How Different Raakhee, Kriti Look At Same Age!

Kangana Ranaut portrays Indira Gandhi's political journey in events leading up to the Emergency in an upcoming biopic of the same name.

A 30-something relying on make-up and prosthetics to look like a 58-year-old politician is not new.

Only recently, Vicky Kaushal's attempts to transform into Sam Manekshaw in Sam Bahadur garnered much acclaim.

Ageing on screen for a role aside, movie stars, today, are deeply devoted to the cause of beauty and fitness.

There's a conscious effort to look young, healthy and glamorous what with all kinds of cosmetic procedures and rituals at their disposal.

Back in the day though, no soon an actress crossed her 30s, film-makers would be in a mad rush to cast her as behen, bhabhi or maa whereas actors couldn't care less about letting go.

Are things better now? You decide.

Meanwhile, out of curiosity, Sukanya Verma compares yesteryear stars and the contemporary ones at about approximately the same age and the results are glaring.

Raakhee, Ram Lakhan
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

At 43, Ash was making Ranbir Kapoor and the entire country go weak in the knees as the smouldering poetess of Karan Johar's romantic drama while Raakhee was cementing her reputation as Bollywood's go-to mom, singing paeans of her two anmol ratans -- Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff -- in Subhash Ghai's timeless masala, Ram Lakhan.

 

Raakhee, Rocky
Kriti Sanon, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya

Raakhee's mamta-filled journey is ridiculously premature when you realise she was only 34 at the time she played Sanjay Dutt's mum in his debut, Rocky which is the same age as Kriti Sanon's smoking hot human robot in Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya.

 

Waheeda Rehman, Lamhe
Madhuri Dixit, Kalank

Waheeda Rehman is the epitome of elegance but Bollywood's ageist mindset struggled to write roles befitting her stature, relegating her to the endearing albeit stereotypical matriarch.

In Lamhe, her elderly nanny is a soothing presence except did you realise she's around the same age as 52-year-old Madhuri Dixit's glittering dancer in Kalank's period piece?

 

Amitabh Bachchan, Mohabbatein
Shah Rukh Khan, Jawan

At 58, the Big B kicked off his second innings as a senior figure dispensing gyaan on 'parampara pratishta anushasan' to adolescent boys of Mohabbatein's gurukul.

At 58, Shah Rukh Khan, his rebellious co-star in the same movie, flaunted his 'bindaas banda' side as a macho action hero in both father-son avatar.

 

Sharmila Tagore, Mann
Tabu, Crew

That's Sharmila Tagore at 52 playing grandma to Aamir Khan in the tearjerker, Mann.

That's Tabu at 52 playing a seductively shady airhostess trying to have her cake and eat it too in Crew.

 

Dilip Kumar, Kranti
Salman Khan, Tiger 3

Dilip Kumar's grand histrionics as the fiery revolutionary of Kranti in his late 50s cut a daunting picture.

Fascinating when you look at Salman Khan's swag in Tiger 3 and realise they're around the same age in the third movie of Bhai's successful franchise.

 

Asha Parekh, Kaalia
Katrina Kaif, Phone Bhoot

39 is the new 30 and nobody proved it better than Katrina Kaif as the uber glossy and gorgeous ghost of Phone Bhoot.

Asha Parekh, sadly, would have to contend as the sobbing bhabhi prone to endless bouts of rona dhona in fare like Kaalia and more.

 

Raj Kapoor, Dharam Karam
Hrithik Roshan, Fighter

Fighter's maverick energy highlights Hrithik Roshan's Greek God status to the hilt. At 50, the man's every bit a rockstar.

At the same age, Raj Kapoor appears content being a showman to bother about his blue-eyed beauty as explained in the philosophy of Dharam Karam's evergreen melody -- Ek din bik jayega maati ke mol jag mein reh jayenge pyaare tere bol.

 

Dev Anand, Sache Ka Bol Bala
Akshay Kumar, Sarfira

Dev Anand and Akshay Kumar share one thing in common -- both refused to look at the writing on the wall.

If a 56-year-old Dev Saab appeared happy puffing up his evergreen imagery in leading man parts across movies shrouded in obscurity, 56-year-old Akshay Kumar refuses to acknowledge the consequences of Akshay Kumar overkill.

 

Rishi Kapoor, Damini
Ranbir Kapoor, Animal

Who does 41 better? Father Rishi Kapoor playing the sweater clad lover boy pining for his ladylove yet again in Damini? Or son Ranbir channelling his inner bad boy to capture the troubled journey of a character from teenage to old age in Animal?

 

Shammi Kapoor, Parvarish
Aamir Khan, Dhoom 3

One of the most energetic stars to grace the screen, Shammi Kapoor's disinterest in fitness aged him before time.

At 46, he was playing father to Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna in Parvarish.

To think Aamir Khan was a few years older than that when he slipped into the role of a brawny trapeze artist in Dhoom 3.

 

Sanjeev Kumar, Sholay
Ranveer Singh, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani

37 is no age to be caged in disgruntled daddy or vendetta-seeking Thakur roles but Sanjeev Kumar rarely ever got to play the charming young man he really was.

Perhaps he didn't fit the image of Bollywood's conventional hero like Ranveer Singh's iron pumping, protein shake guzzling, bare torso parading Rocky in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani.

 

Rajesh Khanna, Souten
Shahid Kapoor, Jersey

Rajesh Khanna's trademark romantic in Souten or Shahid Kapoor's cricketer on a comeback trail in Jersey? Who's your pick for a dashing 40 year old?