End of age-old formula

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Kareena and Imran were well accepted in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

Heroes being cast opposite heroines decades younger than them is a norm in Bollywood. All the big stars, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn have been paired with actresses much younger than them. But it seems an interesting trend is setting in.

Many B-town beauties will be working with male actors who are years younger than them. Priyanka Chopra (30) will be seen with Arjun Kapoor (27) and Ranveer Singh (27) in Ali Abbas Zafar’s Gunday. Bejoy Nambiar’s action-thriller David will bring Neil Nitin Mukesh (30) and Lara Dutta (34) together onscreen. Kareena Kapoor (32) and Imran Khan (29) will be seen in Punit Malhotra’s next. The duo has worked together in romantic comedy, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, which proved to be a success at the box office.
According to filmmakers, gone are the days when an actress reaching 29 labelled her over the hill. “Today’s talented actresses have proved that if male actors can stay, so can they. And it’s pure talent talking. Look at Kajol, how she made a comeback after getting married and having kids. And now Vidya Balan,” says filmmaker Rajshree Ohja.
Vidya Balan (35) and Emraan Hashmi (33), last spotted in The Dirty Picture, will be seen in Raj Kumar Gupta’s comic thriller Ghanchakkar. Gupta tells us that the entire scenario of the film industry is changing with new, young filmmakers who have got interesting stories to show. “Age of the hero or for that matter the heroine is the last thing we as filmmakers consider. What matters most is that the actor should perfectly suit the part he or she is playing,” he says.
Filmmaker Abhinay Deo also sees this as a positive trend and lauds new-age filmmakers who are showing the courage to experiment and set up new standards. “While the filmmakers are breaking the norms, audiences are welcoming this change. That’s why we have seen such combos delivering positive results in the past,” says Abhinay.
“Today’s audience don’t go to see the heroine, they are interested in the script and the way it’s being presented to them,” Raj Kumar adds.
According to film trade analyst Taran Adarsh, “Older heroes being paired with younger heroines gives the film a fresh appeal. Filmmakers trying out different pairings is a positive sign,” says Taran Adarsh.