Bollywood’s self-confessed young-at-heart prince, Feroze Khan, will not be caught dead with any woman who looks even remotely 35-plus. So what if he is in his 60s? His arm candies are closer to 16, than his age! Mr Khan is not the only lucky one to enjoy dating youthful beauties.
An increasing number of single men in their 40s and 50s prefer young partners who are in their prime in the ‘looks department’. Take the case of Salman Khan, for example. At the age of 41, he is dating Katrina who is just 22 years old.
The trend is emulated on screen too. Bollywood heroes who are well into their 40s or 50s don’t blink an eye before signing the dotted line to run around trees with young debutantes just out of college. Salman Khan-Sneha Ullal in Lucky, Sanjay Dutt-Amrita Arora in Ek or ek Gyarah or for that matter even an Amitabh-Tabu in the forthcoming Cheeni Kam or Amitabh-Nandita Das combo in Aks are classic examples.
Directors and producers also cash in on the trend. in Ram Gopal Verma’s proposed project said to be titled Nishabd, Big B is to play a 54-year-old man in love with an 18-year-old! Even small screen is no different. Take for example Ekta Kapoor who has etched out Jay Vallya’s character as a 40-year-old who falls in love with someone in her 20s in Kasam Seh. Even in Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Swetha Tiwari who plays Prerna is paired with a much older man.
She says, “It’s not so much about the age factor as it is about the role that I am given. And I think it’s perfect in today’s day and age where everyone has a broad outlook in life to be paired with or seen with an older man. It’s more about chemistry.”
Vidya Balan who made waves with Parineeta also raised quite a few eyebrows when she said she’d fight to marry Gulzaar. In an interview, she admitted to be in love with everything about him from his sense of style to his writings. So what is it that’s inspiring this trend of older men going for women half their age?
According to psychoanalyst Dr Deepak Parekh, “It’s a known fact that women are mentally three to five years older than their chronological age. Thus, a woman who’s almost your age holds the reins in the relationship. With a partner who is much younger to you, you can be sure that she is always looking up to you. Also, a man in his 40s and 50s is already well settled and doesn’t require financial security. he is only looking for a gorgeous arm candy, a reason to go on.”
So while men are looking for that extra vigour, it seems that PYTs who are still struggling, without a clear focus find it a safe bet to cling on to an older man who’s been there, done that. Whether or not it is practical in real life, model-turned actress Deepika Padukone, who has just finished shooting for a Kannada film says that actors definitely use this trend to their advantage in reel life.
She says, “I don’t know much about personal lives. But yes, this trend is predominant in movies. They pair a new, young girl opposite a veteran who is sometimes double her age because it makes older stars look younger. In our country people do accept older men, not women. Everyone wants fresh new faces as far as women are concerned while men remain superstars for decades. It is necessary for us to share an excellent on-screen chemistry with co-stars. even if you don’t relate to the person, you have to make the effort.”
Older the man, younger the woman
