Bollywood reluctant to cast 50-plus actors in lead: Mahadevan

New Delhi: Actor-director Anant Mahadevan says he fails to understand why Bollywood is reluctant to cast 50-plus actors in lead roles.

The filmmaker has cast 55-year-old actor Jackie Shroff in the lead in his upcoming film "Life Is Good", which is set to hit theatres in September. "The Indian film industry has strange ways. Here if an actors crosses the 50 age mark then he is not cast in lead roles. I do not understand why. "In Hollywood the scenario is completely different. We can still see Al Pacino and others being cast in the lead in major films. This is the shortcoming of our industry," Mahadevan told PTI Bhasha. "Life Is Good" is based on a story sourced from a detailed diary left by "Saaransh" writer Sujit Sen, who died in 2005. Mahadevan, who has directed films on serious issues like ‘Red Alert: The War Within’ as well as soft romantic comedies ‘Dil Maange More’ and ‘Dil Vil Pyar Vyar’, said his upcoming film is different from his other previous films. "The film is all about a relationship between a father and daughter. What happens when a little child Mishti comes out of the blue into the life of a man, who wants to end his life? "Jackie is playing the 40-year-old father, while child artiste Sanya Anklesaria appears as his daughter," he said. Mahadevan is also working on ‘Gaur Hari Dastaan’ which is based on the life of Gour Hari Das, who fought for four years to free the country from the British rule and 32 years in liberated India to prove he had done so for a freedom fighter`s certificate. The film stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Ranvir Shorey, Vinay Pathak and Tannishtha Chatterjee. PTI