At the Kerala Literature Festival, veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah voiced strong criticism of the growing trend in Hindi cinema that celebrates “hypermasculinity” and “debases women.” During a conversation with actor Parvathy, Shah discussed the alarming rise of such themes in mainstream films, highlighting the success of movies like Animal and Pushpa 2, which, despite being commercially successful, have faced backlash for their portrayal of masculinity.
When Parvathy raised the issue of “the implosion of insecure hyper masculinity” in cinema, Shah expressed his concern, stating that the popularity of such films reflects a disturbing reality in today’s society. He remarked, “I don’t know if it’s a reflection of our society or if it is a reflection of the fantasies of our society.”
Shah went on to say that films which feed into the “secret fantasies of men, who in their heart of hearts, look down on women,” are both alarming and troubling. He noted, “It’s very scary to see how much approval such films get from the common viewer. It’s very terrifying, and it does explain the horrendous things that happen to women in a lot of places in our country.”
The actor also acknowledged that, like many in the industry, he had worked in films purely for financial reasons. “I have also done some movies which I did only for the money, that’s the simple truth. I don’t think that one needs to be ashamed of working for money, I mean, what do we all do?” he said. “But those are jobs I regret. Fortunately, people don’t remember the bad work you did. As an actor, they only remember the good things you did.”
Naseeruddin Shah’s latest film appearance was in Sonu Sood’s Fateh.
