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Meet India's Oldest Superstars

August 29, 2023 09:59 IST

Age is just a number for India's superstars.

Joginder Tuteja looks at actors, who are well into their 60s and 70s, and are still scoring blockbuster films.

Sunny Deol
Age: 65
Blockbuster: Gadar 2 (Rs 450 crore/Rs 4.5 billion and counting)

Who would have thought that after a series of flops and disasters -- his last success was Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, which released a decade ago -- Sunny Deol would be back with such a bang?

He delivered an all-time blockbuster with Gadar 2, which is next only to Pathaan when it comes to the highest grossing Bollywood films in India.

One awaits to see what he takes up next.

 

Rajinikanth
Age: 72
Blockbuster: Jailer (Rs 300 crore/Rs 3 billion and counting)

At 72, Rajinikanth still carries the entire weight of a film, and marches them to box office success.

His latest Jailer is an all-time Tamil blockbuster, still going strong in theatres.

He has been making movies regularly even at this age. His hits may be big or small, but far away from flops.

 

Kamal Haasan
Age: 68
Blockbuster: Vikram (Rs 300 crore/Rs 3 billion)

Kamal Haasan has been selective with his movies and his approach towards commercial cinema is different, as he infuses something new each time around.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but Vikram broke all boundaries when it came to collecting the mega bucks.

The Lokesh Kangaraj directed actioner was a mega success at the box office.

 

Chiranjeevi
Age: 68
Blockbuster: Walter Verayya (Rs 150 crore/Rs 1.5 billion)

Chiranjeevi had taken a short break a few years ago, but has been making movies regularly now.

His recent Independence Day weekend release Bholaa Shankar may have been a flop, but he delivered a smash hit at the beginning of this year with Walter Verayya.

A mass masala film, it had the signature Chiranjeevi style that his fans love.

 

Mohanlal
Age: 63
Blockbuster: Lucifer (Rs 100 crore/Rs 1 billion)

Easily the most prolific 60+ superstar that we have in India who has been making two-three movies every year, Mohanlal's consistent stardom was evident when he made a special appearance in Jailer.

Though his film Drishyam 2 released straight on OTT and theatrically, he has not delivered a major success for the last couple of years, he scored a big success with Lucifer before the pandemic struck.

 

Amitabh Bachchan
Age: 80
Blockbuster: Badla (Rs 88 crore/Rs 800 million)

The biggest-ever superstar the country has ever seen, Amitabh Bachchan may not be carrying an entire film on his shoulders any more, but he has always played playing strong parts.

Last year, he was seen in the superhit Brahmastra: Part One and he has biggies like Ganapath - Part One and Kalki 2898 AD lined up for release.

His recent big hit as a leading man was the 2019 thriller, Badla.

 

Mammootty
Age: 71
Blockbuster: Bheeshma Parvam (Rs 75 crore/Rs 750 million)

At 71, the ever-so-young looking Mammootty delivered a hit in the form of Bheeshma Parvam, which was made at a cost of just Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million).

The actor is simply not in a mood to slow down, and one waits to see him lead the show in a biggie that makes a pan-India impression.

JOGINDER TUTEJA