~~*Article~Coupling effect*~~

Remember the warring duo of Kkutumb? A hit pair long before they tied the knot, Hiten Tejwani and Gauri Pradhan have since been cast in several serials together.

While star couples have long worked their magic on the big screen (who can forget Amitabh-Jaya in Abhimaan?), they are now setting the small screen on fire - Sai-Shakti Anand (Sara Akaash), Rajev-Delnaazz Paul (to debut in Karam Apna Apna) and now, Pankaj Kapur and Supriya Pathak in Naya Office Office.

The plot thickens: While the Paul couple in Karam... is part of the plot from the beginning, some spouses, like Pathak, are penciled in much later, especially if the track of one is doing well. Keerti Gaekwad (wife of Sharad Kelkar) recently entered Saat Phere as Kelkar's first wife, through flashbacks. And Shilpa Saklani, wife of Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin's lead Apurva Agnihotri, was introduced as his flame to boost TRPs.

Sneak peek: "By casting couples, TV shows cash in on the curiosity people have about the personal lives of actors. Today, TV stars are no less than their big screen counterparts and hence the spurt in pairings," says Diya Singh, producer of Jassi and #8230; and Jab Luv Hua. Rajev attributes the trend to "Hiten and Gauri's successful pairing post marriage in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu Thi and Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai. It inspired conceptualisers to give couple casting a shot." And the celebrity dance show Nach Baliye reaffirmed that experimentation, "courtesy the tremendous buzz around the lives of its star couples created by the show," says Shailaja Kejriwal, creative director of Star India.

Comfort level:As for the actors, the deal couldn't get better. Says Delnaazz: "We shoot for days on end or for long hours. Working together enables you to at least spend some quality time together." Adds Kelkar: "Working with the spouse eases the effort as you've to just play yourself." Echoes Delnaazz, "For once I don't have to act my role, as my character Shivani (in Karam...) is a possessive wife like I'm in real life."

Such pairing offers other benefits like easy coordination of dates. It has producers smiling too. "The couple as a package deal is more agreeable to price cuts, dates and sharing of facilities," says Kelkar. A neat combo!