Indian Celebrity Exes Who Worked Together After Breaking Up

Written By: Entertainment Desk

Oct 17, 2026 15:43 IST ⓘ

Indian celebrity exes who reunited for films long after their romances ended.

For most people, running into an ex is awkward enough. Actors sometimes have to go a step further: learn their lines, find their light and convince an audience that they are hopelessly in love all over again. Indian cinema has seen former couples return for sweeping romances, action adventures and even a sprawling comedy set in a jungle. Their personal relationships ended, but their professional journeys continued to cross. Of course, these reunions have not all followed the same script. Some stars signed a new film years after separating; others finished a project that was already underway when they split.

A few returned in ensemble casts rather than as romantic partners. From familiar Bollywood pairings to Tamil, Bengali and Malayalam cinema, here are celebrity exes who found themselves back in the same film.

1. Akshay Kumar And Raveena Tandon - Welcome To The Jungle

A reunion with this much 1990s nostalgia was always going to attract attention. Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon, remembered for ‘Mohra’ (1994) and ‘Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi’ (1996), were once engaged before their relationship ended. Raveena has since spoken openly about the broken engagement, telling ANI in 2023 that both had moved on and that she did not understand why the episode continued to follow her decades later.

Their film careers crossed again in ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, directed by Ahmed Khan and released on June 26, 2026. The comedy brought them back together 22 years after ‘Police Force: An Inside Story’ (2004), alongside an ensemble including Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi and Disha Patani. Speaking to NDTV ahead of its release, Raveena described the experience as a comfortable reunion of old friends and praised Akshay’s dedication to his craft.

2. Kartik Aaryan And Ananya Panday - Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri

The film’s title may be a tongue-twister, but its casting offered a familiar pairing. Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday had previously worked together in Mudassar Aziz’s ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’ (2019), also starring Bhumi Pednekar. Their reported past relationship later became a talking point on ‘Koffee With Karan 8’ in 2023, when Karan Johar referred to Kartik as a former boyfriend of both Ananya and fellow guest Sara Ali Khan. Neither Kartik nor Ananya has publicly laid out a precise dating and breakup timeline.

By the time they returned in Sameer Vidwans’ ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’, released on December 25, 2025, that off-screen chapter was being discussed as history. This time, the two played Ray and Rumi in a romantic comedy, with Neena Gupta and Jackie Shroff also in the cast. Kartik’s response to the earlier talk-show discussion had stressed respecting past relationships and keeping personal matters private.

3. Ranbir Kapoor And Deepika Padukone - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani And Tamasha

If any pair made audiences believe that a breakup need not end a screen partnership, it was Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. They dated during the period of their first film together, Siddharth Anand’s ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ (2008), and separated in 2009. Their first post-breakup film was actually ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’, directed by Ayan Mukerji and released on May 31, 2013. With Aditya Roy Kapur and Kalki Koechlin completing the central group, Bunny and Naina’s romance became inseparable from the film’s friendships, weddings and growing-up pangs.

They reunited again for Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Tamasha’, released on November 27, 2015. As Ved and Tara, they traded the earlier film’s breezy courtship for a more emotionally complicated story about identity and expectations. The aching ‘Agar Tum Saath Ho’ sequence remains a striking example of what they could achieve together as performers.

4. Ranbir Kapoor And Katrina Kaif - Jagga Jasoos

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif’s example comes with an essential distinction: ‘Jagga Jasoos’ began while they were together, rather than being a fresh project signed after their breakup. Their relationship followed the period of ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ (2009), and they also appeared together in ‘Raajneeti’ (2010). Their widely reported separation in early 2016 came while Anurag Basu’s ambitious musical adventure was still in production.

They nevertheless completed the film and promoted it together before its release on July 14, 2017. Ranbir played a young detective searching for his missing father, with Katrina as journalist Shruti. Speaking ahead of the release, Ranbir said their personal circumstances did not affect his work, emphasising that they were professionals. So, this was less a reunion after years apart and more a case of returning to the same set after the relationship had changed.

5. Salman Khan And Katrina Kaif - The Tiger Films And Bharat

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif did not stop at one collaboration after their relationship ended. They had appeared together in ‘Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?’ (2005), ‘Partner’ (2007) and ‘Yuvvraaj’ (2008), before their split was reported in 2010. Katrina publicly said she was single that year, although she did not specify exactly when the relationship had ended. Their subsequent work together became one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable continuing screen partnerships.

Kabir Khan’s ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, released on August 15, 2012, introduced them as spies Tiger and Zoya. Ali Abbas Zafar reunited them for ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ on December 22, 2017, and again for the decades-spanning drama ‘Bharat’ on June 5, 2019. Maneesh Sharma then directed them in ‘Tiger 3’, released on November 12, 2023, with Emraan Hashmi joining as the antagonist.

