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Age gaps are not uncommon in movies, but having a woman 17 years your junior play your on-screen mother is a bit much. That’s why Bollywood’s Aamir Khan has been receiving backlash for his next film Laal Singh Chaddha alongside Kareena Kapoor and Mona Singh, who plays his mother.

On Monday, Pinkvilla reported that Khan was asked about the 17-year age difference between him and his on-screen mom. In his defence, the Dangal actor said, “I want to ask you a question that as an actor, as a creative person, if I’m looking 103, which I’m supposed to, why is my age inappropriate to play the role? Just because I am 57. What is the logic? What is age-specific for an actor? An actor can play characters who are not their age and that is the beauty of it.” He also appreciated Singh for her ability to portray an older character.

Khan, 57, felt that it’s due to the brilliance of Singh’s craft that she is able to play the role of a mother despite being 40 years old. According to the news portal, the actor also said that anyone questioning the age difference between her and her on-screen character is disrespecting Singh as an artist.

“What are you saying? This is Mona Singh’s brilliance. When you will see her in the film, you will think that she is looking very young. You will also feel that she is looking old as well. It is her brilliance. You are snatching away her good work. This is wrong. Had I been in her place, I would have been very disturbed,” the PK actor said.

Laal Singh Chaddha is an official remake of Tom Hanks’ 1994 classic Forrest Gump and will hit the theatres on August 11. The film will see Kapoor, Khan and Singh unite for the second time on screen — they also acted in 3 Idiots together 13 years ago.