The trailer of Tushar Hiranandani’s ‘Saandh Ki Aankh’, which features Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar as two real-life 60-plus sisters from Uttar Pradesh who became famous sharpshooters, has triggered a debate on age-suited casting.

Challenging the casting of Taapsee and Bhumi who are in their early 30s, veteran actress Neena Gupta tweeted: “Yes, I was just thinking about this. Hamari umar ke role toe kam se kam humse kara lo bhai (at least let actresses of my age play such roles)”. The remark has triggered off a Twitter debate, with Kangana Ranaut’s sister Rangoli chipping in that Kangana had been offered the film but she suggested Neena Gupta and Ramya Krishnan for the two sisters’ roles.

In a sharp rejoinder Taapsee put out a statement on Twitter that said: “I wonder… I just wonder… Do we ever want to embrace the positivity or just keep latching on to negativity and glorifying it to save our lack of risk taking tendencies. Have we really lost the shoulder along with our spine to support people who venture out of their comfort zone to bring about a change???? Or it’s just reserved for two females who at relatively nascent stage of their career venture out to do something, which we were told, most of the people turned down? I wonder…. I just wonder… Did we ask the same question when we all loved what Anupam Kher did in Saaransh. Did we question when Nargis Dutt played mother to Sunil Dutt? Did we question John Travolta for playing a woman in Hairspray?

Did we question Eddie Murphy for playing a white Jewish man in Coming to America? Did we question when Aamir Khan played a college kid in 3 Idiots? And in the future are we going to question Ayushmann Khurrana for playing a gay man in Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan? Or these lovely allegations and questions are reserved only for us??? Well even if it is… we thank you from the bottom of our heart for noticing our little effort to bring to you something new, something different, something you all want to comment on, something you all want to attach yourself to, be it in any way, and something that attracted your attention. After all cinema is also about thought. Let’s keep the discussion going and hope your questions will be answered and doubts will be cleared this Diwali kyuki hum toh aa rahe hain iss baar pataake nahi goliyaan barsaane.