The age factor in Bollywood

It’s no secret that directors and producers are
constantly on the lookout for younger, hipper and sexier actresses. Actors on
the other hand don’t really have a shelf life and mature into their movie
careers like fine wine, take Amitabh Bachchan, for instance. So, are older
actresses being dethroned even as younger actresses bring their youthful charm
and energy to the screen? There’s no disputing that 35-year-old Aishwarya
Rai-Bachchan is one of the more sought after faces in the industry. But in the
recent past, she has been steadily losing film offers, commercial deals and even
Internet hits to younger women like Katrina Kaif and Kareena. Where Katrina and
Kareena are given fun and sexy roles to play, the likes of Ash are given period
pieces and such to play.

Katrina’s girlish charm and fresh looks appeal to a broader age-group, and
it’s evident that the preference for young faces is also based on people’s
preferences. In fact, the 24-year-old Katrina recently displaced the 30
something Sushmita Sen in a Pantene commercial deal; and of course, became the
face of Barbie instead of Ash. And up and coming star Deepika Padukone not only
edged Ash out from Kalpana Lajmi’s ‘Singhasan’, but also scored the BSNL ad from
34-year-old Preity Zinta. In this onslaught from the younger beauties, Ash also
lost her lucrative L’Oreal deal to the sweet and sassy Sonam Kapoor.

Take the case of actress Rani Mukherji, who after a string of flops, has
found herself ousted by the perky Genelia D’souza. Brands such as Perk (the ad
that made Preity Zinta popular) and Fanta signed on Genelia the moment Janne Tu
Ya Jaane Na established her as a favorite with Generation Y. Next on Genelia’s
platter is Vatika hair oil that was once in Rani’s bag. And proving that
Generation Y is looking for the newest phenomenon is town is Asin’s Miranda ad
that has her shaking things up in traditional situations.In the South, actresses
like Jyothika and Simran displaced older women like Meena and Suganya. In their
turn they lost their throne to Sneha and Laila, who in turn were overtaken by
Asin and Trisha.

This is not a new phenomenon. Indian film history proves that while the
Kapoors and the Khans can continue to rule well into their years, actresses
always have to slide over for the next sensation in town. And in Bollywood,
older stars like Kajol, Shilpa Shetty and Lara Dutta are making few to no movies
at all. Instead they prefer to shift gears to reality shows (think Shetty and
Big Brother) or opt for heavy off-beat roles. In fact Zinta has been very vocal
about her distaste for glam roles, and thinks it’s better left to the newcomers.
Where some actresses cite marriage as one of the reasons for not doing more
movies, many stars simply say that the right role hasn’t come along. That’s
logical considering one can’t imagine the mature Ash in a role like the one
Katrina essayed in ‘Namastey London’.

Another factor that probably plays a role in established actresses losing out
to new ones is payment. It’s only an Aishwarya that can demand six crores for a
movie, not a Kareena. All aspects considered, the young divas today will one day
find themselves making room for the divas of tomorrow! Such is the circle of
life in filmdom.