In 1997, a 32-year-old Shah Rukh Khan romanced 30-year-old Madhuri Dixit in Dil Toh Pagal Hai. The film broke box office records. Ten years later, in 2007 - SRK, now 42, was paired with debutante Deepika Padukone who was 21 years ‘young’ at the time of Om Shanti Om. The sexy Khan looked sexier than ever in his sixpacks avataar and dard-ediscoed his way into audiences’ hearts. It’s 2008 now and Khan can be seen matching steps with newcomer Anushka Sharma in his latest flick Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Anushka’s age? Well, the girl’s 19 - a teenager still! Got the drift? If you didn’t, well, let us spell it out for you. The hero’s age is increasing but the heroines’ age seems to be heading southwards!
And it’s not just SRK whose heroines are getting younger by the year. Aamir Khan’s paired with a 20-something Asin in Ghajini and a 28-year-old Kareena Kapoor in 3 Idiots, Salman Khan had 24-year-old Katrina Kaif in Yuvvraaj and has 21-year-old Zareen Khan and 20-year-old Miss UK Lisa Lazarus for company in Veer, while Akshay Kumar is with 22-year-old Deepika Padukone in Chandni Chowk To China. And must we mention, all these men are 40 plus. The strange part is, these jodis are actually looking good on screen! So even if Katrina calls costar Akshay Kumar ‘Uncle Akshay’ and he calls her ‘Little Kat’ in real life, there’s no denying the fact that they hot up the screen once they’re on it!
“The heroes are not looking their age at all, especially Aamir and Shah Rukh,” admits trade analyst Taran Adarsh, “and the girls are wellsuited to their characters, so nothing’s looking awkward about their pairing.” Rohan Sippy, producer of Chandni Chowk to China, believes that the young Deepika shares a terrific chemistry with a much older Akshay. “I always look at the character and decide who will fit the role. In this case, Deepika was our first choice. They look good together and Deepika has the height to match up with Akshay as well,” he says.
The fact that heroes these days are looking younger can also be attributed to the fact they’re taking better care of themselves. Says Komal Nahta, trade analyst, “That’s something that’s happening in real life as well, you can make out by the number of gyms that have sprouted all over the city.” But if the audience can accept an older hero, why isn’t the same logic applied to heroines as well? “Maybe one reason is that when they get married, they tend to give more time and energy to their families and perhaps start looking a little mature as well. The number of girls joining the industry is also on a rise,” feels Taran.
