The race to grab the Jodi no. 1 slot in Tollywood is hotting up. Jisshu Sengupta and Koel Mullick have teamed up to give the Jeet-Swastika combo a body blow at the box office.

The audience is yet to see how good Jisshu and Koel sizzle on screen, but the two have already signed five films together.

Readiest to release is Love, based on Erich Segal’s bestseller Love Story and directed by Riingo. The film hits the theatres on March 14.

In the fifth film together, Jisshu plays the man Koel falls out of love with! That’s Premer Kahini, currently on the floors under Ravi Kinagi’s direction. The guy who gets the girl is I Love You debutant Dev.

“Jisshu and I get married in both Love and Premer Kahini in two different traditions. We had a Christian wedding in Love. It was great fun! I got married in a church for the first time.... This is the fourth time I am playing a bride on screen. But I would prefer an Indian marriage in real life. Nothing can beat it!” chirps Koel, dressed as a Bengali bride on the sets of Premer Kahini at Bharat Lakshmi Studios.

“For today’s shoot, I am wearing a lot of gold pieces from Anjali Jewellers,” giggles the bride in red Benarasi. In Premer Kahini, Koel plays Varsha who agrees to marry the boy (Jisshu) chosen by her father. But Cupid strikes when she runs into Akash (Dev).

“I Love You was a huge hit and so I want to stick to love stories, as long as people accept me in the lover boy image. Action films can wait for a while,” smiles Dev, playing a mute spectator as Jisshu and Koel tie the knot.

Post Premer Kahini, Jisshu and Koel will start work on Rangan Chakraborty’s Swayambar and Riingo’s next film.

“Doing five films together is not by design. When I choose a film, I look at my role and then inquire about my co-star. Incidentally, I’m opposite Jisshu in all the films,” says Koel, who loves to be a part of love stories.

Jisshu echoes: “Teaming up with Koel has not been a conscious decision. But it would be great if people like us together. After Love, we have become more comfortable with each other.”

Also on the floors is Probir Nandy’s Bangal Ghoti Fatafati, where the two lovebirds’ families are at loggerheads over football.

(Which pair do you like more — Jisshu-Koel or Jeet-Swastika? Tell t2@abpmail.com)