Salman Khan’s ‘Sikandar’ Trolling Unfair: Age-Gap Romance a 82-Year Tradition

By Shantishwarup Tripathi

Salman Khan’s ‘Sikandar’ Trolling: In the 112-year-old history of Indian cinema, a lot has happened that today’s audience and the general public are not fully aware of. People who gain knowledge through WhatsApp University and then troll others do not make an effort to understand the truth. This is exactly what is happening with Salman Khan in the film Sikandar.’ There has been a lot of fuss everywhere about Salman Khan playing the hero opposite actress Rashmika Mandanna, who is half his age. He is seen romancing her in the movie, and people are calling this wrong. But no one is asking why it is wrong.

In reality, Salman Khan is 59 years old, while Rashmika Mandanna is just 28. This age gap has led to significant trolling of Salman Khan on social media. But is this trolling justified? Has Salman Khan done something unprecedented? Is he trying to set a new trend in Bollywood? And, more importantly, did any other hero take such a step in a film before ‘Sikandar’? Let’s uncover the truth that Salman Khan did not mention.

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On March 23, during the trailer launch event of ‘Sikandar’ at a multiplex in Mumbai, Salman Khan humorously responded to the trolls, saying that when media people keep pestering him, he has to show that he’s still got it. He jokingly added, "There’s a 31-year age gap between the heroine and me. If the heroine doesn’t have a problem, if her father doesn’t have a problem, then why should you have a problem?" Rashmika Mandanna, who was standing next to Salman, smiled and lowered her head while listening to him. Salman Khan didn’t stop there, he continued, “When they get married, have children, then I’ll work with them. The mother’s permission will surely be there, right?” To this, Rashmika subtly nodded in agreement, which made the audience at the event excited. However, at no point did Salman Khan admit that what he was doing was something unique or unprecedented. In fact, he is following in the footsteps of legendary actors who began this trend 82 years ago.

The Truth of 82 Years Ago

Let’s take you back 82 years. Yes, most people are familiar with the film “Mother India,” which was India’s first film to be nominated for an Oscar. Directed by Mehboob Khan, this film became a landmark in Indian cinema. But what most people may not know is that, 14 years before “Mother India,” Mehboob Khan directed a film called “Taqdeer” in 1943, where the same tradition of romance between heroes and heroines with a significant age gap began.

“Taqdeer” featured Motilal, Chander Mohan, Charlie, Zillobai, Kayam Ali, and Nargis in key roles. It was produced and directed by Mehboob Khan, and the screenplay was written by Ghulam Mohammad and dialogues by Agha Jani Kashmiri. The music was composed by Rafiq Gajan. This film was released in 1943.

In the film “Taqdeer,” Nargis, who was only 14 years old at the time, was paired with Motilal, who was 33 years old. Yes, you read that right! Nargis was born on June 1, 1929, in Kolkata, and Motilal was born on December 4, 1910, in Shimla. “Taqdeer” was Nargis’s first film as a heroine, and it was well-received by critics. The film became the ninth highest-grossing film of 1943.

Before “Taqdeer,” Nargis had acted as a child artist in her mother Jaddan Bai’s films under the name Baby Rani. Nargis’s real name was Fatima, but Mehboob Khan felt it wasn’t fitting for her, so he renamed her Nargis for the film. At the time Nargis agreed to take on the role of a heroine, she was about to turn 14, while Motilal was 33. The film’s plot revolves around Nargis as Shyama and Motilal as Babu, two characters who fall in love despite several obstacles.

The reality is that 82 years ago, Motilal began the trend of romancing an actress much younger than himself, just like Salman Khan is doing now. But no one trolled Motilal at that time. That’s because there was no social media back then. If we look at the truth from 82 years ago, Salman Khan’s trolling now can be viewed as following in Motilal’s footsteps.

The Current Scenario in ‘Sikandar’

The trailer of ‘Sikandar’ has left a lot unclear about the relationship between Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna. Is their relationship that of a husband and wife, or are they lovers? What kind of romance do they share? These questions remain unanswered, yet people are trolling Salman Khan on social media without knowing the full story.

What’s also intriguing is that there is a classic song “Lag Ja Gale” featured in the film, and people are speculating that Rashmika Mandanna may have sung it. But the truth is, this song has been dubbed over Rashmika’s scenes and was sung by Salman Khan’s close friend, Iulia Vantur.

Now that we have revealed the truth, it’s clear that Salman Khan is merely following the path of a legendary actor from the past. The real question will arise on March 30, when the film ‘Sikandar’ is released. Will Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna’s romantic pairing receive the same appreciation that Motilal and Nargis’s pairing did in ‘Taqdeer’? Only time will tell.

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