Fromance, urbandictionary would have us believe, is ‘a friendship/romance with a member of the opposite sex’. It’s comfortable. It inspires ‘what if..’ thoughts. And there’s no sex. Unfortunately, commercial cinema is all too ready to lump every kind of (usually opposite-sex) bonhomie into a Romeo/Juliet story that somehow never gets old. Same thing served with a twist of lime, and we have a bromance. Two men. Best buddies. Nothing can come between them. Except the girl, who is actually a great excuse for them to prove just how deep and meaningful that casual-looking fist bump is.
Now these friendships are typically between men (‘bros’), have more than a dash of misogyny (sometimes, in buckets). And women are to the story what a dead child is to a horror film. Absolutely crucial to the plot.
Against the grain of all that, we take a look at fromance. Real life friendship between celebrities that makes us go ‘awww’. Friendships that don’t have to be bracketed or boxed. Friendships that don’t bother about age, gender, rivalry, or what other people think. And, if between men, don’t need a token woman to ease macho anxieties about PDA. Here’s a list of 13 unusual star friendships, that we think are awesome. In no particular order.
1. Sania Mirza and Shriya Saran : Wimbledon champion Sania Mirza frequently visits South India. One more reason to visit? Actress Shriya Saran, who was Sania’s guest at the US open. Shriya also celebrated her birthday in the US, and with her was Sania Mirza.
Watching @MirzaSania win priceless!so proud of you. You are a star. pic.twitter.com/XS66nZpO5R
— Shriya Saran (@shriya1109) September 7, 2015
2. Aamir Khan and Sachin Tendukar : Actor Aamir Khan and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar are extremely busy people. But they share a great rapport, and make it a point to meet each other and keep themselves updated. It’s a friendship that spans 20 years. Aamir even used to superstitiously believe that if he wished Sachin before a match, Sachin would get out.
Chinmayi-Samantha-From-Twitter
3. Chinmayi and Samantha : They already have acting and singing in common. What they also have, is a close bond. They even call each other ‘paappa’. Usually actresses don’t meet their dubbing artists. They shoot, they leave. The dubbing happens. But these two share a great friendship, regardless of busy schedules. Chinmayi is even known as the ‘Voice of Samantha’ in the Telugu industry.
@Chinmayi haapy birthday Paapa. God bless you with soooooo much love and happiness .Always want to see that beautiful smile stuck on you — Samantha Ruth Prabhu (@Samanthaprabhu2) September 10, 2015
4. Samantha and Neeraja Kona : Every die-hard Samantha fan knows who Neeraja Kona is. She’s the girl behind Samantha’s bold and quirky outfits. Neeraja styles Samantha and they make quite the naughty pair.
Samantha wore some vintage jewellery with an ‘N’ pendent to the 10 Enradhukulla teaser launch. Who is the ‘N’ for? Neeraja, of course!
5. Shruti Haasan and Niranjan Iyengar : Shruti Haasan and talk show host Niranjan Iyengar have been friends since childhood. From the bloopers of his show ‘Look Who’s Talking With Niranjan’, it’s clear that when they’re together, the inner kid is awakened.
6. Raai Laxmi and Karishma Tanna : Raai Laxmi is a well-known actress in Tamil Nadu, while Karishma Tanna is just four films old. That didn’t deter a strong friendship from blossoming. In fact, Raai Laxmi jumped to Karishma’s defense when Big Boss 8 co-contestant Puneet Issar’s daughter tweeted a really insensitive message about Karishma and her father.
7. Trisha and Ramya Krishnan : This is a decade long friendship. They crash parties, indulge in all-night girl talk, and age difference be damned. They also have a bunch of common friends, which includes designer Sidney Sladen, Sriya Reddy, and Vishal. As far as Trisha is concerned, Ramya is her soul sister.
8. Vikram Prabhu and Dulquer Salman : These two met at an acting workshop in Mumbai, and there was no looking back. After spending two days with Dulquer, Vikram still didn’t know that Dulquer was Mammootty’s son. Imagine Vikram Prabhu’s reaction! Call them new-gen heroes or star kids. They began their career around the same time, and they are unabashed about their friendship.
@iamVikramPrabhu enjoy Vik ! Best part of our job is how the office keeps changing locations !! Seeing the world one place at a time !
— dulquer salmaan (@dulQuer) August 5, 2015
9. Taapsee and Lakshmi Manchu : There were rumours linking Taapsee and Manoj Manchu, Lakshmi Manchu’s younger brother. But Lakshmi and Taapsee are such good friends that neither of them were bothered. Recently, Taapsee saved Lakshmi from a wardrobe malfunction at the SIIMA 2015. Fromance!
Wardrobe malfunction just as I’m leaving to @siima @taapsee to my rescue. What would I do without u? ?????????? friends forever — Lakshmi Manchu (@LakshmiManchu) August 6, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGEkauBcK2E
10. Amala Paul and VJ Ramya : One is an anchor and the other a major heroine. They would have met each other at countless events. These two share a close bond. Not sure when it all began, but at some point, we woke up to find another beautiful fromance. There’s real affection in those Twitter conversations, and smileys when they meet.
11. Aishwarya Dhanush and Dharshana Yesudas : Dharshana was in Dubai before her marriage with singer Vijay Yesudas. One day, quite randomly, Aishwarya Dhanush pinged Vijay Yesudas. Which led to conversations with Dharshana. They got along almost instantly, and it’s been full steam ahead since then. They party together, work together, and bond over being working mothers with families to manage.
Fun night at @hrishikeshkk #dumbcharades pic.twitter.com/vvZsfidMss
— Aishwaryaa.R.Dhanush (@ash_r_dhanush) October 7, 2014
Recommended
12. Salman Khan and Chiranjeevi : This is a rare combination. There’s the age difference. There’s stardom in two different, giant industries. But none of that came between them. They met each other during a shoot for a Thumbs Up Advertisement. Then again, after six months; the two really got along. In fact, Salman Khan recently flew across to attend Chiranjeevi’s 60th birthday celebrations despite a busy schedule. Fromance.
13. John Abraham and Mahendra Singh Dhoni : John Abraham and MS Dhoni almost got booted from our fromance list because there’s a third party to consider: bikes. They both own a Hayabusa, and they (or their bikes) are on the list of ‘India’s Top 5 Most Expensive Celebrity Bikes’. You could buy a medium-sized house with how much those things cost. Fromantic gesture: John gifted a limited edition helmet to Mahi (as he calls him), to go with his Hayabusa.
*****