Bollywood has had a long and illustrious history of the older man-younger woman pairing. And with the release of Dear Zindagi, which has some crackling chemistry between Shah Rukh Khan and the much-younger Alia Bhatt, we thought we’d dig up a few films that prove that age is just a number.

Here is a list of some “taboo” love stories that prove that Bollywood has come of age with some seriously astonishing age-gaps between the two leads.

Cheeni Kum

Cheeni Kum depicts an older man-younger woman combination where Amitabh Bachchan is actually six years older to Tabu’s father, making things awkward between the father in-law and the future son in-law. The unconventional romantic pairing between Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu was refreshing from the usual run-of-the-mill love stories that Bollywood usually serves us with.

Nishabd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Lolita-esque moment for Bollywood, this film was a brave take on a relationship between an older married man, with a wife and daughter, who falls for his daughter’s quiet, brooding and sultry friend. Of course, Amitabh Bachchan was back to playing the older man while the late Jiah Khan played the role of the 18 year old who falls for the photographer Bachchan. Watch it for its risque storyline, haunting music and the underlying sexual tension between the leads, turning it into one of the most memorable performances of Bachchan and Jiah’s career.

Aitraaz

A married man turns down overtures of his ex-girlfriend who is now married to his boss. Dejected, she accuses him of rape while he sues her for sexual harassment. Well, just to remind you, this one starred Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra as the sparring leads alongside Kareena Kapoor and Amrish Puri, who played Priyanka’s older husband.

Black

Who can forget the poignant moment when a younger Rani Mukherjee and an older Amitabh Bachchan finally kiss in this highly emotional drama depicting a beautiful teaching-student relationship? The film received accolades worldwide and is one of the most heartbreaking stories to have ever been churned out of Bollywood.