Reversing romance

It isn’t often that mature female characters romance younger male characters on screen. When it comes to romance, why is age not just a number

Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil that releases today shows Ranbir Kapoor’s character (Ayaan) romancing a visibly older character Saba (played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). While it isn’t the first time that such an equation has been explored on the big screen, it certainly is an aberration from the trend we see otherwise. In recent times, Dil Chahta Hai was the first to tread into the territory when it showed Akshaye Khanna falling head over heels in love with Dimple Kapadia’s character. The coming-of-age movie wasn’t just critically accepted, but also loved by the audiences. Ki and Ka, Wake Up Sid and B.A. Pass were other films that walked the talk, but these have been far and few in between.

Film historian and author of Bollywood in Posters, S.M.M. Ausaja points out that it is only recently that filmmakers are apprehensive of reversing the roles. “There have been so many movies in the past that have paired young men and older women characters. Mera Naam Joker saw a similar plotline when Rishi Kapoor’s character is infatuated with Mary (Simi Garewal). The film didn’t do well at the box office, but is one of Raj Kapoor’s most acclaimed movies today,” he explains.

He also goes on to point out that female actors such as Meena Kumari, Simi Garewal, Nargis and Suraiya who played mature women in their films, often played better poster child for their movies than their male counterparts. “But when Bollywood discovered the shelf life of its female actors, that’s when the hero came in the forefront,” he explains.

Director Karan Anshuman looks at it as a very apt representation of real life — life inspires art, in his case. “If you look at real life, there aren’t that many couples where the woman is older than the man. So, in terms of that ratio, I think that there is enough of representation of this angle as far as films go. I don’t really feel bothered by the lack or anything like that,” he shrugs.

Malayalam films, known for their cinematic maturity, too have delved into the subject before. Malayali actress Lena, known for her unconventional choice of films, admits that she’d love to play the older woman in a relationship on-screen. “If I were to be given an opportunity to play an older woman romancing a younger man, I would surely take it up,” says the actress who has shared screen space with the likes of South biggies such as Prithviraj and Dulquer Salmaan. She believes women are at a disadvantage when it comes to playing the older partner. “It is the natural process of aging — women tend to age faster compared to men. I think, women reach their peak by 35 years of age and men reach that peak at 40. So, I guess that reflects in films too,” she says.

Bejoy Nambiar, who recently made the Amitabh starrer, Wazir, agrees. “There is a certain reservation surrounding this subject because actresses have age-bound limitations on screen. Because of that, there isn’t much content written for older actresses. And therefore they don’t really have enough roles to play. On the other hand, there is a lot of content written for male actors — which is why they get roles easily,” he says.

Societal perceptions don’t help in this situation either. “In India, there’s a taboo attached with romanticising about married women. Fortunately or unfortunately, that isn’t the case with men,” Ausaja signs off.