The news about Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah actress Munmun Dutta getting engaged to her co-star Raj Anadkat recently broke the internet, only to turn out to be fake later. But even as the reports first surfaced, more than being surprised about the alleged hush-hush relationship, people actually seemed to be shocked, and even scandalised, over the fact that Munmun could date someone who was nine years younger to her.
Another development in showbiz happened around the same time. The song Wallah Habibi from the upcoming film, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, was dropped online, in which Akshay Kumar can be seen dancing in a desert and romancing actress Manushi Chhillar, who, mind you, is exactly 30 years younger to him. But wait, the track is peppy, so let's just all collectively ignore the glaring age difference staring right in our faces and groove to the music, right?
The fact that both the events occurred around the same time and the stark difference in their reception in public baffles me. What is this if not blatant double standards? If an Akshay can romance someone three decades younger to him and that's acceptable, then why can't a Munmun fall in love with a man younger to her? For a country which aims to be a 'developed nation' in the next five years and a film industry which calls itself "woke", where do these two incidents really make us and our mindset stand?
And we are not just talking about Akshay Kumar here. When Shah Rukh Khan romances Deepika Padukone on screen, who is 20 years younger to him, or Shahid Kapoor marries 13-years-younger Mira Rajput in real life, the desi fans tag them as the "perfect couple".
But at the same time, when Priyanka Chopra decided to marry 10-years-younger Nick Jonas, there was a nationwide outrage. Even though Nick has now been accepted by Indians as the "national jiju", there are always those handful of people who take the liberty to drop nasty comments like 'maa-bete ki jodi' or 'baccha lag raha hai', everytime PeeCee posts a picture with her husband online.
When there was a romantic relationship between Tabu (52) and Ishaan Khatter (28) in A Suitable Boy, or when Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (50) shot some steamy scenes with Ranbir Kapoor (41) in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, the audience was horrified and disgusted, to say the least.
Also, this hypocrisy is not a matter of concern only in Bollywood. In the south film industry, which seems to be the favourite of the nation of late, 73-year-old Rajinikanth or 68-year-old Chiranjeevi dancing and romancing a 34-year-old Tamannaah or a 38-year-old Shruti Haasan is quite a normal sight, and in fact, their "chemistry" is loved by the masses.
So, if these celebrated men in the country are allowed to fall in love with women who are decades younger to them, on screen or off screen, the question here is when will the same treatment be meted out to the female actors and women, in general, as well? At what point will this obvious hypocrisy be finally called out?
