Bollywood male superstars and their obsession with newcomers
Bollywood's nearing- 50 superstars constantly try adding newness to image by pairing with fresh faces almost half their age.
Bollywood has forever banked on beautiful leading ladies to sprinkle freshness on the screen.
B- Town's top-rated superstars have always realised the power of casting new faces when it comes to drawing audience attention.
For the formidable male superstars, age is just a number that never affects their humongous fan following. Loyal fans crazily wait for their favourite hero's film to hit the theatres and if the heroine opposite him is a new young new face, it acts as cherry on the cake.
The blatant age difference between the male and female lead may seem glaring, but it has come to be a foolproof strategy to elevate freshness of the hero's image.
"The big male stars have a strong image and even stronger fan following. A fresh pairing with a new and younger face is a convenient method to bring novelty," says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, stressing on how loyal fans anxiously wait for their favourite star to romance a young new actress.
Shah Rukh Khan created frenzy when he appeared with the then 20- year- old model Deepika Padukone in Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om. The SRK-Deepika jodi was crackling, happening a good 12 years after the iconic SRK- Kajol pairing happened in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in 1995. By 2007, when SRK courted Deepika for the first time on screen, Kajol had all but retired.
"Most actors trying a new pairing should be careful to justify it through the script. New pairing with young actress can get awkward if not presented appropriately on screen," says Adarsh.
SRK and Deepika ended up winners again in Rohit Shetty's Chennai Express last year, with the actor sportingly inserting a few jokes about his advancing age in certain dialogues. SRK fans are curious to know as to who will star opposite him in his upcoming biggie, Fan. Speculations are rife that co- producers Yash Raj Films are keen that SRK agrees to romance Vaani Kapoor, whom they launched in Shudh Desi Romance. Shah Rukh's other film in the pipeline, Raees, might have a new girl too.
Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar have created a record of sorts by co-starring with newcomers. Even as Akshay, 46, raises eyebrows by casting himself opposite 22- year- old newbie Kriti Sanon in the upcoming Singh Is Bling, Salman's Eid release this year, Kick , will see the 48- year- old superstar romance Jacqueline Fernandez, 20 years his junior.
In Sooraj Barjatya's Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Salman is paired opposite Sonam Kapoor, 28.
Salman's last few heroines have been Daisy Shah, the 24- year- old debutant of Jai Ho, Katrina Kaif, who was 27 when she did Ek Tha Tiger with him, and Sonakshi Sinha, who was 23 when he introduced her in Dabangg . The superstar's also worked with Asin in Ready when she was 25, a good 20 years younger than him.
Akshay, too, can boast of working with several new girls ever since he became a superstar in the 2000s.
Newly- crowned Miss World Priyanka Chopra and Miss Universe Lara Dutta, for instance, worked with him in Andaaz. Akshay in fact has had a pattern of casting a relatively young girl in about three to four consecutive films before moving on to a fresh face.
Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra and Sonakshi Sinha are instances. Right now, Kriti apart, Akshay will romance the 24- year- old Tamannaah Bhatia in It's Entertainment and Shruti Haasan, 28, in Gabbar . The scene is no different for thinking superstar Aamir Khan. The actor does not necessarily insist on fresh pairing in every film - think Talaash , where he was cast opposite Rani Mukerji - but most of his recent films such as Dhoom 3, 3 Idiots and Ghajini have had heroines who are almost two decades his junior.
In Rajkumar Hirani's upcoming P. K., the 49- year old superstar has the 26- year- old Anushka Sharma as his heroine.
Aamir Khan:
Anushka Sharma (P. K) Aamir is said to cast his lead keeping in mind the script and novelty factor. However, like other superstars he too has worked with girls who are at least two decades his junior in his recent releases. The 49- year- old superstar's pairing with the 29- year- old Katrina Kaif in Dhoom 3 was considered quite unusual. Earlier, his teaming up with Bollywood debutant Asin in 2008's Ghajini , who was 22 when the film released, created curiosity among fans. He will soon be seen with Anushka Sharma, 26, in Rajkumar Hirani's P. K. Since the plot is tightly under wraps, it is unclear if Anushka (above) and Aamir share a romantic angle.
Shah Rukh Khan: Vaani Kapoor or Sarah Jane Dias (yet to be confirmed), who will romance SRK in Fan? The question has kept fans engaged ever since the film was announced. The strong contender to play the heroine is Vaani Kapoor, who emerged as the budding sensation of last year with her role in Shudh Desi Romance. Ex- beauty queen Sarah Jane Dias is also rumoured to be approached for the role. Industry watchers are equally anxious about Raees, SRK's other upcoming film, for which no actress has been finalised as yet.
Akshay Kumar: Tamannah Bhatia (It's Entertainment); Shruti Haasan (Gabbar); Kriti Sanon (Singh Is Bling) Akshay is well aware of the fact that a new pairing can help him create a buzz and add to the curiosity level of his new films.
Maintaining a record of casting maximum new heroines, he recently announced Kriti Sanon as his lead in Singh Is Bling. He started the trend with Andaaz casting newly- crowned Miss World Priyanka Chopra and Miss Universe Lara Dutta.
Salman Khan: Jacqueline Fernandez (Kick); Sonam Kapoor (Prem Ratan Dhan Payo) Salman is known to be a benevolent godfather who proudly announces a new girl opposite himself once in a while. Beginning with the teenager Sneha Ullal, who looked totally mismatched in Lucky: No Time For Love, he created a refreshing chemistry with newcomer Sonakshi Singh in the Dabangg films. He tried launching background dancer Daisy Shah in Jai Ho but the idea flopped. His fans are keen to see him opposite Jacqueline Fernandez in the upcoming Kick.
Saif Ali Khan: Ileana D'Cruz (Happy Ending); Parineeti Chopra (Untitled home production) Saif Ali Khan, 43, will be seen opposite Ileana D'Cruz, 25, in Nikhil Advani's romantic comedy, Happy Ending . He has cast 25- year- old Parineeti Chopra in an untitled film produced by his home banner, Illuminati Films. After creating chemistry with Deepika Padukone, in Love Aaj Kal and Cocktail, Saif has worked with several heroines far younger.
He has recently seen romancing 24- year- old Tamannaah Bhatia in Humshakals. Last year, his heroine in Bullett Raja was Sonakshi, 27, and he was also seen romancing 28- year old Jacqueline Fernandez in Race 2.