Why is SRK still 'sexy' today, but not Madhuri Dixit?

In one of last year’s biggest successes, and in my humble opinion last year’s worst movies, Shah Rukh Khan flashed his six-pack abs, or was it eight? Oh I’ve lost count, much to the delight of women, and men across the country. Forty-nine years old and father to three children, Shah Rukh was instantly labelled the "new" sex symbol in town. (Though I personally thought he looked like a can of soda that’s been mercilessly crushed, but that’s a different story.)

Cut to the end of 2014 and Malaika Arora Khan was back on our screens in yet another "item" song in a film produced by her husband. Forty-one and mother to a 12-year-old, she’s in smashing shape in the song matching steps with Rajkumar Rao, suggestive lyrics aside. But too bad for her, the reaction to her body hasn’t been anything close to that of SRK. She’s not being called "sexy"; rather everyone’s gone to town about how distasteful it is for a "mother" to be dancing around like this. If you too, like me, are wondering why the hypocrisy here, let’s get down to the facts: women aren’t allowed to look glamorous once they embrace motherhood and men have no such rules even after having fathered three children.

The human race has always believed in the "different rules for men and women" theory, a fact rather obvious in Hindi cinema. Since time immemorial, actresses have had a shorter time span for their careers while our heroes have never had age as a career roadblock in any way. Even today, most heroes achieve any real success only in their 30s. The girls, though, have to start packing their bags by that age as their male counterparts are busy scouting for younger talent to romance on screen with.

In one of the better films of last year, Tabu, easily one of the finest female actors in our industry, had to play mother to Shahid Kapoor who at 33 is just ten years her junior. She’s certainly not "hot" enough anymore for her heroes from the '90s, like SRK, Salman or Ajay Devgn who’re romancing girls half their age. Ditto for Madhuri Dixit, the reigning diva of her time known for her beauty and sex appeal. Sex symbols of the '90s Urmila Matondkar and Shilpa Shetty are today out of work despite looking fabulous while their former heroes are still doing films. Why do we have to dismiss a woman’s glam quotient just because of her age when we don’t mind lusting for men who’re touching 50?

When Jennifer Lopez decided to shake her booty last year, fans and critics lashed out at her for what they felt was hugely inappropriate simply because at 45, she has two little children to think about and it is time to cover up her body. Cameron Diaz took a lot of flak for starring in Sex Tape and baring it all for the camera only because she is 42. Kim Kardashian’s mother Kris Jenner recently was in the news for her new "toy-boy" Corey Gamble who’s a much younger 33 to her 59 and was unduly criticised for the same. You’ll constantly find people commenting on how Lewis Hamilton, 29, could do better than his 35-year-old girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger. And you’d think girls have it easier in Hollywood! JLo, as she’s popularly known, shot back saying women can look hot at any age and even after motherhood. How many people agreed with her is another question altogether.

The point is simple: beauty has no age and a woman or man can be desirable at every age. We’re living in 2015 now and it is high time we stopped judging women on pseudo moral grounds such as motherhood and age. A woman has the right to dress the way she wants and look desirable if she chooses to. And the only thing that should stop her from doing this is she herself. If age and parenthood must be a barometer for sex appeal, how about we start with the men first! George Clooney? Old and done with!