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Sanjay Dutt a name synonymous with Bollywood for nearly four decades has acted alongside some of the biggest female stars in the industry from Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi to Kajol. Yet one pairing that often surprises fans is his collaboration with Aishwarya Rai who is 14 years younger than him. The two came together in the 2002 comedy-action entertainer Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin which also starred Ajay Devgn and Amitabh Bachchan. Directed by David Dhawan the film struck the right balance of humour and family drama. Amitabh Bachchan played Aishwarya’s brother while both Sanjay and Ajay’s characters found themselves in love with her. The film did decent business at the box office and is still remembered for its star power and entertaining music. What happened when they reunited in Shabd? After Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin Sanjay and Aishwarya were cast again this time in a very different project. In 2005 they appeared together in Leena Yadav’s directorial debut Shabd. Unlike their earlier light-hearted venture Shabd was a psychological drama where Sanjay played a celebrated author struggling with his creativity while Aishwarya played his much younger wife. The film made headlines because it featured multiple intimate scenes between the two something unusual for Sanjay especially with a co-star significantly younger than him. Audiences were curious but the movie could not live up to the hype. Was Shabd successful at the box office? Despite its intriguing concept Shabd failed to connect with the audience. Critics called the story confusing and viewers found it too slow for mainstream cinema. Made on a budget of Rs 10 crore it earned less than half of its cost turning into a commercial disaster. Sanjay’s pairing with Aishwarya however remained a talking point as the age gap and on-screen chemistry drew both curiosity and criticism. How are these films remembered today? While Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin continues to be looked back on as a typical early-2000s family entertainer with big stars Shabd is remembered as a bold but unsuccessful experiment. For Aishwarya it was one of her few films where she attempted an unconventional role while for Sanjay it added to his list of diverse performances even though the movie didn’t work commercially. Highlights: Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai acted together in Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin (2002) and Shabd (2005). Shabd featured intimate scenes between the two and turned out to be a major flop. Made on Rs 10 crore Shabd recovered less than half its budget at the box office.