Vikram: Kamal Haasan To Romance 40 Years Younger Actor, Why Is Ageism Still Selling?

One of the highly anticipated films of Kamal Haasan, Vikram, will be released soon and the makers have left no stone unturned to make it one of the biggest films of the year 2022. The latest reports have emerged that Shanvi Srivastava will be seen romancing Haasan in the film that also stars Vijay Sethupati and Fahadh Faasil.

The film, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is set in parts and one of them will be a flashback featuring the Chachi 420 actor as a 30-year-old the film. Reportedly, Srivastava, the actor working predominantly in Kannada films, will be seen alongside Haasan in the flashback story. She will reportedly have a screen time of 10 minutes in the film.

Kamal Haasan To Romance Young Actor In Vikram

Casting Shanvi opposite Haasan, even if it is for a cameo, is again an instance of the pervasive ageism and sexism at play. While the makers have spent crores on the de-ageing VFX to make Haasan look his part in the flashback, they also cast a young woman to romance him.

If we are comfortable with Kamal Haasan romancing an actor who is nearly four decades younger than he is; why do we get uncomfortable if younger men court older women?

It is the age-old sexist, youth-obsessed film culture which has propagated the idea of younger women romancing men twice their age in films and there are multiple instances of the same. Just like Shah Rukh Khan romanced Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif twice in the films Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Anand L Rai’s Zero.

Older Women’s Absence From Silver Screen

Time and again, many have criticised the sexist notion of the film industry that has objectified women and their youthfulness for ages now. Actors have expressed disdain on how this has led to the invisibility of older, post-menopausal women in the industry.

Suggested Reading: Selective Ageism In Bollywood: Why Must Women Hide Their Age On Screen?

Ageism is not endemic to the Indian cinema industry, it happens in Hollywood as well. A study by Martha Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, inferred, “overall, female characters were younger than males.”

Coveted actors from across industries have spoken about the issue. For instance, Indian actor Konkana Sen Sharma speaking about the absence of women actors beyond 30 said, “When it comes to portraying women on screen, we hardly see any representation of women over 30. So does that mean we don’t want to know about women once they cross 30 and have a husband and children?”

It is a systematic issue that needs rectification on a large scale that audiences and those working in the industry have continually demanded. The filmmakers need to rationalise to themselves as to how they find no problem in casting actors as young as Shanvi to romance someone as old as Haasan who could well act as her father in the films.

Filmmakers are comfortable spending crores on de-ageing VFX for older men, but not on older women, why? Are we scared of addressing the deep-seated issue of ageism and sexism? What is stopping the film industries from introspecting?

‘Art imitates reality’ is a universal phrase but does it excuse the makers of art from perpetrating toxicity, and sexism and invalidate a large section of the workers and consumers? How fair is it to exclude older women just because they are ageing?

Audience copies cinema—from hairstyles, and costumes to the larger ideologies that they propagate. It is a cyclical effect and at every level, we all have to initiate the change and the onus is on the film industry as well. It is high time the filmmakers give space for older women as well and make space for young men as well.

Views expressed are the author's own