In the premiere episode of the talk show Two Much With Kajol & Twinkle, Bollywood superstars Salman Khan and Aamir Khan engaged in a candid discussion about age dynamics in the Hindi film industry. The topic arose when host Kajol pointed out a prevailing double standard: “When the hero romances a younger woman, it’s called ‘cinema magic’. But when an older heroine romances a younger man, it’s called ‘bold’. Why do you think that is?”
Aamir Khan offered a straightforward response, saying casting should always be based on the requirement of the script. Salman Khan, however, delved deeper into the issue, acknowledging the industry’s long-standing preference for pairing older male actors with younger female leads. He mentioned that freshness in on-screen pairings often drives such casting decisions. “We’ve worked so much that our pairings now look old. So for a fresh feel, filmmakers cast someone we haven’t worked with before,” Salman explained.
He also cited iconic actresses like Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit as examples of women who, if they continued working in key roles, could still pull off such pairings depending on the story. “If there’s a role that suits someone, and the director or producer wants them, it works,” Salman added.
When Kajol countered that this logic doesn’t seem to apply when it’s an older woman with a younger man, Salman responded with another hard truth: “But how many such scripts do you guys get? I don’t think people would mind if the story is genuinely about that.”
Despite occasional films that flip the gender-age equation such as Wake Up Sid (2009), Shabd (2005), Ki & Ka (2016), and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) — the frequency remains low. These stories, where older women romance younger men, are often labeled “bold,” reflecting society’s lingering discomfort with reversing traditional norms.
On the other hand, Bollywood has a long legacy of male stars romancing much younger female co-stars. Examples include Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), Dabangg (2010), Om Shanti Om (2007), and Gadar (2001), among others all featuring significantly older male leads.
Interestingly, Salman himself shared screen space with the late Sridevi, one of Bollywood’s most iconic actresses, in Chandra Mukhi (1993) and Chaand Kaa Tukdaa (1994), highlighting that such pairings can work when the story demands it.
The discussion sheds light on the evolving yet still unequal gender dynamics in Bollywood storytelling.