Akshay Kumar is letting his age poke through with his salt-and-pepper beard and ditching the hero mold for gritty film Brothers.
Image courtesy: Indian Express
Kumar is done with the artificial idea of looking young, “If I am 50, I should look like 50. Today it has become a joke to take enhancers, powders, shakes or steroids. When you eat these artificial enhancers, your muscles will die within a month of not exercising.”
This is admirable of Kumar since he's one of the most successful non-Khans in the industry calling out the idea of trying to "look young." Does he really practice what he preaches, though? If he were really acting 50, he might want to star with actresses that are closer to his age!
His Brothers co-star, Jacqueline Fernandez, is paired opposite him and is 17 years younger. In fact, Kumar is notorious for starring with younger and younger heroines, like Sonakshi Sinha, 28, Tamannaah, 25, and now Amy Jackson, 23. It’s very easy for Kumar to speak out on aging gracefully, but there’s no consideration in curbing his own double standards.
Deepika Padukone and Kangana Ranaut are calling out the BS around the “shelf life” of actresses or talking about the pressures they’re under to look good all the time. Yet it’s the Kumars and Khans that these actresses star opposite in order to ensure a hit that have certainly worked for Sonakshi Sinha. Sinha has starred with Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan and Ajay Devgan, actors who are decades older than her.
For actresses, aging gracefully is not an option when there are countless younger hopefuls ready to take their places. There have been some small steps towards changing this idea, and that begins with mother roles. Vidya Balan playing Amitabh Bachchan’s mother in Paa and Tabu playing Shahid Kapoor’s mother in Haider were both strong roles that didn’t abide by clichés.
Even talking about your age and not hiding your birthdate is a small step forward. “What’s wrong in saying your age? I think one should age gracefully. I am proud to be 34 and I think aging is wonderful. I hate it when I look at somebody and know that they have tried to cover the lines,” said Kareena Kapoor.
We’re not discounting the pressures the men face to look young, especially Shah Rukh Khan, who started with a six-pack in Om Shanti Om and looked even more chiselled with his eight-pack in Happy New Year. But the ease with which they can celebrate their own aging process and still act opposite younger women is just maddening.
Maybe Akshay or Shah Rukh can do audiences a favour and reunite with their former heroines, like Raveena Tandon or Juhi Chawla. Which couple (who are similar in age) would you like to see back in a film together? Comment below. We'd love to hear what you have to say!
Feature image source: www.zeenewsindia.com
Rumnique Nannar
Author
Rumnique Nannar is a new journalist with a passion for all things pop culture, film, and art. Rumnique was born in London, with a predilection for devouring English chocolate with her Vogue, ANOKHI, and Glamour magazines in tow. She is currently in her Journalism Masters at UBC. Connect ...
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