DELUSIONAL TAKE: Aamir Khan Being Rational or Just Mansplaining? Actor Defends Gender Gap, Forgetting His Own 30-Year Age Difference with his Co-Star Fatima Sana Shaikh

Key Points:

Age gap and wage gap exist in every working field, and both of these factors can often be witnessed together in one place — the film industry. Here, a male actor is frequently paired with an actress who can be decades younger than him, along with a monumental wage gap.

Bollywood is no different. A recent interaction of Aamir Khan and Salman Khan with Kajol and Twinkle Khanna on the age gap in Bollywood has garnered widespread criticism from netizens.

The pilot episode of Prime Video’s talk show series Too Much with Kajol and Twinkle, featuring the popular Andaaz Apna Apna duo — Aamir Khan and Salman Khan — included many light-hearted moments.

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But one video clip from the episode has gone viral for all the wrong reasons. Kajol asked the guests the question about the persisting age gap in the film industry. She asked,

The Dangal star jumped in to answer but ironically contradicted his own statements seconds later. Aamir responded by saying that he finds the requirement of the storyline or the script more paramount. He referenced the romance between the characters of Akshaye Khanna and Dimple Kapadia in the 2001 film Dil Chahta Hai.

“For me it depends on the story,” said Aamir Khan. Twinkle Khanna counter-questioned the actor about always working with younger female actors in all his films.

Aamir Khan was caught stuttering when he suddenly asked Twinkle, “Have I done any films with very young actresses? I don’t know.” Kajol and Twinkle asserted that he has worked with Kareena Kapoor Khan, aka Bebo.

The duo has appeared together in multiple films like 3 Idiots (2009), Talaash, and the Forrest Gump remake Laal Singh Chaddha. Aamir said, “But did Bebo and I not look the same age?” Salman Khan took a dig at himself by saying that he (Aamir) looked the same age as Kareena, but he does not.

After the episode was released, his comments quickly went viral. Many users on social media criticized his selective memory. Aamir Khan has previously worked with Fatima Sana Shaikh in Thugs of Hindostan and Dangal who is nearly 30 years younger than him.

Fatima has portrayed both his daughter and his romantic interest. Similarly, actress Mona Singh who is 16 years younger than Aamir has played the role of his mother in Laal Singh Chaddha.

Aamir further explained the case of the age gap in filmmaking by stating that it is not real. He added that if a person is dying in a film, it does not mean he is dying in real life. Twinkle Khanna pointed out, in response, the lingering hypocrisy of the film industry.

She stated that by the time a woman reaches her 40s, she is offered the role of a mother. The episode of Too Much with Kajol and Twinkle not only brought to light the age and gender biases in Bollywood but also sparked a debate about actors rationalizing and normalizing them. [Rh/VS]

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