The trend of older actors being paired opposite younger actresses is not new. It has existed for decades. While some actors have addressed it, others have slammed it, demanding age-appropriate roles. Akshay Kumar has been one such actor who has been in the spotlight for romancing young actresses. He will next be paired alongside Wamiqa Gabbi in Bhooth Bangla, who is 26 years younger than him.
Akshay Kumar on age gap with Wamiqa Gabbi
In a conversation with News18, Akshay, 58, reacted to backlash for romancing 32-year-old Wamiqa Gabbi. He said, “Toh kya hai? Humne pehle dekha nahi hai kya kabhi? (So what? Haven’t we seen this before?) It happens in Hollywood as well. Sometimes, it’s the requirement of the script. (In real life too), so many people get married to partners older or younger than them.”
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Director Priyadarshan also addressed the matter, emphasising that he sees no issue with it. He said, “There’s something that people like MGR and NTR used to say… that there’s a big difference between chronological age and screen age. An actor’s screen age may not be his real age. But people accept you for your screen age too. I don’t see any issue there… When I shoot, I may look at a pair and feel like it isn’t the right pair (and that may have nothing to do with their age gap).”
He added, “When I shoot with Akshay or Tabu, I never feel there is an issue when looking at them. And once audiences watch the film, I notice that they don’t feel that issue either. That’s because of their characters and their screen age.”
This is not the first time Akshay has been under scrutiny for his age gap. He has earlier shared screen space with young actresses like Sara Ali Khan in Atrangi Re, Radhikka Madan in Sarfira and Manushi Chhillar in Prithviraj.
More about Bhooth Bangla
Made under the direction of Priyadarshan and jointly backed by Akshay Kumar, Shobha Kapoor, and Ektaa R Kapoor, the project is expected to be released in cinemas on April 10 this year. Along with Akshay and Wamiqa, Bhooth Bangla features a stellar cast, including Paresh Rawal, Asrani, and Rajpal Yadav in pivotal roles, among others. The project marks the return of Akshay and Priyadarshan after a long gap of 14 years.
However, according to a report, the makers of the horror-comedy are planning to postpone the release date by a week due to Dhurandhar 2, which is wreaking havoc at the box office.
