Salman Khan's casting with Nayanthara in an upcoming film has reignited the age-old debate--geddit?!-- about older leading men and increasingly younger leading ladies. The 19-year age-gap is nothing compared to the legendary Telugu pairing of NTR with Sridevi.
N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) had the biggest age gap with Sridevi among her co-stars, at around 40 years; Sridevi (born 1963) started as a child artist and moved into lead roles as a teenager in South Indian cinema (mainly Telugu and Tamil films). In the late 1970s, she was paired romantically opposite NTR, a Telugu superstar born in 1923!
In films like Vetagadu (1979), NTR was about 55–56 while Sridevi was 15–16, creating a roughly 40-year difference.
They worked together in a dozen films, including some where he played her romantic lead despite the massive gap (and even though he had earlier played her grandfather in Badi Panthulu when she was around 9).
This pairing is frequently cited as one of the most shocking or notable age gaps in Indian cinema history due to the extreme difference and the era's norms around hero-heroine pairings.
Other notable (but smaller) gaps:
ANR (Akkineni Nageswara Rao) — Also around a 40-year gap in some early Telugu films where Sridevi was a teenager and he was in his 50s/early 60s (similar context to NTR).
Amitabh Bachchan — Roughly 20–21 years (e.g., Inquilaab in 1984: Amitabh ~42, Sridevi ~20; Khuda Gawah in 1992: Amitabh ~50, Sridevi ~29).
Rajinikanth — About 13 years older; they collaborated extensively (including early films where roles were unconventional, like her playing his stepmother in their first film together!).
Later Bollywood pairings (e.g., with Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, or others) generally had much smaller gaps, often under 15 years once Sridevi was in her 20s–30s.
In her early career especially, South Indian films sometimes cast very young Sridevi opposite much older established heroes, which was more common then (and often criticized in retrospect with the lens of today).
Her real-life husband, Boney Kapoor (L), was about 8–9 years older, which is minor by comparison
These gaps reflect the filmmaking conventions of the 1970s–80s more than anything else and we aren't making a judgement call much reflecting on what was... and what hasn't changed.
Now, in 2026, big age gaps between male leads (often in their 50s–60s) and much younger female co-stars remain quite common in Bollywood, even in recent and upcoming films.
Sara Ali Khan & Akshay Kumar
In Atrangi Re (2021), Akshay Kumar (then ~54) was paired opposite Sara Ali Khan (then ~26) in a romantic angle.
Age gap: 28 years.
This pairing drew significant criticism and discussion at the time, as Akshay is even older than Sara's real father, Saif Ali Khan. Sara addressed the backlash, saying she trusted the director and that the story justified the dynamic.
Disha Patani & Salman Khan
In Radhe (2021) (and briefly in Bharat), Salman Khan was romancing Disha Patani.
Age gap: ~27 years (Salman was around 55–56, Disha ~28–29 during filming).
Salman even joked in interviews that he "looks the same age" as Disha in the film.
Salman Khan & Saiee Manjrekar in
Dabangg 3 (2019) — ~32–36 years (Salman ~53–54, Saiee ~21).
Salman Khan & Rashmika Mandanna in Sikandar (2025) — 31 years (Salman ~59, Rashmika ~28).
Akshay Kumar & Manushi Chhillar in Samrat Prithviraj — ~29–30 years.
Veterans like Salman, Akshay, with young actresses is nothing compared to South stars (e.g., Nandamuri Balakrishna with younger actresses in some films), who continue to cling on to the last vestige of youth, bad dye jobs, wigs, cringe dancing moves and co-stars younger than their youngest children...
Much of Indian cinema has a long history of casting established older male superstars opposite debutantes or actresses in their 20s. Directors and producers often cite cliche responses to criticism with the tropes of "star power," "audience demand," or "script requirements," while critics point to it as a sign of reluctance to let male stars age on screen or cast age-appropriate female leads. The conversation has grown louder with social media, but the pattern continues in commercial films.
Compared to the massive ~40-year gaps Sridevi faced in the late 1970s (e.g., with NTR or ANR), today's gaps are generally smaller (25–35 years is now more typical for the biggest ones), but they still stand out because the industry has evolved in many other ways. The trend is slowly facing pushback, with some films now exploring more balanced pairings or even older woman-younger man dynamics, but big commercial projects with huge gaps are still very much part of the pan-Indian-cinematic-landscape.
Cringe included.
After the topic of age gap, next discussion wage gap. Actresses earning a fraction of the "hero"'s remuneration.
