1 Rishi Kapoor &Dimple Kapadia

Film: Bobby (1973)

“I am Bobby, mujhse dosti karoge?” she asked. And an entire nation replied with a resounding “yes”. Raj Kapoor directed son Rishi, 21, and 16-year-old Dimple Kapadia (who played the title role) in this 1973 love story that has gone down in movie history for its leads (Rishi had acted in his father’s Mera Naam Joker three years prior, but this was his foray as leading man), both of who brought fun, freshness and feel to this romance which is still counted as one of Bolly’s best.

Bobby was a bona fide blockbuster, not only becoming the highest earner of that year but one of the biggest hits of the 1970s. The sweet yet searing chemistry between Rishi and Dimple, the simple but engaging plot and Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s timeless tunes made Bobby what it is.

The film figures in one of the top 30 highest-grossing Indian films of all time (when adjusted for inflation). It also became an overseas blockbuster, scoring in markets like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Bobby was a huge hit in erstwhile Soviet Union, where it drew an audience of 62.6 million viewers.

2 Kumar Gaurav & Vijayeta Pandit

Film: Love Story (1981)

Actor Rajendra Kumar launched son Kumar Gaurav along with another debutant, Vijayeta Pandit, in this 1981 film directed by Rahul Rawail. Kumar Gaurav, buoyed by his chocolate-boy good looks, became an overnight sensation, with the film becoming one of the biggest hits of its time. R.D. Burman’s chart-topping tunes had a lot to do with it. Love Story was a box-office success. It grossed ₹11 crore against a budget of ₹1 crore, according to movie database site IMDb.

The film’s young stars were much in demand — with both going on to star in a few films — but their careers, especially Kumar Gaurav’s — declined soon.

3 Sunny Deol &Amrita Singh

Film: Betaab (1983)

Two years after Love Story, Rahul Rawail introduced Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh to Bollywood with this teenybopper love story, which was a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Before Betaab, Sunny also had a small role in the 1982 film Main Intaquam Loonga, in which his father Dharmendra was the hero, but Betaab was his true launchpad.

The yin and yang chemistry between Sunny and Amrita — he reticent and shy, she lively and spirited — gave us a love story, once again livened by R.D. Burman’s tunes, that took over the box office, emerging as the second-biggest hit of the year (made on a budget of ₹3 crore, it reportedly grossed ₹13 crore). Both Sunny and Amrita went on to have promising careers, with the former still featuring in big-budget Bollywood and the latter transitioning to strong supporting roles.

4 Aamir Khan &Juhi Chawla

Film: Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)

Neither Aamir Khan nor Juhi Chawla were debutants — he had acted as a kid in uncle Nasir Husain’s Yaadon Ki Baaraat, she, a former Miss India, debuted with Sultanat in 1986 and starred in a Kannada-Tamil bilingual film the following year. But it was, of course, with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak that the two became an overnight sensation. A modern-day adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, QSQT became a love story that represented an entire generation and beyond, with its music, its performances and its tragic end making it a romance for the ages. The film was a huge hit, is said to have reinvented the romantic musical genre and ran in cinemas for 50 weeks. Most importantly, two new stars were born.

5 Salman Khan & Bhagyashree

Film: Maine Pyar Kiya (1989)

Salman Khan had played a supporting role in Rekha’s Biwi Ho To Aisi a year earlier, but it was Maine Pyar Kiya which gave us a new heartthrob in the form of his Prem, a lover boy who he has played with legendary aplomb in many films thereafter. Salman’s boyish good looks, coupled with his innocent charm in a Sooraj Barjatya film about love triumphing against all odds — Maine Pyar Kiya remains a pivotal film in the history of Indian cinema.

The film was the biggest grosser of 1989. Made on a budget of around ₹1 crore, it went on to earn a profit of over ₹20 crore by 1990, even saving Rajshri Productions from closing down. It sold 50 million tickets overall, a record in itself. While Salman went on to become one of Bollywood’s biggest superstars (and still is), Bhagyashree’s career lasted only a few films.

6 Manisha Koirala &Vivek Mushran

Film: Saudagar (1991)

They said “ILU ILU” to each other and the country responded with immense love for debutants Manisha Koirala and Vivek Mushran in this Subhash Ghai-directed biggie that also brought together legends like Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar. The two newcomers — especially Manisha, whose career longevity has outlasted that of Mushran’s — brought in simplicity and innocence to this Romeo & Juliet tale, making Saudagar one of the biggest hits of its time. Saudagar was a silver-jubilee success and it earned what in today’s times, when adjusted for inflation, would be close to ₹150-crore. DYK: Manisha Koirala and Vivek Mushran had first starred in First Love Letter, that was ready before Saudagar. But on Ghai’s request to Pahlaj Nihalani, the producer of First Love Letter, it was released after Saudagar. First Love Letter, unlike Saudagar, bombed badly.

