by ASJAD NAZIR.
WE LOOK AT THE FORMER HIGH PROFILE CELEBRITY COUPLES WHO STILL REMAINED FRIENDS.
WHEN a couple breaks up, they usually part on painful terms and never want to cross paths with the person who was once the great love of their life again.
For most, making a clean break is the best way to move on and put the past behind them. But an increasing number of movie stars have shown that a breakup can be amicable and old wounds can heal.
With that in mind, here are Bollywood couples who have shown that pain doesn’t have to be permanent and remained on friendly terms after a break-up...
Katrina Kaif–Salman Khan: He helped turn her into a huge star and they became one of the hottest couples in Bollywood, but then she left him for Ranbir Kapoor. Instead of parting ways permanently, the two of them remained close friends and have since worked on a number of high-profile hit films including their blockbusters Ek Tha Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai.
Whilst Katrina is unlikely to ever work with her now ex-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor again, she will remain close to Salman and that special bond of friendship will continue. She described Salman as family and he said: “Katrina Kaif is my best friend.”
Deepika Padukone-Ranbir Kapoor: The current queen of Bollywood perhaps deserves an extra crown for how understanding she has been post her break-up with Ranbir Kapoor. When they were together, Deepika had got the initials of the actor tattooed and then he allegedly cheated on her with rival actress Katrina Kaif. She amazingly forgave him and they have since starred in the films Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Tamasha. They shared passionate embraces in the movies.
Although she is in a serious relationship with Ranveer Singh, Deepika remains friends with former flame Ranbir and even walked the ramp with him earlier this year. Deepika had said: “We have a past but we consciously make sure it doesn’t hamper our present. At
this point, I share a great comfort level with Ranbir, probably the best comfort level ever.”
Kareena Kapoor Khan-Shahid Kapoor: When the once-committed couple broke up, they kept their distance from one another for the longest period. They later showed time can be a healer and agreed to star in smash hit film Udta Punjab together. It helped they didn’t share any scenes in the film, but both were happy to be on the same stage to promote the movie and there were no hard feelings.
Today she is happily married to Saif Ali Khan and recently became a mother. He is happily married to Mira Rajput and expecting his second child with her. Shahid Kapoor had said: “I was the first to suggest that Kareena was perfect for this role. I respect her as an actress.
I’m happy she is living a good life. So am I.”
Sussanne Khan-Hrithik Roshan: The actor married his long-term sweetheart soon after finding super-stardom in 2000 and they had two children together. They got divorced in 2014 and vowed to remain connected for the sake of their young children. This has included taking family holidays together. In fact, they have maintained such a close friendship post their break-up that there were rumours the star couple could still get back together. Hrithik said: “Sussanne and I are friends. We still love and care for each other.”
Bipasha Basu-Dino Morea: The former models became a couple when they embarked on their acting journeys and scored a massive success with 2002 blockbuster Raaz. They had a very amicable breakup soon after a short relationship and remain very close friends to
the present day.
The friendship was so strong that Dino was invited to Bipasha’s wedding to actor Karan Singh Grover. Meanwhile, Bipasha didn’t have such an amicable break-up with long-term love John Abraham. On being friends with an ex, Bipasha said: “If your ex is an ar*****e, it’s not possible. But if your ex is a good human being and things didn’t gel well between you, of course it’s possible but it depends.”
Anushka Sharma-Ranveer Singh: The actor got his big Bollywood break in Band Baaja Baaraat opposite Anushka and they sparked up a real life romance. Breaking up didn’t stop them from remaining friends and working together in further films. By the time they played a romantic couple in Dil Dhadakne Do, Anushka was in a relationship with cricketer Virat Kohli and he was dating Deepika Padukone.
Before shooting for Dil Dhadakne Do, Anushka said: “We didn’t have a conversation before shooting. In fact, we met three days before shooting on the ship. We met after a long time and it was like meeting an old friend. He is the same person. The thing is I’m very fond of Ranveer. And I know he’s genuinely fond of me. He has been my friend. We both had that success together. It was a special bond that will remain.”
Malaika Arora-Arbaaz Khan: The Bollywood couple met while shooting an advert together and were married in 1998. They had a son together in 2002, but later divorced in 2016 after a failed attempt to salvage their relationship. They divorced but remained connected for the sake of their child. Both of them have even been on a family holiday together since the separation and remain on friendly terms.
Malaika admitted Arbaaz would always be an integral of her life and said: “Arbaaz is a part of my family, the father of my child. Certain equations don’t change overnight. The things that happened should remain between us. It’s personal. We don’t have to prove anything
to anybody. Meeting Arbaaz makes my son happy, and that makes me happy.”
Kalki Koechlin-Anurag Kashyap: The director and the younger actress sparked up a romance after working together on the 2009 film Dev.D and married soon after in 2011. They announced a separation in 2013 and eventually filed for divorce in 2015, but that didn’t stop them from remaining close friends despite both moving on in their personal lives.
Kalki had said: “If there was some depth in the relationship and you respected your ex, you will eventually come around. After all the hate fades away, you will realise that there are things you still love about your ex and this helps in forming a mutual bond again. Anurag
and I, for instance, have similar aspirations and creatively, we think alike. There are times when he wants me to see his edit and I want his opinion on my work, so there’s a healthy exchange.”
Freida Pinto-Dev Patel: The two Hollywood stars got together on the set of Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire in 2009 and remained a tightly-knit couple for some time, but the busy work schedules led to them growing apart and they separated six years later. There wasn’t any animosity after the break-up and the two of them regularly shower each other with praise.
Talking of her bond with Dev, Freida recently described him as her best friend and said: “You can’t share such a monumental shift in life, then not be friends. That would be the saddest thing ever.”
Sangeeta Bijlani-Salman Khan: The two stars were a hot Bollywood couple during the early part of their careers in the 1990s and almost got married. They broke up and she later married cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, but the strong bond of friendship remained. When she eventually got divorced, Salman was there for her as a friend and today she is like a member of his family. Sangeeta said of Salman: “He’s a supportive friend.”
