MUMBAI: Sibling rivalry may be common in real life but not for these Bollywood kin who seem to walk together and make progress taking the same road.
Radioandmusic.com brings you a few pairs that have turned sibling rivalry into sibling revelry. May the bonds grow stronger each day!
Salim-Sulaiman Merchant
The modest Merchant brothers have delivered a series of consistent hits over the years. It has been over a decade since the two have been composing for Hindi cinema. They also composed for Indi-pop performers Viva and Aasmaan. The duo also recorded for the 2010 FIFA World Cup anthem 'Africa – You're A Star'. They continue to perform on stage together, but Salim has taken the leap into acting as well, with his turn in the recent YRF short film 'Fired.'
Daler Mehndi- Mika Singh
The blood-pals who rocked our parties, DJ nights, ceremonies, marriages are truly unforgettable for life when accompanied by these brothers' music. They hail from a Sikh family of musicians and Mika followed in Daler's footsteps a few years later to touch unprecedented heights of success, individually. Daler stole hearts with his debut album ‘Bolo Ta Ra Ra’ itself while wild child Mika has had his share of controversies (remember the Rakhi Sawant episode?) apart from his foot tapping numbers and now turning mentor for Zee TV's 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' contestants.
Lata Mangeshkar-Asha Bhosle
The sovereign sisters who have ruled the Indian music industry should ideally head this list. Lata has reigned over the industry for over seven decades and Asha for more than six, with each ruling their own space, rumblings over internal rivalries notwithstanding. Hardly a Hindi film actress can say that either of the sisters has not sung for her on screen. Their lesser known but equally prodigiously talented younger siblings - Usha, Meena and composer Hridaynath have left their stamp on the music scene too, ensuring the Mangeshkars' rightful claim to being the first family of Indian music.
Ajay-Atul
The lack of a professional training background never deterred these Pune brothers, who have risen from the Marathi music scene to make their mark in Bollywood as well in the past decade. After contributing matchless numbers to Marathi films, the Gogavale brothers composed for Bollywood films like Agneepath (2012), PK (2014), Singham (2011). They were in the Forbes Indian celebrity list of 2015, securing a position of 82 among the top 100.
Neha Kakkar-Sonu Kakkar
The Punjabi sisters, who hail from the Himalayan foothills, Rishikesh are born with a natural flair for music. Can you forget the song from the film 'Dum' (2002) ‘Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo’? That was Sonu whose voice made the song immortal. Now, sister Neha, who is following in the footsteps of her elder sister is another sassy singer with a distinct voice. Whether it is ‘Second Hand Jawani’ or ‘London Thumakda’ she has nailed them all. They also have a brother Tony Kakkar who composes music.
Amaal Mallik-Armaan Malik
The fresh talents of Bollywood have the brightest future among them all, it seems right now. Their music is directing Bollywood towards the romantic era of the 1990s. Although their personalities are as different as chalk and cheese, when it comes to music they create magic with their composition and vocal chords. Their single with Emraan Hashmi ‘Mein Rahu Ya Na Rahu’ stole hearts of listeners. Both are now busy with a myriad Bollywood projects.
Meet Bros
Two brothers from a small town came all their way to Mumbai to work hard and fortunately mend their ways. The duo of Manmeet and Harpreet are the popular names added to the list of versatile musicians in India. With back-to-back hits, Meet-bros are in demand. They recently won a Filmfare award for their song ‘Chittiyan Kalaiyan’. They are now set to woo more hearts with their scores for 'Baaghi' and 'Shimla Mirch.' These brothers mean business.
Sajid-Wajid
The twins of B-town who never compose music without each other, also appear as mentors together on Zee's 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.' They first scored music for the Sohail Khan directed 'Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya' (1998). Since then they have not looked back. The twins composed music for several Salman Khan starrers, and are known to be his favourites.
Akriti Kakkar, Sukriti Kakar and Prakriti Kakar
The cliche 'beauty with brains' appears to have been born to describe the Kakar sisters. The eldest, Akriti, is an established playback singer and sisters Sukriti and Prakriti are taking their baby steps in the industry. Akriti has sung plenty of Hindi numbers, Prakriti, the youngest, made her debut with Zoya Aktar’s 'Dil Dhadakne Do' (2015). Their love for each other seems so immense that there is no room for competition between the sisters.