6. Shahid Kapoor And Kareena Kapoor Khan - Udta Punjab

Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor’s relationship ended in 2007, the year their much-loved ‘Jab We Met’ reached cinemas. Their earlier collaborations included ‘Fida’ (2004), ‘Chup Chup Ke’ (2006) and ‘36 China Town’ (2006). Years later, Abhishek Chaubey’s ‘Udta Punjab’, released on June 17, 2016, put both actors back in the same cast, alongside Alia Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh.

There is a crucial catch, though: Shahid and Kareena were neither romantically paired nor featured together in a scene. He played troubled musician Tommy Singh, while she played Dr Preet Sahni, whose storyline connected with Diljit’s police officer. Their reunion was therefore an ensemble collaboration, rather than another Geet-and-Aditya-style romance. The distinction even produced a memorable moment at the trailer launch: when asked about appearing together, Kareena joked that the ‘Jab We Met’ DVD was always available.

7. Ranveer Singh And Anushka Sharma - Dil Dhadakne Do

Before their love story moved aboard a luxury cruise, Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma had made Delhi’s wedding-planning business look decidedly romantic. Their first collaboration, ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’ (2010), marked Ranveer’s film debut, and they teamed up again for ‘Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl’ (2011). Their widely reported off-screen romance was said to have ended in 2012. By the time another filmmaker brought them together, audiences had already seen how easily their playful sparring could translate into screen chemistry.

That filmmaker was Zoya Akhtar, whose ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ released on June 5, 2015. Ranveer played Kabir Mehra, a business heir with dreams of flying, while Anushka played Farah Ali, a dancer he meets during his family’s cruise holiday. With Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar completing the ensemble, their romance offered a lively escape from the Mehra family’s many complications. Ranveer later spoke enthusiastically about working with Anushka again and how much she had evolved as an actor.

8. Shraddha Kapoor And Aditya Roy Kapur - OK Jaanu

Few contemporary Hindi-film romances inspired quite the same attachment as Rahul and Aarohi’s heartbreaking story in ‘Aashiqui 2’ (2013). Its leads, Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, were also widely linked off screen, with reports of a romance followed by a breakup circulating by 2015. The actors did not publicly confirm that relationship, but the coverage surrounding their personal equation gave their next film together an extra layer of curiosity. Fans, meanwhile, needed little encouragement to welcome the pairing back.

They reunited in ‘OK Jaanu’, directed by Shaad Ali and released on January 13, 2017. An official Hindi remake of Mani Ratnam’s ‘O Kadhal Kanmani’, the film followed a young Mumbai couple navigating a live-in relationship while pursuing their professional ambitions. Naseeruddin Shah and Leela Samson played the older couple whose marriage offers them another perspective on love. After ‘Aashiqui 2’ had put them through devastating heartbreak, this reunion gave Shraddha and Aditya a lighter, more playful romantic space.

9. Madhuri Dixit And Sanjay Dutt - Kalank

For viewers who grew up with ‘Thanedaar’ (1990), ‘Saajan’ (1991) and ‘Khalnayak’ (1993), Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt’s reunion came with a substantial dose of nostalgia. Their widely reported romance in the early 1990s was said to have ended around 1993, although they never publicly confirmed the relationship. Their final film together before a long gap was ‘Mahaanta’, released in 1997. More than two decades later, the announcement that they would return in the same film immediately became one of its biggest talking points.

That film was ‘Kalank’, directed by Abhishek Varman and released on April 17, 2019. Madhuri played Bahaar Begum and Sanjay played Balraj Chaudhry in the period drama, alongside Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sonakshi Sinha. Their characters’ complicated shared past gave the reunion an additional dramatic charge. Sanjay spoke warmly about acting with Madhuri again and expressed a desire to do more films with her.

10. Nayanthara And Silambarasan TR - Idhu Namma Aalu

Tamil cinema delivered its own much-discussed reunion when Nayanthara and Silambarasan TR, popularly known as Simbu, agreed to star in ‘Idhu Namma Aalu’. They had previously worked together in ‘Vallavan’ (2006), directed by Simbu himself, during the period of their romance. Their relationship ended around the time of that film’s release. Years later, a new love story brought them back together without requiring them to revisit the old one publicly.

Directed by Pandiraj, ‘Idhu Namma Aalu’ released on May 27, 2016, with Andrea Jeremiah and Soori also in the cast. Pandiraj told IndiaGlitz that Nayanthara had no reservations about working with Simbu and accepted the film after hearing his narration over the phone. Simbu, in turn, publicly thanked her for her cooperation ahead of its release.

11. Silambarasan TR And Hansika Motwani - Maha

Simbu has more than one entry in this story. He and Hansika Motwani publicly confirmed their relationship in July 2013, during the period when they were working on ‘Vaalu’ and the ultimately unreleased ‘Vettai Mannan’. In February 2014, Simbu issued a statement announcing that he was single and that their relationship belonged to the past, while declining to explain the reasons. They continued working on ‘Vaalu’, directed by Vijay Chander, which eventually released on August 14, 2015.

