Not Just ‘Uunchai’, A Look At Indian Films Headlined By Senior Actors

In the recent release 'Uunchai', we see four dashing old men played by legendary actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Danny Denzongpa test the limits of their age for their friendship. Friendship can help conquer mountains, and that’s exactly what these friends are doing, literally. Even female leads include stalwarts like Sarika and Neena Gupta making this Sooraj Bharjitya film special in many ways.

As the film has hit screens, let's take a look at some of the critically acclaimed films in which the silver-haired generation took the charge 

Astu

This film helmed by Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukhtankar witnesses the impeccable performance by Marathi acting great Mohan Agashe, He plays a Sanskrit professor with Alzheimer’s who loses his bearings after he pursues a pet elephant on the street, causing his distraught daughter (Irawati Harshe) to comb the streets and old age homes of Pune in pursuit. 

Atanka

Bengali acting legend Soumitra Chatterjee plays the lead in this film about the difficulties of old age. Directed by Tapan Sinha, Chatterjee plays the role of Sudhanshu, a teacher who witnesses a murder committed by one of his former pupils. The student terrorizes the teacher and his family to prevent him from approaching the police, and the old man is torn between fear and moral duty.

Saaransh

Mahesh Bhatt’s Saaransh (1984) saw the young actor Anupam Kher playing an old man. Gutted by the death of his son, Kher’s onscreen role Pradhan and his wife Parvati (Rohini Hattangadi) decide to kill themselves. Divine intervention arrives in the form of their tenant Sujata (Soni Razdan), who is pregnant with the child of the son of a thuggish politician. 

Badhaai Ho

This 2018 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Amit Ravindernath had Neena Gupta with Gajraj Rao as the lead pair with Ayushmaan Khurrana, Surekha Sikri, Shardul Rana, and Sanya Malhotra in supporting roles. The film tells the story of a middle-aged couple who get pregnant, much to the disappointment of their sons. The film received positive reviews and was a commercial success. 

Sharmaji Namkeen 

This 2022 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film written and directed by debutante Hitesh Bhatia starred Rishi Kapoor in his posthumous appearance as the titular protagonist following his demise on 30 April 2020, and Paresh Rawal also playing the titular character, finishing Kapoor's remaining scenes. The film marked the first instance in cinematic history of two actors playing the same character without sharing screen space.