Role Confusion! - These Indian Actresses Have Played Mother as Well as Lover to the Same Actor

A striking feature in the Indian film industry is that actors never seem to age while there is a small age window for actresses outside of which she is only viable for sister/mother roles. Thankfully, this ageist, sexist trend is on the decline and actors are being paired in a more age-appropriate way. But the following instances of actresses cast as mother as well as lover to the same actors will amuse you.

(Image Source: Bollywood Hungama/Wiki Commons)

How can an actress transition from a lover figure to a mother figure in just five years? In Bollywood, very easily apparently. Although Waheeda Rehman is senior to Amitabh Bachchan in terms of her entry into Bollywood, this beautiful star played his lover in Dharma (1973) and later his mother in Trishul (1978).

(Image Source: Bollywood Hungama/Wiki Commons)

The same can be said of Sharmila Tagore who played wife to Amitabh Bachchan in Faraar (1975) and then his mother in Desh Premee (1982).

(Image Source: Bollywood Hungama/Wiki Commons)

Some actresses age to become naturals at playing maternal roles. But their male peers take much longer to segue into paternal parts. Case in point: Actress Rakhee (of the “Mere bete aayenge” fame) played Amitabh Bachchan’s love interest in the 1978 movie Kasme Vaade and then his mother in Shakti (1982).

(Image Source: Bollywood Hungama/Wiki Commons)

I’ll bet this titbit surprises you! At the tender age of 13, actress Sridevi played her first leading role in the Tamil movie Moondru Mudichu (1976) where she played stepmother to none other than the superstar Rajnikant. And she has played his love interest in Chaalbaaz (1989)!

(Image Source: bollywood501/Wiki Commons)

This story is of a real life couple - actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis. Nargis played his mother in the 1957 super hit Mother India, and has also played his love interest in Yaadein (1964). Interestingly, Sunil Dutt was smitten with Nargis while shooting for Mother India and even saved her from a fire, and eventually they fell in love with each other and married a year later. If that isn’t a true Bollywood fairy-tale romance, I don’t know what is!

(Image Source: Bollywood Hungama/Wiki Commons)

Sometimes the role demands that the actress play mother and wife/girlfriend to the same actor; only, the actor plays two different characters here. For example, Sharmila Tagore played the role of lover as well as the mother of Rajesh Khanna’s character in the 1969 movie Aradhana. Another instance is where Priety Zinta played Hrithik Roshan’s love interest in Koi… Mil Gaya (2003) and his mother (cameo role) in Krrish (2006).