7 Ajay Devgn & Madhoo

Film: Phool Aur Kaante (1991)

Another 1991 film. Another film with powerhouse debut acts. Ajay Devgn (then Devgan) stood on two bikes and made a blockbuster entry into Bollywood in this Kuku Kohli directorial, which also marked the first Hindi film for Madhoo (she had made her Tamil debut in Azhagan earlier that year). Phool Aur Kaante — a film that packed in good ol’ Bolly masala — was a genuine hit, with Nadeem-Shravan’s superhit tunes playing at every street corner. Phool Aur Kaante blazed its way to big box-office numbers, Devgn is still counted as one of Bolly’s top names, and Madhoo went on to have a filmography that boasted names like Roja and Gentleman, though her career never achieved the heights that it perhaps should have.

8 Bobby Deol &Twinkle Khanna

Film: Barsaat (1995)

The much-anticipated debut of Dharmendra’s son and Rajesh Khanna’s daughter happened in this Rajkumar Santoshi romance. Barsaat may have been riddled with cliches, but there was nothing pedestrian about Bobby (whose curly locks and cool attitude signaled the advent of an unconventional Hindi film hero). Barsaat was one of the biggest hits of the year, with both Bobby and Twinkle — as well as the film’s soundtrack, scored by Nadeem-Shravan and dominated by Kumar Sanu’s vocals — being in demand.

Both the actors did a string of films after that, with Bobby’s career faring better than Twinkle’s. Today, Bobby is on a path of resurgence after facing a slump of a few years, while Twinkle has transitioned to other interests, including being a bestselling author.

9 Hrithik Roshan & Ameesha Patel

Film: Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai (2000)

The biggest hit featuring newcomers, a record that it held for 25 years, till Saiyaara took over. In the first few days of the new millennium, a tsunami hit Bollywood. It was called Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai that introduced Hrithik Roshan as a leading man, with Ameesha Patel as his heroine. The Rakesh Roshan directorial packed in everything that a dream debut demanded — a double role for its good-looking hero, chartbuster songs, scenic locations, suspense, romance and heartbreak — and the nation collectively fell in love, with ‘Hrithik mania’ sweeping all over. A heartthrob was born, one who even at age 51 today, makes women, aged six to 60, swoon.

Made on a budget of ₹10-crore, Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai grossed over ₹80-crore. According to Box Office India, when adjusted for inflation, the film remained one of the top performers of the decade. Ameesha, too, went on to have a semi-successful career for a few years, following up with the blockbuster Gadar the following year.

10 Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan & Sidharth Malhotra

Film: Student of the Year (2012)

Student of the Year was a below-average film, but it did give us three rocking debutants in the form of Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra. A typical masala love triangle set in the kind of make-believe, Barbie-coded school that only exists in Bollywood, this 2012 Karan Johar directorial was a desi high-school musical boasting good looks, good looks and more good looks.

Despite naysayers, the film exceeded trade expectations, turning profitable within its first week and netted close to ₹100 crore on a ₹60 crore budget. While Varun and Sidharth have gone on to becoming leading men with quite a high level of success, it is Alia who has built a career prolific enough to be acknowledged as one of the best (if not the best) actor of her generation.

HONOUR ROLL

Abhishek Bachchan & Kareena Kapoor

Film: Refugee (2000)

Compared to Hrithik, Abhishek Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor (the latter was originally supposed to debut with Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai) — both born with solid Bollywood cred — made a relatively unconventional debut in the same year with Border maker J.P. Dutta’s Refugee. The young actors showed a lot of promise, but that was not enough to lure audiences in droves to Refugee, which was a middling performer, though its music, by Anu Malik, continues to find takers. Abhishek and Kareena have, of course, gone on to have successful careers, one a little more in demand than the other.

Ishaan Khatter & Janhvi Kapoor

Film: Dhadak (2018)

Karan Johar chose a rather unusual debut for Janhvi Kapoor with this remake of Nagraj Manjule’s 2016 Marathi language film Sairat, which was a searing love story blossoming in the middle of hate brought on by the chasm of caste. Joining Janhvi in her de-glam avatar was Ishaan Khatter (who had already appeared on screen in Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s Beyond the Clouds in 2017). Both newcomers turned in promising performances in this film that was partly shot in Calcutta and stood out for its shocking ending. Dhadak wasn’t a resounding success at the box office, but both Ishaan and Janhvi have gone to do roles of meat, masala and meaning.