Actor Ameesha Patel has weighed in on the ongoing chatter about the significant age difference between Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna in their latest offering Sikandar.
The actress expressed her surprise at the attention the topic has received, questioning why the age gap is even a matter of discussion.
At a recent event in Mumbai, Ameesha referenced her own pairing with Sunny Deol in Gadar. She said, "Mere aur Sunny (Deol) ji mein bhi to 20 saal ka gap tha, par jab jodi chalti hai to chalti hai (There was a 20-year age gap between me and Sunny (Deol) ji as well, but when a pair works, it works). Anyways, Salman is just muah (flying kiss gesture)," she said with a smile.
Salman Khan had earlier addressed the same criticism during the trailer launch of Sikandar, responding to the backlash over his on-screen pairing with Rashmika, who is 31 years younger than him.
He said, "Phir vo bolte hain 31 years ka difference hai heroine aur mujh mein, arre jab heroine ko problem nahi hai, heroine ke papa ko dikkat nahi hai, tumko kyun dikkat hai bhyi? Inki shadi hogi, bachchi hongi, toh unke sath bhi kaam karenge. Mummy ki permission toh mil hi jayega (Then they say there's a 31-year age gap between me and the heroine. But if the heroine has no problem, and even her father has no issue, why do you have a problem, brother? When she gets married and has a daughter, I will work with her daughter too. Her mother's permission will be sorted)."
Sikandar, which hit screens on March 30, is directed by AR Murugadoss and features a star-studded cast including Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sharman Joshi and Sathyaraj in significant roles.
