Hindustan Times (Patna) - Hindustan Times (Patna) - Live
AGE NO BAR IF YOU ARE A HERO
Bollywood has always been fascinated with older men romancing younger girls, and the new films only reiterate this stand
When you are a 46-year-old who has six packs and beat the hell out of goons with your bare hands, you get to romance ladies half your age.
Ajay Devgn sure knows what we are talking about, The 46-year-old actor will be seen sharing the screen with Dilip Kumar’s grand-niece Sayesha, who is just 18 years of age. And he’s not alone, a host of actors in Bollywood will be seen working with younger heroines. Hrithik Roshan (41) will be working with actor Pooja Hegde, who is 17 years younger than him. Shahid Kapoor, 34, will be romancing Alia Bhatt, 22, in their upcoming film.
Casting director Mukesh Chhabra says that as long as the popular cinema in India is ruled by men over 40, this trend isn’t likely to change. “Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman Khan have turned 50-years old, Akshay Kumar is 48, Ajay Devgn is 46... still they get ALIAcast with girls onethird of their age. The audience are happy to see an unusual jodi on screen. When these heroes act with younger heroines, they also look young on screen.”
Shahid, who worked with 26-year-old Sharddha Kapoor in Haider says working with a younger heroine is a learning experience. “It is great working with new girls. They are enthusiastic, talented and have a great attitude,” he has been quoted as saying.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan attributes this trend to a shorter career span of heroines in cinema. “A heroine’s career is very short. The audiences don’t want to see the same face repeatedly. And films mostly focus on the male lead, so it works to cast a newcomer girl,” he says.
The young girls are certainly not complaining! 23-year-old Amy Jackson, who romanced 48-year-old Akshay Kumar in her recent release Singh is Bliing, was over the moon when she was cast. “I had to actually pinch myself ! I couldn’t believe it and right till the last day of shoot, I was like “Am I actually working with Akshay Kumar?” she said.