Young men dating older women makes up for a lot of peopleâs fantasy. But as that rarely comes to pass in real life, the scenario is even disappointing in reel life. We hardly see older actresses romancing young actors, though old actors still continue to be paired opposite girls half their age.

So, recently, when veteran actor Neena Gupta questioned why she couldnât be paired opposite Shah Rukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan in a film, I wondered why that seemed very unlikely.

Well, the reason is that we rarely see young men being cast opposite older women in Bollywood. Itâs a rare sight and has come to pass only a handful of times

Such as these 10 young actors who have romanced older actresses in Bollywood movies:

1. Ranbir Kapoor - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

© Dharma Productions

Budding singer Ayan getting ensnared by the captivating poetess Saba added a layer of intrigue to this otherwise drab movie starring some pretty big Bollywood names. Ranbir romancing Aish who is nine years his senior, was a welcome sight to behold.

2. Sumeet Vyas - Kareena Kapoor Khan

Veere Di Wedding 

© Balaji Motion Pictures

As debatable as the filmâs performance might have been, we did love Rishab and Kalindi living and loving it out in the movie. Of course, Sumeet being his eccentric self also added to the whole package of why this was a hit pairing.

3. Ranveer Singh - Priyanka Chopra

Bajirao Mastani

© Bhansali Productions

Who can deny the crackling chemistry Bajirao and Kashibai shared on-screen in this movie? Even being three years apart couldnât take away from their performance of a much-in-love couple, until they werenât.

4. Karan Singh Grover - Bipasha Basu

Alone

© Panorama Studios

See, I wonât lie to you and thatâs why I admit that I have never bothered to watch this movie. However, regardless of how not-so-worth-it the movie might be, you might be interested to know that this husband-wife jodi is three years apart in real life.

5. Arjun Kapoor - Kareena Kapoor Khan

Ki & Ka

© Eros International

A movie that challenged the gender roles our society holds so dear, this was a good take on gender role sensitisation and itâs Kia and Kabir who deserve all the credit for making it look pretty natural.

6. Shahid Kapoor - Rani Mukerji

Dil Bole Hadippa

© Yash raj Films

Rani had already been in the industry for a long time when she was cast opposite Shahid who wasnât even a decade old in the industry. Yet, Rohan and Veera made for a fairly decent sports drama together.

7. Arjun Kapoor - Priyanka Chopra

Gunday

© Yash raj Films

Who can forget the greasy and shiny boys from this film? However, regardless of how sad the plot was and how little Arjun can act, Bala did get to romance Nandita who is three years older to him in real life.

8. Ranbir Kapoor - Konkona Sen Sharma

Wake Up Sid

© Dharma Productions

Not much needs to be said about this one. We loved the film, the characters, the plot and, of course, this pair that stole our hearts despite the obvious age gap!

9. Akshaye Khanna - Dimple Kapadia

Dil Chahta Hai

© Excel Entertainment

Another classic that can do with very few words, but I do need to remind you that Sid and Taraâs camaraderie in the film at the turn of the century, was a breath of fresh air we never knew we needed but were glad to experience.

10. Shadab Kamal - Shilpa Shukla

B.A. Pass

© Tonga Talkies

Based around male prostitution, Shilpa and Shadab did a good job of portraying the hunter and the prey on-screen. And though the exact age difference between the two is not known, suffice it to know that Shadab plays a high-school graduate in the movie, while Shilpa is shown to be a married woman.

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