Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Seven cross-generational Bollywood movie romances

Bollywood is no stranger to older men romancing younger heroines on the big screen, but it usually entails the hero playing characters of comparable age.

One of this month’s big Bollywood releases, De De Pyaar De, has bucked that trend and sees Ajay Devgn play a divorced 50-year-old man who starts dating a 26-year-old woman. Although they have been few and far between, this isn’t the first time Bollywood has explored a romance between couples of differing ages.


Eastern Eye looks back at films where an age gap didn’t get in the way of a romance.

Doosra Aadmi(1977): A movie that was perhaps ahead of its time has been unfairly forgotten. Raakhee plays a woman who is left heartbroken after her boyfriend (Shashi Kapoor) dies and her character becomes a recluse. Years later, she returns to work and starts to find similarities between the younger man played by Rishi Kapoor, and starts to feel something again.

Ek Nai Paheli (1984): The Hindi language remake of Tamil film Apoorva Raagangal revolves around a headstrong young man (Kamal Haasan) who finds love in the arms of an older woman (Hema Malini). Later it turns out that a young woman (Padmini Kolhapure), who is her daughter, is in love with a much older widower (Raaj Kumar) who turns out to be the young man’s father.

Lamhe(1991): One of the most inventive love triangles ever made in Hindi cinema sees Anil Kapoor torn between the memory of an older woman he loved, and the identical looking daughter decades later. The Yash Chopra classic in effect had two cross-generational romances with Sridevi playing the older woman in love with someone else, and then decades later, the orphaned daughter who melts the cold heart of an older man.

Dil Chahta Hai(2001): The iconic story of close friends had multiple romantic tracks including Akshaye Khanna playing a young man who is in love with an older woman, played wonderfully well by Dimple Kapadia. It shows a deep emotional connection between two individuals, which doesn’t quite culminate in them getting together.

Leela(2002): Dimple Kapadia plays a married professor who goes to teach in America and rediscovers herself after striking up a relationship with a young student. The story of a middle-aged woman getting into a complicated relationship with her much younger student was daring and had featured sensual scenes.

Cheeni Kum (2007): The romantic comedy sees Amitabh Bachchan (above) play a 64-year-old chef who is a confirmed bachelor who then finds love when a feisty 34-year-old, played by Tabu, walks into his life. What follows is a May to December romance, which includes dealing with those who object to their age gap.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil(2016): The musical romance saw Ranbir Kapoor playing a heartbroken young man who rebounds into the arms of a much older woman played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The chemistry between the two in the fleeting passion-filled romance is electric and generated sparks on the big screen.

More For You

Conclave and The Brutalist shine

Conclave and The Brutalist shine as the top films, capturing the spotlight at this year's awards

Getty Images

BAFTA 2025: 'The Brutalist' and 'Conclave' lead the way with 4 wins each

The 2025 BAFTA Film Awards, held at London’s Royal Festival Hall, celebrated a unique array of cinematic achievements, with Conclave and The Brutalist emerging as the night’s biggest winners. Each film took home four awards, solidifying their place as frontrunners in this year’s awards season. Hosted by the ever-charismatic David Tennant, the ceremony featured expected triumphs as well as surprising upsets, making for an all the more unpredictable and thrilling night.

Edward Berger’s gripping political thriller Conclave, which explores the high-stakes election of a new pope, secured the top honour, winning Best Film. It also won Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing, reaffirming its narrative and technical finesse. Starring Ralph Fiennes, the film had led with 12 nominations, making its impressive haul even more significant.

Keep ReadingShow less
Viras’ book 'Art Under the Indian Sun' dives into artistic legacies of Raj

Jennifer Howes, Ratna Vira and Sona Datta

Viras’ book 'Art Under the Indian Sun' dives into artistic legacies of Raj

Dr Sona Datta

ON A crisp evening before Christmas, I found myself at the Traveller’s Club in London’s posh Pall Mall.

Like other anachronisms of old England, this particular place doesn’t permit unaccompanied women. So, Jennifer Howes (an expat Canadian) and me (a British-born Bengali) arrived as two arch Indophiles, sporting silk scarves and lipstick, for an author-talk at the invitation of the Indian High Commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less
Russia's 'Ghost Fleet': Navigating the Murky Waters of Sanctions and Oil Transport

Russia's 'Ghost Fleet': Navigating the Murky Waters of Sanctions and Oil Transport

In the wake of stringent Western sanctions aimed at curbing Russia's oil revenues, a clandestine network of aging tankers, dubbed the "ghost fleet," has emerged as a pivotal player in global oil transportation. This fleet operates under a veil of secrecy, employing tactics designed to circumvent international restrictions. While effective in sustaining Russia's oil exports, the ghost fleet introduces a host of challenges and risks to the global oil market.

The Genesis of the Ghost Fleet

Keep ReadingShow less
Birmingham-stabbing

A 16-year-old boy was stabbed on Saturday afternoon in Bordesley Green. (Photo: X/@MarioNawfal)

Stabbings on the rise as Birmingham residents protest attack on teen

A RISE in stabbing incidents across the country has raised concerns, with another attack in Birmingham prompting a protest by local residents.

A 16-year-old boy was stabbed on Saturday afternoon in Bordesley Green. West Midlands Police said he was attacked at about 15:30 GMT and was taken to hospital with serious injuries. He is now in stable condition.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indian court sentences man to life for rape, murder of Irish woman
McLaughlin, 28, from County Donegal, was found dead in a field in Goa in March 2017. (Photo credit: Twitter)

Indian court sentences man to life for rape, murder of Irish woman

A COURT in India’s Goa state has sentenced a 31-year-old man to life in prison for the rape and murder of an Irish woman in 2017. The verdict was delivered on Monday, nearly eight years after the crime.

The body of 28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin was found in March 2017 on a beach popular with tourists. An autopsy confirmed that cerebral damage and constriction of the neck caused her death.

Keep ReadingShow less