They are as dissimilar as chalk and cheese. Which is precisely why director Anjan Dutta has decided to cast sisters Raima and Riya Sen in an English-language film tentatively entitled The Bong Connection.

"But we aren't cast as sisters," says Raima the more sober of the two Sen siblings.

"We don't even meet in the film, not even like my grandmom Suchitra Sen and Vyjanthimala's vehicles running into one another in Devdas. We're in two completely different sections of the film. My part of the story is set in Kolkata. I'm the modern yet traditional Bengali girl. My sister plays the hip NRI in the US. We have no scenes together. Her story will be shot in the US, mine in Kolkata."

The director Anjan Dutta has designed it as the first Bengali crossover film targeted for the overseas market.

What's interesting is the coming together of the two sisters, though not as sisters. This isn't the first film to bring siblings together. Shamita Shetty and her elder sister Shilpa Shetty were recently seen together in Deepak Tijori's Fareb, though again, not as sisters.

Said Shilpa, "Though I'd love to be my sister's sister screen I think it would be slightly awkward to play real-life roles. It's far more challenging to come together and play against one another, as rivals in love as we did in Fareb."

In Dharmesh Darshan's Mela Aamir Khan agreed to co-star with his sibling Faizal. He played Veeru and Faizal played Jai from Sholay. But with no real success.

Real-life siblings Rahul and Akshaye Khann crossed each other briefly in Deepa Mehta's Bollywood /Hollywood.

Salman and sibling Sohail have become quite a jodi. They were recently seen together in David Dhawan's Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya and will be together again in Rumi Jaffrey's God Tussi Great Ho. Earlier it was Salman and Arbaaz in Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya and Hello Brother.

Feroz and chota bhai Sanjay Khan came together in two films Mela and Upasna. In both they fought for the love of the same luscious lass Mumtaz.

Earlier still it was real-life brothers Dilip Kumar and Nasir Khan playing siblings in Nitin Bose's Ganga-Jumna. This is the only film starring siblings that has clicked in a big way.

Now wonder Karisma and Kareena Kapoor constantly said no to all offers to act together. Raima is fearless. "Riya and I aren't playing sisters. We just happen to be in the same film."