An actor had once commented that if it weren’t for Amitabh Bachchan, the Hindi film industry would not be making movies with senior actors in leading roles. No matter how fit or youthful they may be, once they cross 60, most lead actors (except Dev Anand!) are moved to character roles, while the projects revolve around the young hero. When Anil Kapoor, always hailed for his ageless appearance, agreed to play daddy roles, what chance did the other have? Women do not even have to hit the 60-year mark to be relegated to playing mother, sometimes to actors older than them.
In any case, most Hindi films look at senior actors pretty much the way society does—spend your old age doing pooja-paath, looking after grandkids and minding the blood pressure, is what is expected of them. Which is why so many films about older people have them suffering loneliness, ill health and cruelties of apathetic children. God forbid if they seek romance or, gosh, a sex life!
Which is why a new film, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, is winning raves because it has a retired, widowed school teacher, played by Emma Thompson, seeking the sexual pleasure she never did in her 35-year marriage with an indifferent husband, by hiring a young sex worker (Daryl McCormack). She has to overcome her shame and embarrassment, before she discovers that desire is not a sin.
In the US, the media has labelled as ‘geri-action’ the spate of movies—like The Expendables franchise– with 60 plus stars. The quintet of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Shwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson and Bruce Willis still sell tickets, the last star, however, has had to bow out, due to ill health. Hardly any female star over 60 makes it to the badass list, though Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda, Glen Close still get enviably good parts.
So, if you drop movies in which seniors are ailing, lonely, suffering from dementia (too many of these), or are just plain crabby, sad or mopey, there are a few in which there is more to them than just the travails of old age. Here’s a list of 10 personal favourites, in no particular order, starring Golden Oldies.
102 Not Out (2018):
The play by Saumya Joshi was much funnier, but the film starring Amitabh Bachchan as a 102-year old wanting to beat the oldest man alive record had its charm. Rishi Kapoor played the old-man’s crotchety 75-year-old son, who has lost all zest for life, so the father tries to teach him how to enjoy the years he has left.
Finding Your Feet (2017):
In Richard Loncraine’s formulaic but enjoyable film with a terrific cast, the snobbish Sandra (Imelda Staunton) discovers that her newly-knighted husband has been having an affair with her best friend. After he leaves her, Sandra is forced to move in with her estranged sister Bif (Celie Imrie), who lives a carefree, bohemian life in a shabby home. Sandra has to abandon her airs and graces as she tries to fit in with Bif’s lifestyle, which includes the adult community dance class she attends. Sandra finds renewed energy and romance with the kind and supportive Charlie (Timothy Spall).
Driving Miss Daisy (1989):
Bruce Beresford’s multiple Oscar-winning gem of a film, has a role for the sprightly Jessica Tandy, who is the oldest actress to have won an academy award at 80—a record that still stands. She is the eponymous Miss Daisy, a prim Jewish widow, who is forced by her son to hire a black chauffeur, Hoke (Morgan Freeman), when she is no longer able to drive. After a rocky start, he wins her over, and over they develop an unlikely friendship that transcends race, age and class.
The Bucket List (2007):
This Rob Reiner film, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman breaks the no-illness criterion set above, because it is so full of joy. The two wonderful leading men play characters who escape from the cancer ward, where they are awaiting death, to live out their last days, ticking off a list of things they always wanted to do before they kick the bucket.
Book Club (2018):
Bill Holderman had the honour of directing four fabulous actresses – Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenbergen—as four longtime friends, who meet regularly for their book club. The reading of E.L. James’s steamy bestseller Fifty Shades Of Grey, shakes up their staid lives, as they rediscover spice and sex.
Calendar Girls (2003):
The redoubtable Helen Mirren and Julie Walters star in Nigel Cole’s comedy, as best friends, who belong to a Women’s Institute, whose motto is “enlightenment, fun, and friendship”. It is mostly boring activity, however, and most mundane is their annual fund-raising calendar. After the husband of one of the women dies of leukemia, they want to get a memorial in his memory, and decide to do a nude calendar to raise more funds. The women not just have to convince members of the group to pose, but also to find a photographer who will make it look artistic. The idea is bold, and, of course, shocks the small town community.
Everybody’s Fine (2009):
Robert De Niro stars in this Kirk Jones film as a recent widower, Frank Goode, who realises that his wife had kept the family together, and when she’s gone, their four grown-up children renege on their reunion. So against the advice of his doctor, he travels to see the four in the different cities where they live, to understand what they are like now, and in the process rediscovers himself, in this heartfelt film about lost connections and bonding.
The Intern (2015):
Nancy Meyers directs Robert De Niro in the role of the 70-year-old widower, Ben Whittaker, who is so bored with a nothing-to-do lifestyle and signs up for seniors’ intern programme and is placed at the office of harried fashion start-up founder and CEO, Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway). Ben does not know anything about fashion or the web world, but he still has wisdom and experience to offer, which may be just what the young team needs.
Gran Torino (2008):
At 92, Clint Eastwood is one of the oldest stars and filmmakers still at work. He acts and directs the film about a Korean War veteran, Walt Kowalski, is a loner who is unhappy about the changes in the neighbourhood as people of other races move in. After a run in with an Asian teenager who tries to steal his prized vintage automobile. Walt reluctantly befriends the kid and protects him and his family, from the gangs that infest the area.
On Golden Pond (1981):
One of the finest films about ageing and family ties, starred the legendary Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda as an old couple spending time at their summer cottage. Their daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda), visits with her fiancé and his son, Billy. They go on to Europe leaving the child behind and an unexpected relationship develops between the grandparents and the kid.
