The gossip mills in Bollywood never sleep. And right now, they are buzzing loudly about one uncomfortable pattern: older male stars romancing women young enough to be their daughters. The debate is not new. But recent casting choices have made it impossible to ignore. And while some actors defend it, critics say the problem is deeper, and frankly, outdated.
The conversation heated up after Akshay Kumar, 58, spoke about age-gap romances while promoting his upcoming film ‘Bhooth Bangla’. In the film, he stars opposite 32-year-old Wamiqa Gabbi.
Akshay brushed off the criticism. He argued that such pairings have always existed, even in Hollywood, and that sometimes “it’s the requirement of the script.” He also pointed out that real-life couples often have age differences.
Also Read: Bollywood age-gap: From Salman-Rashmika to Amitabh-Soundarya, the pattern persists
But critics aren’t convinced. Because this “requirement of the script” almost always works in one direction: older men, younger women. Rarely the reverse. And that’s exactly why people are calling out the double standard.
Akshay also praised Wamiqa’s dedication and compared her working style with other actresses like Tabu and Vidya Balan. But the bigger issue remained: why are leading men allowed to age, while actresses are quietly replaced?
Priyadarshan’s “screen age” argument
Director Priyadarshan added fuel to the debate with his “screen age” explanation. He said actors may have a different “screen age” than their real age and audiences accept that.
He also claimed that when he looks at pairs like Akshay and Tabu, he doesn’t see any problem, and audiences don’t either.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: audiences often don’t get a choice. They are shown the same formula again and again. And over time, it starts looking normal.
Recent examples that triggered backlash
The debate got louder after 20-year-old Sara Arjun was cast opposite 40-year-old Ranveer Singh in ‘Dhurandhar’. Soon after, 29-year-old Rashmika Mandanna played the wife of 60-year-old Salman Khan in ‘Sikandar’.
Also Read: Dhurandhar age-gap debate: What the film’s team says about Ranveer Singh, Sara Arjun and the 20-year gap
These choices made viewers uncomfortable. Because the visual mismatch is obvious, and the storytelling rarely addresses it.
The pattern: older heroes, younger heroines
Take Nandamuri Balakrishna and Urvashi Rautela in ‘Daaku Maharaj’. The age gap is 33 years. The story still expects the woman to appear youthful and desirable, while the hero plays himself without change. It feels less like romance and more like fantasy built around male ego.
Then there’s Rajinikanth opposite Sonakshi Sinha in ‘Lingaa’. A 37-year difference, yet the narrative treats it like nothing unusual. Meanwhile, actresses from Rajinikanth’s own generation struggle to find meaningful roles.
The uncomfortable classics
Some older films now look even more awkward in hindsight. In ‘Nishabd’, Amitabh Bachchan, then 65, played a man infatuated with 19-year-old Jiah Khan. The film aimed to be bold but left many viewers uneasy.
Similarly, ‘Sooryavansham’ paired Amitabh, 57, with 27-year-old Soundarya as newlyweds. At the time, it was accepted. Today, it looks like a clear example of industry bias.
Even ‘Deewana’ cast 18-year-old Divya Bharti opposite 40-year-old Rishi Kapoor. The film was a hit, but the casting now feels questionable.
The “intellectual romance” that still followed the pattern
‘Cheeni Kum’ tried to appear progressive by pairing Amitabh with Tabu, but even here the story leaned on the trope of the older, wiser man and the younger nurturing woman. It looked thoughtful, yet didn’t truly break the pattern.
The same happened in ‘Atrangi Re’, where Akshay played a love interest to Sara Ali Khan. The plot tried to justify it, but the pairing still felt forced.
In ‘Waqt: The Race Against Time’, Amitabh, playing a father to a grown son, was also paired romantically with Shefali Shah, who was 30 years younger. The contradiction was hard to ignore.
The rare reversal, and why it mattered
One refreshing exception came with ‘A Suitable Boy’, where 24-year-old Ishaan Khatter shared a complex relationship with 48-year-old Tabu.
The age gap was part of the story, handled with maturity, and the woman was not reduced to a stereotype.
It proved something important that audiences are open to age-gap stories when they are balanced and meaningful.
The real problem: Men refuse to age on screen
Let’s be blunt. The issue isn’t just age gaps. It’s the refusal of male stars to step into age-appropriate roles. They want to remain romantic heroes forever. And filmmakers happily rewrite reality to suit them.
Meanwhile, actresses over 40 are pushed into mother roles, even when they are still powerful performers. The industry has an “expiration date” for women, but not for men.
This imbalance creates awkward casting, unrealistic storytelling, limited opportunities for younger male actors and older female stars.
When a 60-year-old hero romances someone in her 20s without explanation, it doesn’t look romantic. It looks lazy. And sometimes, uncomfortable.
The industry keeps defending itself with phrases like “screen age” and “script demand.” But these explanations sound hollow when the same pattern repeats for decades.
If filmmakers truly believe in storytelling, they must start casting realistically. Let heroes age. Let heroines grow. And, let romance look human again.
Until then, every new age-gap pairing will invite the same question: is this love, or just another example of men refusing to share the spotlight?