The times they are a-changin’. All around us, in multiplexes and on streaming platforms, good old actors are returning in meatier, chunkier roles, often giving the younger lot a run for their money. In a sense, many actors in their 60s and 70s have acquired a new luminescence, as it were. Getting to play the token parent or in-law in a largely defunct or blink-and-miss role is now passé for the older talent in Bollywood. Thanks to OTT, roles are now being designed specifically for older actors, and often, they carry as much weight as the other leads; sometimes, even more. And we are not talking about the heavyweights like Amitabh Bachchan, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajinikanth or Kamal Haasan—the distributors’ favourites—but a whole lot of other senior actors who have reinvented themselves and are playing wholesome, exciting parts, while stealing the show.
World Senior Citizen’s Day | For Today’s Senior Actors, Age Is Just A Number
Actors in their 60s and 70s across Indian film industries are reinventing themselves in cinema and OTT and refusing to be put in a box.
With the emergence of stronger storylines, experimental directors and exciting new platforms in this age of streaming, there is a surge of old talent being revived for audiences in the form of more meaningful and relatable cinema. Roles are being scripted for many senior actors who have come into the limelight with their 2.0 versions—often refreshing avatars of their former selves that only relied on stardom.
Take Dimple Kapadia for example. Having been a part of new-age stories since Dil Chahta Hai (2001) post her hiatus after the 1985 Saagar, the 68 year-old actor has effortlessly switched over to another exciting phase of her career. Kapadia’s extended run is so good that films and characters are now being made with her in mind. The three back-to-back releases she had in 2023—blockbuster Pathaan, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, and JioHotstar series Saas, Bahu aur Flamingo—had her extending her range like never before. In 2024, Kapadia has played pivotal roles in Go Noni Go, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and Netflix’s Murder Mubarak, besides being featured on the Vogue cover.
In 2022, Sooraj Barjatya went all out with Uunchai, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Neena Gupta and Sarika, among others. While it wasn’t a blockbuster, it made people sit up and take note that these kinds of stories can work too. The film is about three aged friends who trek to the Everest base camp to fulfil the wishes of a fourth friend who is no more. It reminded us of the 1982 Shaukeen by Basu Chatterjee—a cheeky look at old-age friendships featuring Ashok Kumar, AK Hangal and Utpal Dutt, which was way ahead of its time.
Even in Malayalam cinema, beyond Mohanlal and Mammootty—who still enjoy star power in their 60s and 70s—actors like Vijayaraghavan (74), who appeared in Pookkaalam (2023) as a 100-year-old protagonist who files for divorce and Jagadish (Rorschach (2022) and Kaapa (2022)) are finding new shades in their careers with better roles written for them.
In an interesting parallel in West Bengal, Mithun Chakraborty and Mamata Shankar reunited after 46 years since Mrigayaa (1976) for Projapati (2022), a nuanced father and son story.
The older generation has really upped its game in content creation on social media as well. We all know how Zeenat Aman set the internet on fire with her Instagram debut, earning millions of young followers with her deep captions and often cheeky posts and memes. So when she was cast in The Royals (2025) as a pot-smoking, gummy-loving Dadi, we all loved it. After a self-imposed hiatus, Bollywood’s oomph girl of the last century, made a sassy appearance in the Netflix series and is all set for the soon to be released Bun Tikki, in which she plays the lead along with Shabana Azmi. The film also stars Abhay Deol and is written and directed by Faraz Ansari (of Sheer Qorma (2021) fame).
Azmi, no stranger to offbeat roles and experimental cinema, has been thriving in the cut-throat industry for the past five decades. Yet, even a veteran like her is taken by surprise with the diverse roles coming to her at this stage. With the advent of OTT, stories can be told without having to think of the constraints of releasing them in theatres, leaving seasoned actors plenty of room to experiment. “Not having to worry about picture chalegi? is very liberating,” said Azmi in an interview with Film Companion.
Her mix is impressive: Steven Spielberg’s Halo (2022), Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023) (in which she has a full romantic track, including a lip-lock with Dharmendra), Ghoomer (2023), What’s Love Got To Do With It (2022), and the recent Dabba Cartel (2025), in which she channels her inner don, in an Indian Narcos (2015) meets Breaking Bad (2008).
Even Sharmila Tagore, following a hiatus of 13 years, made her film comeback with the drama Gulmohar (2023) followed by a critically acclaimed performance in Puratawn (2025). Of course, we are still miles behind Hollywood, where roles are created for a Meryl Streep or Judi Dench or Helen Mirren. But senior actors in Indian industries are shedding inhibitions and challenging stereotypes like never before. Like Azmi says, “The writing is king; the lines that the character is speaking -that is king. The role has to challenge you in some way. ”
Ask and you will receive, seems to be the mantra. When Amitabh Bachchan was going through a dry spell and approached Yash Chopra for work, leading to Mohabbatein (2000), it put his career back on track and there was no looking back. In 2018, veteran actress Neena Gupta—who hadn’t worked for two years—posted a beautiful picture of herself on Instagram, captioned: “I live in Mumbai and working as an actor looking for good parts to play.” This opened up a whole lot of opportunities for her, starting with Badhaai Ho (2018), in which she plays a 50 plus woman who gets pregnant. Her career resurged and she has been unstoppable since. Even in Metro...In Dino (2025), Neena Gupta has a significant role and a romantic track with Anupam Kher, equalling in screen time with the other leads like Aditya Roy Kapur, Sarah Ali Khan and Konkona Sen Sharma.
Seamlessly, the senior actors have become a part of the content, with roles being written in ways that you don’t need a star. Theatre and television veteran Ratna Pathak Shah agrees that the OTT boom introduced writing of a kind that opened up interesting parts for bold, outspoken women, like Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016) or Dhak Dhak (2023). Badhaai Ho was purely Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao’s film because of its writing. The senior actor aura makes them own whatever they are doing, and they are certainly having fun with these new-age roles, bringing in a whole new old energy. As an audience, we can’t have enough of this authenticity
