Salman Khan justifies working opposite younger actresses. Do you agree?

Salman Khan and Aamir Khan’s latest conversation with Kajol and Twinkle Khanna on their chat show, 'Two Much With Kajol & Twinkle', reignited a debate on the age-gaps in Bollywood. The duo, who recently appeared on the newly-launched chat show, were quizzed on why they opted for younger female costars.

Salman Khan and Aamir Khan on the age-gap debate

In the talk show, Aamir Khan reacted to Kajol’s question on the age gap in Bollywood. Kajol asked, "When a male lead romances a younger female, it's termed cinematic magic, but when an older female lead is paired with a younger male, it's labelled as bold. When I take on a film, the casting should align with the narrative's needs. Sometimes, there is a necessity for an age gap between the two actors. Ultimately, it hinges on the storyline."

Aamir Khan responded by referencing his work alongside younger actors, such as Kareena Kapoor, and defended the casting by saying, "But did Bebo and I not look the same age?" Twinkle Khanna responded by pointing out that while older male stars continue to play romantic leads, older women are offered motherly roles. To this, Aamir Khan replied, "Filmmaking is not real. You have to understand that. You won't actually die if you're dying on screen—it just needs to look convincing."

Salman then added that one of the main reasons for casting younger women opposite them, is because the audience needs fresh pairings. He said, "We've worked with older heroines so much that the pairing looks dated now. So if there's an upcoming star the producer or director wants, that's the choice."

Do audiences want fresh pairings onscreen?

Many members of the audience are nostalgic and crave the good old Bollywood magic. Think Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol dancing in mustard fields, Salman Khan and Madhuri lighting up ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!', or Aamir and Juhi’s energy in ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’. These weren’t just pairings — they were eras.

So, when Salman says people prefer “fresh” combinations, it makes you wonder: have we really moved on from the charm of those timeless duos? The truth is, audiences have evolved — but nostalgia still sells like nothing else. Be it remakes of old films, like Alia Bhatt’s 2024 film ‘Jigra’ that is a remake of the 1993 film ‘Gumrah’ or filmmakers reviving the much-loved Sonu Nigam song, ‘Bijuria’, we are all in for Y2K films and songs.

So maybe it’s time for Bollywood — and its audience — to have a more honest conversation about what audiences want to see?