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ShareI'm sure that most Mumbaikars have noticed large hoardings and posters pasted across the city for a film called Wafaa which features the erstwhile superstar of Indian cinema, Rajesh Khanna, frolicking with a busty starlet.
'He is 56 years old and she is 21 years old', the lurid poster boldly proclaims. Steamy promos of dear old Kaka cavorting in bed with the said starlet are currently playing out across various TV channels.
Obviously the producers have no compunctions whatsoever about promoting this film as an out-and-out flesh fest targeted primarily at the front benchers.
Regardless of the sleaze factor, Indian family audiences are still quite squeamish about watching an older man romance a younger woman.
The other superstar of this era, who ironically toppled Kaka from the top slot, also had a recent outing romancing a nymphet in Ram Gopal Verma's ill-received Nishabd.
Amitabh Bachchan's Humbert Humbert to Jiah Khan's Lolita certainly did not go down well with middle-class viewers, who were scandalised watching the avuncular Big B lusting after a sexy teenybopper.
They were marginally more accepting, however, of Cheeni Kum, where he romanced a reassuringly 30-plus Tabu since at that age most women are perceived by our audiences to be well past their sell-by date.
Whilst a lot of young women are attracted to older men who can provide them with financial security and emotional stability, the fact of the matter is that we as a society are still quite repulsed by older men romping about with young women -- particularly those younger than their own daughters.
Mumbai society has its fair share of Dirty Old Men who are often seen squiring wannabe starlets around parties and introducing them to important advertising, film, and fashion contacts in exchange for sexual favours.
Recently, at a high-profile party aboard a ship, I was introduced to an 18-year-old aspiring model by an aged advertising honcho who had a tacit understanding with the girl that she would later spend the night with him in his cabin. A week later the same geriatric gent introduced me, with a wink, to another buxom bimbo who he then proceeded to lasciviously grope as she coyly giggled.
The entire room was embarrassed by this antiquated ad man and young girl, but they both brazenly continued with their shenanigans in full public view.
I was surprised by my own moral outrage at such a sleazy quid pro quo even though both parties got precisely what they desired from one another. So I was quite gratified to note that the same lecherous geezer was recently given his comeuppance when he lewdly propositioned another sexy young thing at a party and she flatly declined his advances by replying, "No thanks, Uncle, I am only interested in reading about dinosaurs -- not actually doing them!"
Unfortunately, even though once bitten, dirty old men are still never quite shy.
