Actors comfortable working with taller actresses

From Deepika Padukone to Katrina Kaif Bollywood actresses have often been paired opposite actors who are shorter than them. Deepika Padukone is one of the actresses who is taller than most actors in the industry, that too without heels. Deepika has worked with Shahrukh who is an inch shorter and Saif Ali Khan who is two inches shorter than her. So do these actors never get complex? Well guess they don’t.

In a recent interview, Shahrukh said in good humour, “There is definitely one advantage of pairing with Deepika. Between shoot breaks, she helps me pick clothes from the top racks.”

Not just Shahrukh but even our Perfectionist Aamir Khan is comfortable with his female co-star being taller than him. Aamir who is 5’6″ romanced 5’8″ Katrina Kaif in his latest release Dhoom 3 and said that he loves romancing taller women.

Not just new actors but even in the past there have been pairings in which the actresses were taller. Zeenat Aman was the tallest actress and her male counterparts had to wear high-heeled shoes and even cushions to look taller. In particular, Rishi Kapoor and the late Rajesh Khanna, the shortest actors of their generations, had a tough time.
Yesteryear actress Zaheeda, who loved high heels and huge bouffants, recalls a hilarious time on the set of Anokhi Raat when she had to be literally cut to size by co-star Sanjeev Kumar. Apparently, he told her, “Don’t wear high heels… at least don’t pile that hair so high on your head. Flatten your hair. You look too tall.”

Shah Rukh has admitted that all his recent female leads have been taller than him. Farhan Akhtar who worked with Sonam Kapoor and Deepika is also comfotable with the whole deal. Huma Qureshi, at 5’7″ was seen with her 5’5″ co-star Arshad Warsi in Dedh Ishqiya. Salman Khan, who is about 5’7″, has had no qualms being paired with actresses like Sushmita Sen and Katrina Kaif.

In the 90s, actresses like Madhuri Dixit, Karishma Kapoor, Kajol, Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta were of average height. But now, with the increase in the advent of models and beauty pageant winners in the industry, there has been a whole mass of tall actresses. And clearly, more and more actors are getting comfortable working with actresses who tower over them.

Well do they have a choice?