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Actor Khaqan Shahnawaz has said he could play Indian actor Kareena Kapoor’s son, not her lover, in a drama because of her age, a statement that has sparked backlash from fans of the iconic Bollywood starlet.

In an appearance on Geo TV’s Hasna Mana Hai with Tabish Hashmi on December 14, the Pakistani actor and internet personality was told by an audience member that they would like to see him work with Kapoor. To this, Shahnawaz said he could play her son because Kareena was “quite old”.

Warranted? Absolutely not. Random? Immensely.

Perhaps a better approach would be to nod and smile, because his remarks have drawn the ire of Kapoor’s massive fanbase from both Pakistan and India, with many calling Shahnawaz’s remarks “ageist”.

Other people were of the opinion that Shahnawaz’s fame was… well… non-existent, especially in comparison to the level of celebrity that Kapoor enjoys.

One netizen said, “Bro thinks he cracked a funny joke, you don’t exist for her”, while a Pakistani said that despite being from Pakistan, they had no idea who Shahnawaz was.

Another person opined that Shahnawaz was a “nobody here in Pakistan” while Kapoor was one of the biggest Bollywood actors of all time — a little harsh, but not entirely unfounded.

Some social media users believed that Shahnawaz said what he did to borrow some of Kapoor’s fame. One person said he took her name to get same fame, while another maintained that he would become famous because of her, adding that everyone talking about ageing would themselves age one day.

Another person said Shahnawaz was “craving for publicity”, which is why “he chose the queen of Bollywood”. However, we must remind you, an audience member on the show said they wanted to see the Pakistani actor star alongside Kapoor. The ridiculous response though? That was all him.

A social media user was all praise for Kapoor, as they highlighted that “age is just a number and Kareena has beautifully proved it”.

“Before passing such remarks that so-called actor should know that Kareena is the only female actress in the entire Bollywood who has worked as a lead actress in her entire career… Meanwhile, hamaray insta and YouTube influencer us per baat karhy hai [meanwhile, our Instagram and YouTube influencers are commenting on her].”

Another person maintained that “everyone on this earth will age” and urged Shahnawaz to “stop passing such kind of comments”.

Meanwhile, a Pakistani fan said Pakistanis were also slamming Shahnawaz because he loved being childish but did not know how to act.

On the other hand, some people agreed with Shahnawaz — although we don’t quite understand what they’re agreeing with — and said Kapoor had in fact aged.

One thing is for sure, this entire conversation united both Pakistani and Indian social media users with Pakistani people in the comment section giving Shahnawaz a “reality check”.

Shahnawaz’s comment comes with a large serving of ageism. A quick Google search revealed that Kapoor is 44 years old, while he is 27. Even quicker math shows that that means she would be underaged mother if he was in fact her son.

If they were to star as mother and son, perhaps it would be a movie about teen pregnancy? However, we doubt Kapoor will want to work with Shahnawaz anytime soon.