Hindi or bollywood movies industry is often called out for its double standards, different treatment with different people, nepotism and not giving due credit to the force at the back of the curtain. Among all these issues is the age-gap issue and the VIP status enjoyed by the male actors. Men enjoy a lot of luxuries like better play, centre role and even selecting the actress opposite them in some cases.
The pay disparity issue is being addressed now and movies with an actress in the lead role are a thing now. But there still are numerous issues that are required to be addressed.
A key issue is the ridiculous age gap between the actor and the actress. ‘Age Is Just a Numbers’ seems to work just for the men in the industry and female actors’ limelight comes with an expiry date. Growing age and conceiving a child are seen as the end of an actress’ career as a heroine. She is limited to side roles or supporting roles and another young lot replaces them. In the case of men, they are always the hero. The Khans and The Kapoors never get old.
Decades after being in the industry they still have the luxury of playing the young and dashing hero who fights gangsters, romances the beautiful heroine and ‘saves the world’. There are hundreds of movies to prove what’s a writer is true and we’ve compiled 10 such Bollywood movies where the lead couple had a ridiculous age gap.
Zero
Launched in 2018, Zero was a romantic comedy-drama featuring Shahrukh Khan, Katarina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. Shahrukh Khan played the character of Bauaa Singh from Meerut, a dwarf man with unrealistic dreams. Anushka Sharma plays the role of Aafia Yusufai Bhinder, a disabled NSAR scientist and Katarina plays the role of a Bollywood actress Babita Kumari. At the time of release, SRK was 52-years-old while Anushka and Katarina were 30 and 34 respectively.
No Entry
Anil Kapoor is often regarded as the actor who does not age. Many actors envy him for his young looks at the age of 64. But even his black hairs and unwrinkled skin can’t hide his real age. The actor played the role of a wealthy newspaper editor named Kishen in the comedy movie. Opposite him was Lara Dutta who played Kishen’s suspicious-minded wife Kaajal. Anil was 48-years-old at the time of release while Lara was just 27.
Entertainment
Entertainment is a flopped action comedy film that was released in 2014. It has to be one of the movies with the most ridiculous age difference between the lead actors. Akshay Kumar plays the role of an advertisement actor Akhil Lokhande who gets into a fight after not getting paid. Tamannah Bhatia, who is opposite Akshay, plays the role of television actor Sakshi. At the time of the release, Tamannah was just 24 while Akki was almost double her age (47).
Singh Is Bling
Singh is Bling in the sequel of Singh is king. The action-comedy was released in 2015 and Akshay Kumar played the role of a funny and uneducated man Raftaar Singh. He tries to impress Amy Jackson who plays Sara Rana, the daughter of a rich father and mafia living in Romania. Akki was 48 at the time of the release while Amy was just 23.
Housefull 4
Housefull 4 is the fourth movie of the multi-star comedy film series Houseful by Farhad Samji. Akshay Kumar is one of the lead actors in the film and opposite him in Kriti Sanon. Akshay Kumar plays not one but two roles in the film- Harry, a barber who is a reincarnation of Rajkumar Bala Dev Singh. Kriti plays the role of Kriti Thakral and Rajkumari Madhu. Akshay was 52 when the film released while Kriti was just 29.
Dabangg
Salman Khan is one of the actors who continues to play lead roles that include the roles of superheroes and supercops opposite a fairly young actress. When the famous action comedy film Dabangg was released in 2010, Salman was 44 while the lead actress Sonakshi Sinha was just 23. Salman played the role of super cop Chulbul Pandey or ‘Robinhood Pandey’. Sonakshi plays the role of Rajjo, Chulbul’s love.
Also Read, Bollywood Movies That Break the Romance Criteria
Sultan
Sultan is another popular film of Salman Khan. The sports drama was released in 2016 and features Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma in lead roles. Salman plays the role of a middle-aged Jat pehlwani wrestler Sultan Ali Khan who later excels in mixed martial arts. Anushka plays the role of Sultan’s wife Aarfa Ali Khan and is also a wrestler. Salman was 50 at the time of release while Anushka was 28.
Saawariya
Saawariya is a romantic Hindi film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It was released in 2007 and was the debut film for Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. The movie also starred Salman Khan and Rani Mukherji. Sonam Kapoor plays the role of Sakina whose beauty attracts Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) towards her. Salman Khan plays the role of Sakina’s love Imaan. Salman was 41 when the film released while Sonam was just 22.
Robot
Robot is a science fiction action film featuring megastar Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The film was released in 2010. Despite spending decades in the Indian film industry, Rajini keeps playing lead roles as a young hero opposite beautiful actresses. Robot was no different. The megastar was 59 when the film released while Aishwarya was just 37.
Laxmii
Laxmii is a comedy horror Hindi film released in 2020. The film features superstar Akshay Kumar and young Kiara Advani. The movie is a remake of Tamil film Kanchana. Akshay plays the role of Asia who does not believe in ghosts and spirits while Kiara plays the role of Rashi Rajput, Akshay’s wife. Akshay was 53 at the time of the release of the movie while Kiara was just 28.