A later collaboration arrived with ‘Maha’, Hansika’s 50th film, directed by U. R. Jameel and released on July 22, 2022. The thriller centred on Hansika’s character and her daughter, while Simbu appeared in an extended cameo. Hansika subsequently told India Today that a single phone call had brought him aboard the project.

12. Radikaa Sarathkumar And Prathap Pothen - Poojai

Not every reunion on this list involves a former boyfriend and girlfriend; some involve former spouses. Radikaa Sarathkumar and actor-filmmaker Prathap Pothen fell in love while making his directorial debut, ‘Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai’. They married in 1985 and separated in 1986. Reflecting on the marriage in an interview later reported by Onmanorama, Prathap said their relationship had developed problems and that responsibility for its failure could not be placed on one person alone.

Decades later, both appeared in Hari’s ‘Poojai’, released on October 22, 2014, with Vishal, Shruti Haasan and Sathyaraj leading the action drama. Radikaa played Vishal’s mother, while Prathap played Shruti’s father. The film brought them into the same extended cast rather than casting them as a romantic couple.

13. Dino Morea And Bipasha Basu - Chehraa

Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu’s story also challenges the assumption that ‘Raaz’ was simply a film they made as a happy couple. In a 2025 interview, Dino revealed that their relationship was breaking down during the making of the 2002 horror hit and that he had initiated the separation. Seeing each other on set made an already painful period harder, he recalled. Their later credits nevertheless included ‘Gunaah’ (2002), ‘Ishq Hai Tumse’ (2004) and ‘Rakht’ (2004).

They worked together again in ‘Chehraa’, directed by Saurabh Shukla and released on February 18, 2005, alongside Preeti Jhangiani and Irrfan Khan. The psychological thriller gave them another tangled on-screen relationship, years after their own romance had unravelled. Dino has since spoken about how time helped them become friends.

14. Parambrata Chatterjee And Swastika Mukherjee - Shah Jahan Regency

Bengali cinema has a particularly candid example in Parambrata Chatterjee and Swastika Mukherjee. Their earlier work included Kaushik Ganguly’s ‘Brake Fail’ (2009), and their relationship ended well before ‘Shah Jahan Regency’. Swastika has openly acknowledged their history, rather than allowing every subsequent collaboration to become an unresolved guessing game. In an Anandabazar interview, she also recalled working on ‘Bhooter Bhabishyat’ (2012) shortly after their breakup.

Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Shah Jahan Regency’, released on January 18, 2019, brought them together in a sprawling hotel drama based on Sankar’s ‘Chowringhee’, alongside Abir Chatterjee, Anirban Bhattacharya and other familiar faces. Asked about their equation in a later OTTplay interview, Swastika said their past relationship had never been a concern in their work.

15. Jagathy Sreekumar And Mallika Sukumaran - Calendar

A less frequently recalled example comes from Malayalam cinema. Jagathy Sreekumar and Mallika Sukumaran were married before separating and building different family lives. Mallika later married actor Sukumaran, with whom she had sons Indrajith and Prithviraj. She has spoken in interviews about the difficult period surrounding her first marriage and how Sukumaran helped her rebuild her life. Jagathy and Mallika nevertheless continued to appear in the same films, including ‘Ammakilikkoodu’ (2003).

Another such collaboration was ‘Calendar’, directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Mahesh and released on May 21, 2009. Its principal cast included Prithviraj, Mukesh, Navya Nair and Zarina Wahab, with Jagathy and Mallika contributing to the comedy in supporting roles. This was an ensemble reunion between former spouses, far removed from a romantic comeback.

16. Dilip Kumar And Madhubala - Mughal-e-Azam

Long before contemporary stars were asked whether working with an ex was awkward, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala were filming one of Hindi cinema’s most enduring romances after their own had collapsed. Their earlier collaborations included ‘Tarana’ (1951), ‘Sangdil’ (1952) and ‘Amar’ (1954). Accounts of their breakup differ in emphasis: Madhubala’s sister Madhur Bhushan linked it to the ‘Naya Daur’ court dispute, while Dilip’s autobiography described disagreements involving her father and their proposed marriage.

What is firmly documented is that they continued filming K. Asif’s ‘Mughal-e-Azam’, released on August 5, 1960, after their relationship had broken down. Dilip wrote that they were no longer speaking when they shot the celebrated feather scene between Salim and Anarkali. Like ‘Jagga Jasoos’, the film had begun before the split, making it a case of completing an existing commitment as exes. The tenderness preserved on screen, despite the distance between the actors, remains an extraordinary example of their craft.