If it was love/lust at first sight, we don’t know. What we, however, know is that age gap of 10 years, sometimes a little less and other times more, could not put out the fire. Giving thumbs up to Mark Twin’s famous line “age is just a number” and disregarding studies that say there is a 39 per cent of marriages fall apart if the couple has an age gap of 10 years, another celebrity couple is taking their love to the next level. Actor Shahid Kapoor (34) and student Mira Rajput (21) are the latest addition to the Bollywood bandwagon for whom the ideal age difference between a man and wife is ‘whatever works.’
As if taking cue from movies where aging heroes romance young heroines, dynamics of marriage, at least for those in limelight is changing. And age is no bar for such couples. Oh wait, a few of these leading men even have older wives! But these rocking couples are rated high on their love chemistry and make their admirers drool. Here’s a dekho at these ageless couples who took the plunge and tied the knot.
Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan
Saifeena have been one of the most raved couples of Bollywood and were for long the fodder for tabloids. The royal couple started dating in 2007. Saif who was earlier married to actress Amrita Singh, 13 years his senior, decided to tie knot with Kareena 10 years his junior. Regardless of the age gap the couple share a sizzling chemistry.
Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu
‘Tragedy King’ Dilip Kumar and yesteryear’s ‘Golden Girl’ Saira Banu’s love story is truly Bollywood’s ‘eternal romance’. In 1966 when the couple got married, Saira was barely 22 and he was 44 years old. Putting aside the age-gap, Saira is said to have been in love with him since she was 12! In almost 49 years of marriage, the couple have stood together through the thick and thin.
Dharmendra and Hema Malini
Touted as the most gorgeous couple of B-town, the 13-year-age gap did little to deter the ‘Dreamgirl’ and her ‘He Man’ from trying the knot. Even the fact that Dharmendra was married at the time and there was resistance from families on both sides, the stars after dating for five years, made it to the nuptial.
Kunal Khemu and Soha Ali Khan
Like brother, even for sister Soha love knows no barriers and age certainly is not one of them. The actress who will be seen next in Ghayal Once Again married the Go Goa Gone actor, Kunal Khemu who is five younger than her. Love blossomed on the sets of Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge and after four years of courtship they moved in together in 2013 and finally got married in Jaunary this year. The long-standing commitment proves yet again that age is just a number.
Also in the league: Couples like Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao, Boney Kapoor and Sridevi and even Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza all have nine years gap. Meanwhile, eight-year-older Farah Khan, seven-year-older Archana Puran Singh and six-year-older Adhuna Bhaban and Zarina Wahab too have proved with their respective ‘younger’ spouses, Sirish Kunder, Parmeet Sethi, Farhan Akhtar and Aditya Pancholi that societal factors like age and religion are too shallow to bind true love.
Sanjay Dutt and Manyata Dutt
It certainly was a bumpy ride for controversy’s favourite child, Sanju Baba and his wife Manyata – from a court order to displeased family members. But neither the 19-year- gap between the two nor the prison sentence could prevent the love birds from becoming one.