Think back to some of Bollywood’s most iconic movies. You’ll notice a pattern: the heroes are often significantly older than their leading ladies. Take Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, for instance. Their 23-year age gap didn’t stop audiences from loving them on screen. Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, and Sunny Deol have all romanced younger actresses, some nearly 20 years their junior.
This trend isn’t unique to Bollywood. In Hollywood, stars like Sean Connery, Colin Firth, and Bill Murray have all been paired with much younger co-stars. But have you ever wondered why this is the case? Why are older men still considered leading men, while women are often cast aside after 40?
Actress Sheeba Akashdeep, who’s worked with older stars like Rajinikanth and Shakti Kapoor, has some insight. “Biologically, women have a limited time to look a certain way,” she says. “After a certain age, it’s tough to maintain that. And let’s be honest, patriarchy has normalized the age gap between men and women for centuries.”
The entertainment industry is all about giving the audience what they want. And what they want, it seems, is to see young and fresh faces on screen. That’s why actresses like Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra are often paired with younger co-stars, even if they’re older than them in real life.
But is this trend about to change? With social media giving everyone a platform to share their opinions, are we finally going to see a shift in the way the industry treats its leading ladies? Sheeba thinks so. “Today, everyone’s an expert, and everyone’s got an opinion. Maybe it’s time we started valuing experience and talent over youth and beauty.”