This story is from July 1, 2004

Bollywood comes of age, finally

Jitesh Pillai / TNN / Jul 1, 2004, 22:00 IST

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The movies are finally growing up. Hero and heroines well over the official box-office age of romance are being given prime roles.

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -3"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="32.8%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><img src="/photo/761490.cms" alt="/photo/761490.cms" border="0" /></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">MUMBAI: A 62-year-old Amitabh Bachchan coos to a 55-year-old Hema Malini in Baghbaan.The film runs to packed houses. In the role of a lifetime, a fifty-something Pankaj Kapur plays Abbaji, the pivot of Vishal Bharadwajâ€™s dramatic Maqbool. In an essentially testosterone-driven Khakee â€” featuring the likes of Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar and Tusshar Kapoor â€” itâ€™s Bachchan who leads the brigade. Recent films like Govind Nihalaniâ€™s Dev and Milan Luthriaâ€™s Deewaar frontline AB whoâ€™s no baby. The movies are finally growing up. Hero and heroines well over the official box-office age of romance are being given prime roles. Audiences and directors appear to be willing to look beyond marshmallow heroes and peroxide starlets. Director Karan Johar elucidates, â€œToday, actors are willing to experiment. They are not bogged down by tags like second lead, or villain or character actor. Even in film like Satya, itâ€™s not the protagonist but Manoj Bajpai whoâ€™s more memorable.â€� A look at the list of recent films seems to indicate that it is the summer of the patriarch. Nominations in this yearâ€™s Filmfare Awards were dominated by 50-year-olds â€” Hema Malini in Baghbaan, Shabana Azmi in Tehzeeb, Rekha in Koi Mil Gaya, Jaya Bachchan in Kal Ho Naa Ho. While we are still years from making films like Somethingâ€™s Gotta Give and The Bridges of Madison County which feature stars like Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep as romantic leads, more and more roles are being written for actors who are traditionally considered beyond their prime. Roles hitherto essayed by the likes of Amrish Puri, Anupam Kher and Reema Lagoo are now played by leading actors. </div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"> Nana Patekar, 53, helmed Ab Tak Chhappan, Rekha has been pencilled in for an important role in Sanjay Leela Bhansaliâ€™s Bajirao Mastani. Bachchan will romance Rani Mukherjee in Bhansaliâ€™s thriller Black, 46-year-old Dimple Kapadia has two new films in pivotal roles, while 53-year-old Shabana Azmi will feature in Mahesh Dattaniâ€™s Morning Raga. But experience talks when Bachchan says, â€œBeggars canâ€™t be choosers. Iâ€™m very grateful that people are writing roles for me which are meaningful. The length of these roles are much smaller than that of the leading man.â€� Adds actress Shabana Azmi, â€œLook at Baghbaan. The anguish of Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan was heart-rending. I must add though that if they were replaced by Dina Pathak and A K Hangal, I wonder if people would be as interested in their anguish. Moreover, Hindi cinema is light years away from actually exploring serious issues like old age and loneliness.â€� However, Azmi adds that there has been a small but significant change especially for women. â€œSome of my significant roles including Saaz, Mrityudand, Fire, Godmother and Tehzeeb came after my forties. The whole concept of what is considered old is changing.â€� Films like 36, Chowringhee Lane and Saaransh remain few and far between but one thingâ€™s for certain: old age is no more an anathema. The box-office need not be wrinkle-free anymore.</div> </div>

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