Madhuri Dixit with younger co-stars

Well, they weren't paired together but Ishaan Khatter posing with Madhuri Dixit I'm sure meant a lot to him as a young dancer. There is an age gap of 28 years, 5 months, and 17 days between them! They weren't paired together, just danced together for a song. 

In reverse however, aging Bollywood actors with increasingly younger actresses remains common. 

Now, Madhuri Dixit and Akshay Khanna worked in a long, boring, loud film together - even though she had worked with Akshay Khanna's father Vinod Khanna, and there is an age gap of 7 years, 10 months, and 13 days between them. The pr overdrive that year - 1997 - came from the film's camp that insisted that Madhuri was looking so good (she was!) that it doesn't look like an age-gap. Er... well... 

Mohabbat released on September 19, 1997 and was a major commercial failure - classified as a box office flop. However, its soundtrack (composed by Nadeem-Shravan and featuring hits like "O Baby Don't Break My Heart") was highly successful and became one of the top-selling music albums of that year. They went on to work together again years later in Aaja Nachle. Which also flopped.

The massive age gap between veteran male superstars and their much younger female co-stars is one of the most widely discussed and debated casting trends in contemporary Bollywood. While leading men in their 50s and 60s continue to play youthful, romantic leads, their female contemporaries are rarely offered the same roles, leading to a widening age disparity.

Here is a breakdown of the most notable age gaps featuring the industry's biggest stars.

1. Salman Khan

Across his career, Salman Khan's average co-star age gap has drastically widened from a modest 4-year difference in 1989 to over 20+ years in the 2010s and 2020s.

• Saiee Manjrekar in Dabangg 3 (2019) — 36-Year Gap: This is the largest age gap in Salman’s filmography. At the time of the film's release, Salman was 54 and Saiee was just 18.

• Rashmika Mandanna in Sikandar (2025) — 31-Year Gap: Salman (59) starred opposite Rashmika (28) in this action film.

• Disha Patani in Radhe (2021) & Bharat (2019) — 27-Year Gap: Disha was 27 when she romanced a 54-year-old Salman in Bharat.

2. Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar's filmography features a consistent rotation of newly debuting actresses, leading to several massive age gaps.

• Manushi Chhillar in Samrat Prithviraj (2022) — 30-Year Gap: Akshay (55) made his period-drama romantic pairing opposite former Miss World Manushi Chhillar (25).

• Wamiqa Gabbi in Bhooth Bangla (2026) — 26-Year Gap: Akshay (58) addressed public chatter regarding his pairing with Wamiqa (32) by noting that age differences are common in both Hollywood and real-world marriages.

• Amy Jackson in Singh Is Bliing (2015) — 25-Year Gap: Akshay was 48 while Amy was 23.

3. Shah Rukh Khan

While SRK is celebrated for his romantic chemistry, his pairings in the last two decades have frequently featured women more than two decades his junior.

• Alia Bhatt in Dear Zindagi (2016) — 27-Year Gap: Though the film intentionally explored a more therapeutic relationship with romantic undertones rather than a typical masala romance, the real-life gap was 27 years.

• Anushka Sharma in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) — 23-Year Gap: For her massive Bollywood debut, a 20-year-old Anushka was paired opposite a 43-year-old SRK. They later reunited for Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Zero.

• Deepika Padukone in Pathaan (2023) — 20-Year Gap: Deepika was introduced to cinema opposite SRK in Om Shanti Om (2007) when she was 21 and he was 42.

4. Ajay Devgn

• Rakul Preet Singh in De De Pyaar De (2019) & De De Pyaar De 2 (2025) — 24-Year Gap: This romantic comedy was unique because it actually weaponized and addressed the real-life age gap as the central plot point. Ajay Devgn played a 50-year-old divorcé dating a 26-year-old woman. The age gap was deliberate as it furthered the plot. 

Quick Comparison Table

Actor	Co-Star	Film (Year)	Actor's Age	Co-Star's Age	Age Gap
Salman Khan	Saiee Manjrekar	Dabangg 3 (2019)	54	18	36 years
Salman Khan	Rashmika Mandanna	Sikandar (2025)	59	28	31 years
Akshay Kumar	Manushi Chhillar	Samrat Prithviraj (2022)	55	25	30 years
Shah Rukh Khan	Alia Bhatt	Dear Zindagi (2016)	51	24	27 years
Akshay Kumar	Wamiqa Gabbi	Bhooth Bangla (2026)	58	32	26 years
Ajay Devgn	Rakul Preet Singh	De De Pyaar De (2019)	50	26	24 years
Shah Rukh Khan	Anushka Sharma	Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)	43	20	23 years

Why does this persist?

Historically, Bollywood has suffered from deep-rooted ageism regarding women. While male superstars are allowed to retain their "romantic hero" status indefinitely, female actors are often nudged toward maternal or supporting roles once they reach their late 30s. When questioned about the trend, actors like Salman Khan have pointed out that after decades in the industry, pairing with actresses from their own generation can sometimes feel "repetitive" to audiences, leading filmmakers to seek "fresh" pairings. It is a weak excuse from a, quite frankly, weak actor.