Age gaps in films are quite common. But today, let’s take a look at female actors who played onscreen mothers to co-stars close to their own age It is believed that a female actor ages faster than men in Bollywood. Well, these celebs have played the role of onscreen mothers to actors remarkably close to their own age:The 'mothers' of BollywoodHai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona HaiIn the trailer of the upcoming David Dhawan comedy, actor Varun Dhawan (39) asks Maniesh Paul to find him a fake mother, ‘Nirupa Roy jaisi’. In the next scene, Varun introduces actor Mouni Roy (40), who is a year older than him, as his mother to his soon-to-be wife Pooja Hegde and her onscreen brother Jimmy Shergill. Even though this seems to be a deliberate comic twist, Mouni’s unusual casting as Varun’s fake mother has sparked a debate online ahead of the film’s release on June 5Raja ShivajiEarlier this month, Raja Shivaji became the first Marathi film to enter the ₹100 crore club. Lead actor, director and co-producer Riteish Deshmukh (47) won hearts as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the film, whereas his real-life ‘baiko’ Genelia Deshmukh portrayed the role of Saibai. But what shocked the internet was Bhagyashree’s (57) casting as Riteish’s onscreen mother Jijabai, considering the small age gap of 10 years between themDhurandhar: The RevengeIn the sequel to Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar (2025), audiences witnessed actor Ranveer Singh’s (40) character Jaskirat’s backstory and transformation into undercover agent Hamza. Many new characters were introduced in the spy action thriller, amongst which was Jaskirat’s onscreen mother Prabneet Kaur Rangi, played by actor Madhurjeet Sarghi (44) who is just four years older than RanveerNishaanchiAnurag Kashyap’s 2025 film Nishaanchi followed the story of a mother and her twin sons, both caught between crime and conscience. While actor Aaishvary Thackeray (24) portrayed the roles of twin brothers Babloo Nishaanchi and Dabloo Wafadaar Singh, 31-year-old Monika Panwar was cast as his onscreen mother, whose character progresses from her twenties to her fifties in the film. In reality, Monika is just 7 years older to AaishvaryRamayanaIn Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming film Ramayana, which is one of the most awaited releases of the year, actor Ranbir Kapoor (43) will be seen as Lord Rama. His onscreen mother Kausalya, the Chief Queen of Ayodhya, will be played by actor Indira Krishnan (55), who is 12 years older to RK. Also starring Yash as Ravana and Sai Pallavi as Sita, the mythological film is set to arrive in theatres on Diwali 2026Mahima Pandey is a journalist at HT City, who believes that being a bridge between the entertainment industry and the public is an honour. She enjoys Bollywood updates, films, fashion trends and gossip from the industry as much as any other movie buff, which helps her write things worth your time.Read MoreHtcityVarun DhawanMouni RoyAge GapBollywoodBollywood FilmBollywood ActorRiteish DeshmukhBhagyashreeSee Less
Bollywood math that doesn’t add up: Actors who played ‘maa’ to onscreen sons close to their age
Age gaps in films are quite common. But today, let’s take a look at female actors who played onscreen mothers to co-stars close to their own age
TL;DRAI
Five Bollywood productions recently cast actresses just 4–12 years older than their male leads as onscreen mothers, most notably Mouni Roy (40) playing Varun Dhawan's (39) fake mother in an upcoming David Dhawan comedy. The trend reflects how star-driven casting routinely overrides demographic logic, generating pre-release controversy that functions as earned media — a dynamic increasingly relevant to studios optimizing for algorithmic reach over editorial coherence.
475 words~2 min read
