‘Vishwanath and Sons,’ ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit,’ ‘Sarvam Maya’: South Cinema Puts Age-Gap Romances In The Spotlight

Male actors being paired with actresses much younger than them is hardly new in Indian cinema, age-gap relationships are increasingly moving to the center of the narrative in South Indian films. Venky Atluri’s Tamil-Telugu bilingual “Vishwanath and Sons,” starring Suriya and Mamitha Baiju, and Girish A. D.’s Malayalam film “Bethlehem Kudumba Unit,” featuring Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju, place relationships between people from different generations at the heart of their stories.

In the upcoming “Sarvam Maya,” the age-gap dynamic between Nivin Pauly’s Prabhendu and Riya Shibu’s Delulu adds another layer to the film’s unusual take on companionship and love. The two characters have an age gap of around 20 years. However, the film does not foreground their relationship as a conventional age-gap romance. Director Akhil Sathyan says the relationship was deliberately shaped more around friendship, companionship, and emotional dependence, with the romantic element emerging organically rather than through a conventional love story.

Among recent on-screen pairs navigating the age difference were Kamal Haasan – Trisha Krishnan in “Thug Life.” Director Mani Ratnam defends the casting, saying that relationships with age differences exist in society and cinema should not be prevented from portraying them. He appealed to audiences to judge the relationship within the context of the story rather than through the actors’ real-life ages.

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When The Age Gap Becomes The Story
The new generation of filmmakers are keen to explore various aspects of an age-gap romance, including the characters’ emotions and society’s reactions to such relationships. 

In an interview with a Malayalam magazine, director Girish A. D. says the romance between a couple with an age difference forms the central premise of “Bethlehem Kudumba Unit.” The director adds that even though the age gap is important, the film primarily focuses on the emotional journey of its characters.

The teaser of  Venky Atluri’s “Vishwanath and Sons” has established that the story revolves around a middle-aged international shooter and a much younger woman who falls in love with him. Interestingly, the protagonist initially rejects her advances precisely because of the age difference, making it the emotional conflict of the film.

In a media interaction, Mamitha Baiju explains that the script is fresh because it addresses a subject that mainstream cinema usually avoids. Malayalam director Devan’s take on age-gap romance is simple: “These happen in real life, too, and that’s why such films are made. Making a film with an age-gap theme is different from older male actors playing a younger character on screen to match the heroines cast opposite them.”

Scriptwriter Archana Vasudev adds, “Society has generally been more accepting of older men dating younger women than the other way round. Cinema often reflects these social attitudes instead of challenging them. Investors or producers may believe that pairing a strong male star with a younger female actor broadens the film’s appeal in mainstream commercial cinema.”

Expanding Romantic Narratives
The biggest difference between earlier films and projects like “Bethlehem Kudumba Unit” and “Vishwanath and Sons” lies in their intention. Commercial entertainers often feature older heroes opposite younger actresses without acknowledging the age difference. Films like Vijay and Pooja Hegde’s “Jana Nayagan,” Vijay and Rashmika Mandanna’s “Varisu” and Venkatesh and Meenakshi Chaudhary’s “Sankranthiki Vasthunam” also didn’t shy away from acknowledging the age difference between their leads on screen.

“This is something purely based on entertainment and our society’s psychology, which will make the audience curious about the age gap and the artist combo. Audiences want to know how it is depicted in a movie, and as it’s now a kind of a formula,” says Lakshmi Warrier, partner at Kerala-based Cheers Entertainments.
She adds, “Falling in love with an elderly woman or falling in love with an elderly man are still considered taboo in our society. Hence, there’s certain curiosity around it and people like watching such stories on the screen to experience them.”

With a growing number of films making the age difference itself part of the dramatic conflict, South Indian cinema appears to be moving beyond the question of whether an older actor can be paired with a younger actress. Instead, it is focusing on the various emotional aspects of these relationships.