The ensemble of a film, just as much as the premise of the film, draws the viewer in. Actors bring brilliant scripts, on paper, to life. Many great films, at times, are based purely on those outstanding performances.

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And when certain performers team up for a project, you know you’re in for a cinematic treat. Rather than taking the spotlight away from one another, these actors come together to create a masterpiece. Some Bollywood films are truly works of art that have two equally excellent performances.

Twitter users engaged in a thread started by Bollywoodirect which mentioned Pankaj Kapur and Irrfan Khan‘s collaboration for Maqbool and asked for such outstanding films.

The Indian Express

Soon fellow users joined in and began to cite a bunch of films, from classics to contemporaries, that had equally powerhouse performers. 

The Ramesh Sippy directorial Shakti, a notable film to date, was the only film to feature legendary actors Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan together. Besides the powerful duo, the film also starred prominent actors like Rakhee Gulzar, Smita Patil, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Amrish Puri.  

Sadma, a Hindi adaptation of his Tamil masterpiece Moondram Pirai, features Sridevi and Kamal Hassan in one of their most memorable performances.

One of these films, Ardh Satya, starred two of the most iconic actors of Hindi cinema, Om Puri and Amrish Puri. Unlike today’s cop dramas, this film had a far more realistic approach. 

So, given such wonderful films that Bollywood has offered, what would you pick?