On Raksha Bandhan, here's a wishlist of films for real life celebrity siblings

It’s Raksha Bandhan day, so there’s probably a high chance you will hear ‘Phoolon Ka Taaron Ka’ on the radio at some point, and/or see annoying Facebook statuses on how boys with the least amount of rakhis are the real winner of today. But Raksha Bandhan also reminds those of us who are obsessed with the movies, that we haven’t had a strong film on siblings in years. Even a film like Dil Dhadakne Do focused more on family dynamics, than Priyanka and Ranveer’s characters. We personally think they deserve their own film.  There’s so much scope for siblings in films, especially since they are represented so little already. In a country obsessed with love stories and Indian sanskaar, we rarely make fun, good films on siblings. And so, what could be a better occasion than Raksha Bandhan to jot down a wishlist of films we suggest real life siblings feature in? Sonam Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor [caption id=“attachment_2963238” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Sonam Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor. Image from News 18.[/caption] This one is easy. Sonam’s film Aisha is loosely based on the ’90s hit Clueless (both films are based on Jane Austen’s novel  Emma). In Clueless, Alicia Silverstone finds solace in her step-brother (played by the yummy Paul Rudd) but in a more PG-13 universe, we can imagine a cute rom-com where Sonam plays a fashionista, and Arjun plays her younger brother, who’s her complete opposite: lazy, unmotivated, but a hit with the ladies. They could both exchange notes on their love lives (it would be interesting if they had no parents and were navigating life on their own) and it could be a fun, urbane story; sort of the siblings version of ‘Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus’. Saqib Saleem and Huma Qureshi [caption id=“attachment_2963248” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Saqib Saleem and Huma Qureshi. Image from News 18[/caption] Saqib Saleem and Huma Qureshi are already working on a horror film, the Indian remake of Hollywood film Occulus which stars two siblings, and how they battle with a paranormal presence in their home. Whoever did the casting for this film, did a bang on job. However, we think there is scope for more. Think of an Indian Bonnie and Clyde set in South India (only because North India has been represented much on screen in Bollywood) and how this brother-sister duo con people for a living. Bunty and Babli with siblings, basically. This would be great because each of them can find their own version of a love interest. Yay for more eye candy! Kareena and Karishma Kapoor [caption id=“attachment_2963250” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Kareena and Karishma Kapoor. Image from News 18.[/caption] We’ve been asking this question for years. When are Kareena Kapoor and Karishma Kapoor going to do a film together? I’ve had ideas for them since they were really young, and now that they are much older, the scope is actually wider. They no longer have the pressure to stereotypical girly girls, which is great because both are stellar actors. For the two seasoned actresses, we can think of a historically rich, epic film based on the courtesans of India. It would be a musical, sort of like Umrao Jaan meets _Zubeidaa. S_ince most courtesans of the late 1800s were very well-versed in literary and cultural traditions, and etiquette, men from the royal family were sent to them to be groomed. Who better, then, to play these characters than the Kapoor sisters? Ranbir and Kareena Kapoor [caption id=“attachment_2963252” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. Youtube screen grab from Koffee with Karan.[/caption] Zoya Akhtar beat us to it. The roles that Priyanka and Ranveer played in Dil Dhadakne Do were originally offered to these two cousins, and they refused it for reasons best known to them. If this would have happened, though, it would have been the casting coup of the decade. Now even though their brief appearance on Karan Johar’s Koffee with Karan shows how witty these two are, and we really want to say a rom-com would be the best fit for them, let’s think out of the box (Ranbir really needs to, in any case). How about an Indian verison of Jumanji featuring a brother-sister duo? They could start a game in the early 70s, and then it could play out through decades, finally ending in current times. Like a fantasy, adventure film based on a video game (to make things more contemporary). Parineeti and Priyanka Chopra [caption id=“attachment_2963256” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti Chopra. Image from Parineeti’s instagram.[/caption] We’ve left the most the most ambitious wish for the last. There couldn’t be a better pair of real life sisters who could play meaty roles focusing on women’s empowerment. The setting could be the Olympics or some other international sports tournament, and the sisters could play atheletes or sportswomen. Our immediate reference is Serena and Venus Williams. The film could graph how it is to be Indian sportswomen fighting against patriarchy. Since Priyanka has played Mary Kom before, and Parineeti now has the body for it, this could be an interesting concept to explore. Both Parineeti and Priyanka are capable of impactful, passionate performances that would be needed for a film like this one. (If you’re a Bollywood scriptwriter and are reading this, please make this happen!)