India star eyes box office luck with younger woman

By Krittivas Mukherjee

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan will be seen wooing a woman half his age in a new romantic comedy that producers hope will appeal to conservative audiences which rejected a similar story earlier this year.

Two months ago, a film about the love of a 60-year-old man, also played by Bachchan, for an 18-year-old girl -- apparently inspired by the controversial 1955 novel "Lolita" -- sank at the box office because it was considered to be scandalous.

But the makers of "Cheeni Kum" (Less Sugar) are hoping their film will click because it's a chaste comedy, a genre that has been tasting success in Bollywood over the last two years.

"Cheeni Kum" is billed as a sarcastic love story of a 64-year-old arrogant chef at a top Indian restaurant in London and a 34-year-old Indian tourist who continuously squabble and disagree until their hearts grow fonder.

"It's about how the woman breaks the news of the romance to her father and the funny chaos they go through," said Sunil Manchanda, the film's producer.

Bollywood analysts say despite the theme of an older man romancing a younger woman, the film could find acceptance if it steers clear of any overt sexuality to which Indian audiences still remain sensitive.

They rejected the "Lolita"-inspired film called "Nishabd" (Silence) in March even though the sex was only implied in the actors' lust-filled eyes and their clothes never came off.

In "Cheeni Kum", Bachchan is a confirmed bachelor who lives with his 85-year-old mother and his only friend and confidante is a nine-year-old neighbor.

An arrogant, egoistic and pompous man with a singular passion in life -- cooking -- Bachchan's initial encounters with the heroine, played by Tabu, are fraught with tension.

But they fall in love against all odds and go to the girl's father -- who is six years younger than the prospective groom -- to ask for permission to marry.

"Cheeni Kum" is directed by R. Balkrishnan, a veteran maker of advertisements, and is due for release next week.

"That's a sarcastic, humorous take on love," Bachchan, who sports a ponytail in the film, said in a recent interview. "It's not about deliberately falling in love."