Aishwarya demurred Aamir fell into a deep sulk. But now, if all goes well, the untried pair might finally burn up the screen in Aditya Chopra?s next?.along with, of course, Shah Rukh Khan in the cast.

(From top) Aamir and Aishwarya; Ajay with Nandana in Tango Charlie; Sushmita with Sunjay and with Karan Johar in Koffee With Karan

The ?IT? factor which unites an actress with the actor is becoming hugely essential to the overall execution and performance of a film. Though they fought furiously during its making, Salman and Aishwarya certainly shared that ?IT? factor in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Vivek Oberoi and Aishwarya didn?t share ?IT? in Kyun?.Ho Gaya Na. How come?

It isn?t really crucial, or even preconditional for a couple to jell well in real life for the screen to burn up. Koel Purie and Rahul Bose weren?t even on talking terms while they shot some of their warmest scenes in White Noise. They looked convincing as a couple. So what makes a pair work on screen?

Why did it take Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan more than 30 years to discover a common ground in Baghban? Sure, they worked together in lukewarm films like Naseeb, Kasauti, Desh Premee and Satte Pe Satta. But somehow both the superstars together never created the same ripple effect as Bachchan and Bhaduri or Hema and Dharmendra. Now after having formed the must unusual and stunning pair with Rani Mukherjee in Black, AB is now on the lookout for suitable costars.

One unusual entrant in this field of onscreen coupling is Shefali Chhaya, director Vipul Shah?s enormously gifted wife who plays the Big B?s wife in Waqt: Race Against Time. When the idea of casting his wife first came up, the director wasn?t very sure whether the couple would look chronologically correct. Shefali went through several rounds of makeup before she was convinced she was worthy of being AB?s better half onscreen.

Thank God for the change! Audiences are otherwise subjected to the same set of pairs in recurring combinations. Shah Rukh and Abhishek with Rani Mukherjee, as Shah Rukh and Kajol before, are almost a given in the films of a handful of top directors. So how about Ajay Devgan and?hold your breath?Nandana Sen in Mani Shankar?s Tango Charlie? And how about Salman Khan and the Aishwarya dead-ringer Sneha Ullal in Lucky? Interested?

One of the reasons why the stars aren?t working at the box-office is because they aren?t seen in the fresh combinations. Haven?t we seen enough of John Abraham and Bipasha Basu? So how about John and Priyanka Chopra in Karam? Will Priyanka generate better chemistry with John than she did with Arjun Rampal in that other actioner Asambhav? ?I sure hope so,? Priyanka sighed, before the film released, and sank, a couple of weeks ago. ?Then I?ll have make a saleable pair with another hero besides Akshay Kumar.? Aah, not yet.

LAUNCHPAD HEROES
Casting new girls and launching them has a history

Hindi film actors, specially those pushing 40, tend to look for young untried costars to take away from their fast-fading youth. Way back in 1968 the 45-year-old Raj Kapoor had paired himself with the sensational debutante, ?Dream Girl? Hema Malini who was barely 17, in Sapnon Ka Saudagar. The film launched Hema as one of Hindi cinema?s most successful female stars. In the 60s Shammi Kapoor launched a number of new girls in the romantic lead opposite himself. Barring Kalpana who couldn?t make any headway after Professor, all the girls who made their debut with Shammi ? Asha Parekh in Dil Deke Dekho, Saira Banu in Junglee, Sharmila Tagore in Kashmir Ki Kali ? became huge successes.

In the 70s Shammi Kapoor?s nephew, Rishi Kapoor, continued the tradition of launching new actresses. In fact, Rishi created a new record by playing the lead with more than two dozen debutante actresses. These included Dimple Kapadia (Bobby), Naseem (Kabhi Kabhie), Shoma Anand (Barood), Jaya Prada (Sargam), Tabu (Pehla Pehla Pyar), Ranjeeta Kaur (Laila Majnu), Kajal Kiron (Hum Kissise Kam Nahin), Zeba Bakhtiar and Ashvini Bhave (Henna) and Urmila Matondkar (Shriman Ashique). Of these, most girls went on to become big heroines during their times. Rishi Kapoor takes great pride in telling you about his ?star-making track record?. Other big-name stars during Rishi?s time preferred to pair themselves with marquee names. Rajesh Khanna seldom did a film with a newcomer except Simple Kapadia in Shakti Samanta?s Anurodh. And she was his sister-in-law. Curiously, Ajay Devgan also recently masterminded a role for his sister-in-law, Tanishaa, in Mani Shankar?s Tango Charlie, though she was not paired with him in the film.

ot surprisingly the trend of superstars nurturing new talent is on the wane. You?ll seldom see the Khans getting into a debutante?s area for romantic appeal. Aamir Khan paired himself with newcomer Gracy Singh in Lagaan and Shah Rukh Khan was seen with debutante Gayatri Joshi in Swades. Salman?s recent track record shows him making an effort to find newer, untried girls. He was with debutante Bhumika Chawla in Tere Naam. He will be seen with real-life love interest Katrina Kaif in David Dhawan?s new comedy and, of course, the Aishwarya Rai clone, Sneha Ullal, in his new release, Lucky. And in Carrol Willard?s Marigold which Salman is currently shooting in Rajasthan, he pairs with the much talked-about Nandana Sen who?s almost a newcomer.

Interestingly, the topnotch leading ladies have also shown an enterprising spirit when it came to working with virtual newcomers. Rekha didn?t hesitate in letting Shekhar Suman bathe her in milk in Girish Karnad?s Utsav. And Tabu?s costar in M.F. Husain?s Meenaxi was a lanky unknown Kunal Kapoor. The ever-spirited Mumtaz even paired herself with her one-time costar Biswajeet?s son, Prosenjit, in David Dhawan?s Aandhiyan though blessedly they played mother and son.

Now in debutant director Shripal Morakhia?s psycho-thriller, Naina, due in April, Urmila?s romantic lead is the virtually unknown Anuj Sawhney. Explains the level-headed actress. ?To me it?s never been important whom I pair with. I?ve done films in the past where my leading men were newcomers, like Aftab Shivdasani in Mast and my costar in my new film, Varanasi, is Ashmit Patel. I had a great time working with all three. It?s not who you are with, but what you do with him onscreen that matters.? For Salman, of course, the rules can be stretched slightly more. If you know what we mean.